The final phase of the 41 Copa del Rey MAPFRE begins

As the first half of the competition is completed, it has been decided the positions of every team that will take place at the departure of the Final Series, which starts this Thursday.

The third journey of the competition 41 Copa del Rey MAPFRE resolved the Preliminary Series with an inshore race for the four categories of Majorica ORC and a new portion of tests of windward-leeward for the rest. The excellent conditions of the reliable bay of Palma allowed it to complete the planned program, and all the teams finished the phase of classification with six midterms.

After disputing the five races windward-leeward the monday and tuesday, the four categories of Majorica ORC released the Preliminary Phase in a coastal mode. The circuit was of 30 nautical miles for the Majorica ORC 1 and 2 (until El toro, at the extreme west of the bay), and 25 for the Majorica ORC 3 and 4 (until the Island of Sech). A wind of 9-10 knots southeast pushed the boats to the departure.

At Majorica ORC 1, the best of the day was “Aifos” of the Spanish Navy. The TP52 sponsored by the King Don Felipe invested four hours and five minutes to complete the route, endorsing around two minutes after time compensation, also the TP52 “Blue Carbon” of Toni Guiú. This result was not enough to modify the classification, which confirmed the first position of “Palibex-Elena Nova” of Christian Plumo and Javier Sanz, followed by  “From Now On”  of the argentinian Fernando Chaín and of “Aifos”. 

At Majorica ORC 2 took first place with the group of “Teatro del Soho Caixabank” of the tandem formed by Javier Banderas and Daniel Cuevas. The champion of 2022 reaffirmed his superiority winning the coastline race, and was the only one of the fleet who finished the first phase of the championship full of victories.

At Majorica ORC 3, the “Scugnizza”  of Vincenzo de Blasio also consolidated his leadership with the victorious position of the coastline race and will start the Final Phase as first in the group, followed by “Laplazza Assesors” sponsored by Carles Rodríguez and the “Tanit IV Medilevel”.

The category of Majorica ORC 4 was the only one who will continue in the Final Series and will not make any difference between the first three classified, separated by the minimum at the end of the Preliminary Series. The best of the first half of the program was the “Just the Job”  of the british Scott Beattie, a point ahead of “Ybarra-Befesa” of Arturo Montes from Sevilla and two from “Lassal”  of the valencian Gonzalo Calvo.

The “Vitamina” of the italian andrea Laconte and the “Hatari” of the german Sonke Meier won the races of the day at ClubSwan 50, but the best of the Preliminary Series was “Cuordileone” of Leonardo Ferragamo. The italian boat closed its classifications with five points of advantage over the draw of his two persecutors, running by the main candidate to get the title once given to him in 2019. Each of the six races contested in the classification was won by a different team, which shows the equality among the fleet and guarantees an exciting Final Series.

In the class ClubSwan 42, the “Pez de Abril” by José María Meseguer was left by one point of winning. The boat of the skipper and helmsman of the Murcian, who counted on with the Portuguese olympic medalist Hugo Rocha for his tactics, by only seeing the bow of “Selene-Halifax” was the last in the race, and passed solidly to the first group.

The three tests contested at Majorca Sotheby’s Women’s Cup were won by different teams and allowed “Citanias”  of Patricia Suárez from Vigo (2+1+4) snatched first provisional position to “Dorsia Covirán” of Nuria Sánchez from Alicante (4+4+3).

At Herbalife J70, the “Patakín” of Luis Albert reaffirmed the hegemony demonstrated in the previous journey, winning two out of three possible races to close the Preliminary Series in the first position of the J70.

Passing the equator of the regatta, of the piers of the RNCP there are rumors of a foreseeable change of wind conditions for the rest of the week which will contribute to an extra emotion. The Final Series will be prolonged to this Thursday, and until Saturday, with a maximum of six races for all the categories except Herbalife J70 and Majorca Sotheby’s Women’s Cup, with which they can sail up to eight races. In all the cases, they will be raced in a windward-leeward format and there will be no eliminations. The ship with fewer points in terms of the last journey will be claimed champion of its category. The Copa del Rey MAPFRE will also give out trophies to the best vessel of the monotype category and the best time compensated (ORC).