All set for the 44th Copa del Rey MAPFRE

Real Club Náutico de Palma enjoyed a busy day of final preparations on Sunday ahead of the official start of racing at the 44 Copa del Rey Mapfre. Activity focused on the final administrative procedures, technical inspections and practice sessions, as the fleet continued to familiarise itself with the racecourse in the Bay of Palma.

The Race Office is completing the final stages of the registration process with no issues reported. “Registration is now around 89% complete and, so far, we have encountered no incidents,” explained Rocío Lozano, Head of the Race Office. “Each team must submit the sailing licences for all crew members, the yacht’s measurement certificate and the mandatory insurance documentation in order to complete the final registration. That is currently the Race Office’s main priority,” she added.

At the same time, teams completed the technical inspections to verify compliance with their ORC certificates before fine-tuning their yachts and heading out for practice sessions. The fleet used the day to test sail settings and run race simulations ahead of the official practice races, which begin today, Monday 3rd of August.

One of the sporting highlights of this year’s edition is the debut of Olympic champion and offshore sailor Támara Echegoyen as a skipper at the Copa del Rey Mapfre. The Spanish sailor will helm Beso Beach, owned by Rodrigo Sanz, one of the leading contenders in the Uber ORC B class, where she will face strong competition from Javier Banderas’ Teatro del Soho-San Miguel, which also features double Olympic medallist Luis Doreste among its crew. Both yachts are the new XR-41 design, which already demonstrated its potential by winning this year’s Sandberg PalmaVela, sailed on the same racecourse that will host the 44 Copa del Rey Mapfre.

“It’s going to be a very demanding week,” said Támara Echegoyen. “The forecast points to light winds, conditions in which every decision and every small detail can make the difference. The class is also extremely competitive, so consistency, avoiding mistakes and staying in contention until the final day will be essential if we want to fight for the title.”

As part of the regatta’s parallel programme, Real Club Náutico de Palma will host the exclusive pre-premiere screening of Miguel Ángel Tobías’ documentary Cáscara de Nuez this evening. The event is fully booked and has generated considerable interest among sailors, organisers and sailing enthusiasts alike.