Intense Second Day of Competition at the 42nd Copa del Rey MAPFRE

The coastal race for the four ORC categories and the debut of the Women's Cup Class and Sandberg Estates J70 classes were the highlights of the second day of competition at the 42nd Copa del Rey MAPFRE. King Felipe's "Aifos" remains second in the Watches of Switzerland ORC 0 after a closely contested long race through Palma Bay.

The 42nd Copa del Rey MAPFRE is progressing well. The second day of racing started late due to the wind's delayed arrival, but all teams managed to return to the Real Club Náutico de Palma with scores on the board. The four ORC categories competed in the only coastal race scheduled for this week, and the addition of the Women's Cup Class and Sandberg Estates J70 classes completed this edition's lineup, which for the first time saw all 123 teams hit the water, vying for the title until next Saturday.

After two days, the leaders are the Spanish teams “Teatro del Soho – Altavista” in Watches of Switzerland ORC 0, “Pez de Abril” in ClubSwan 42, “Patakín” in Sandberg Estates J70, and “Balearia RCNP” in Women’s Cup Class; the German teams “Earlybird” in ClubSwan 50 and “Meerblick” in Balearia ORC 3; the Argentine “Katara” in Altavista ORC 2; and the Estonian “Katariina II” in Odilo ORC 1.

The four ORC divisions competed in a coastal race that took them to the eastern end of Palma Bay. The route was 24.5 nautical miles to Cabo Blanco for ORC 0 and 1, and 22.7 nautical miles to S’Estanyol for ORC 2 and 3.

In Watches of Switzerland ORC 0, the duel between “Teatro del Soho Altavista” and “Aifos” was renewed. After nearly three hours of coastal racing, King Felipe's boat finished just 23 seconds behind Javier Banderas's boat, keeping the battle for the category lead alive. After three races, “Teatro del Soho Altavista” leads “Aifos” by two points. The French “Daguet 3” of Frederic Puzin is third, four points behind the Spanish Navy boat.

The victory in the Odilo ORC 1 class went to “Unión Suiza Varador” helmed by Jorge Martínez Doreste, but the leader remains Aivar Tuulberg's “Katariina II” (third yesterday), now tied with Fernando León's “HM Hospitales Hydra” (second yesterday).

In the Altavista ORC 2 class, the Argentine “Katara” helmed by Julian Somodi took the win, moving to the top of the provisional standings, just ahead of the “L’Immens Laplaza Assessors” helmed by Carles Rodríguez, which finished second.

Otto Pohlmann’s “Meerblick” claimed its third consecutive partial victory, maintaining a firm lead in the Balearia ORC 3 class. The German boat extended its lead to six points over the nearest challenger, Jose Ballester’s “Fala Pouco,” and eight points over Federico Linares’s “Brujo.”

Both ClubSwan monohull categories completed two races, reaching four total races, allowing each team to discard their worst result in this Preliminary Series, which ends today.

In ClubSwan 50, victories by “Moonlight” and “Hatari” tightened the standings, with the top four separated by just two points. Hendrik Brandis's “Earlybird” (3+4 yesterday) remains in the lead, but now only by one point over Marcus Brennecke's “Hatari” and two points over the tied “Moonlight” of Graeme Peterson and “Niramo” of Sonke Meier.

In ClubSwan 42, “Pez de Abril” committed a false start in the first race of the day, finishing sixth and losing the lead. However, Juan Meseguer’s team rebounded with a valuable victory in the second race, reclaiming the top spot. They now lead Adriano Majolino’s “Canopo” (2+5 yesterday) by a narrow margin and Mirko Bargolini’s “Spirit of Nerina” (3+2), the best boat of the day, by two points.

The debut of the Women's Cup Class saw the first face-off among the 14 teams, making this the largest edition since the female class was introduced to the Copa del Rey MAPFRE in 2019. The first leader of the week is the local “Balearia RCNP” helmed by María Bover, who won four of the five races. Second is the Catalan “CN El Balís” of Bárbara Cornudella, and third is the Galician “Citanias” of Patricia Suárez.

The Sandberg Estates J70 class started after three consecutive general recalls and the disqualification of nine out of the 30 participating teams in the first of the three races held. Each race had different winners, highlighting the intense competition among the top teams. The best of the day was the title defender, Luis Albert Solana’s “Patakín,” which scored 8+1+2, returning to shore with an eight-point lead over the tie between Mon Cañellas’s “Hang Ten” (2+5+12) and Martin Dent’s “Jelvis” (11+3+5).

The regatta’s operations base at RCNP was visited in the morning by the President of the Balearic Government, Margarita Prohens, who met with participants of the Women's Cup Class before they went out to enjoy the competition. At the end of the day, the club hosted the sailors for the KM 0 Sailor’s Party with live music by Jaime Anglada.

The competition continues today, Thursday, August 1, with races for all classes starting at 1:00 PM. If the wind cooperates, the Preliminary Series for all classes except the women's class, which has its own format, will be completed.