The Smerit accelerates and prevails in the Volta a Mallorca A3

A dozen boats have been able to complete the circumnavigation of the island in a regatta where the continuous wind changes have tested the strategy of the participants.

The “Smerit” of Tito Mouré has been the absolute winner of the XI Volta a Mallorca A3, a regatta for ORC cruiser boats organized this weekend by the Real Club Náutico de Palma.

The crew led by Tito Mouré, who was accompanied on board by Iñaki Rul·lan and Toni del Río, was the fastest to complete the journey of about 150 miles distance that consisted of circumnavigating the island of Mallorca leaving it to port. The Smerit clocked a time of 28 hours, 19 minutes, and 31 seconds.

Its victory was forged in the early stages of the test, as the “Smerit” was the first boat to escape the calm that was registered at the start, which took place last Friday at noon. Its strategy of moving away from the coast, outside the Bay of Palma, worked and found a good tailwind with peaks of 20 knots that allowed it to arrive with an advantage at Cabo de Ses Salines.

Following it were the “Modul” and the “Sayonara Light,” while the rest of the fleet sailed a bit further back. The ascent along the eastern coast was very tactical because the wind was falling and forced the participants to constantly maneuver in search of higher pressure.

The passage through the Bay of Alcudia and Cape Formentor, which was done at night and also with elusive wind, was another key point of the regatta. Eolo returned to accompany the boats in the last stretch of the Volta a Mallorca A3 and they were able to sail from the island of Dragonera to the Bay of Palma, where the finish line was located, almost on a direct course.

The “Smerit” crossed the finish line yesterday afternoon after more than a day of intense and hard navigation. An hour later the “Modul” arrived, while the “Sayonara Light” did so three hours later. The rest of the participants have been entering the Bay of Palma throughout this night. In total, 12 of the 19 units that started were able to complete the circumnavigation of the island.

The classification, once the times were compensated, was headed by the “Smerit,” winner of the ORC 0-2 category and also absolute winner. In its class, it was accompanied on the podium by the “Modul” and “S'Indio III,” who were second and third, respectively.

In the ORC 3-4 class, the victory was taken by the “Enero,” owned by Luis Bustillo. The second place went to the “Guaguanco IV” and the “Sayonara Light” finished in third position.

The crew of the “Enero” was formed by Albert Torres, Arturo Madero, and Pedro Marí. The latter has assured that it was a "very entertaining" Volta a Mallorca but in which they could hardly rest because "you had to be attentive to each change of wind."

Pedro Marí explained that they achieved victory in the ORC 3-4 group thanks to their strategy on the north coast. "We decided to separate from the Serra de Tramuntana and found better wind than our rivals. We were able to pull out a few miles of advantage that ultimately gave us the victory."

The Real Club Náutico de Palma has organized a dinner tonight for all the sailors who have participated in this eleventh edition of the Volta a Mallorca A3, a competition that pays tribute to Jaume Binimelis, the historic commodore of the entity and owner of the Petrouchka III.