Bruno Nueschen, Optimist Champion at the XVII Setmana de la Vela – Trofeu DURAN

Excellent conditions in the Bay of Palma allowed four races to be completed to make up for the schedule interrupted yesterday due to strong winds.

The XVII Setmana de la Vela – Trofeu DURAN crowned its first champions this Sunday, May 10th, following the conclusion of the Optimist class races, which opened the program of the regatta organized by the Club Nàutic Cala Gamba in the Bay of Palma.

The winner was Bruno Nueschen, representing the Club Nàutic S’Arenal, who secured victory with four points after recording four first-place finishes and discarding a fifth place in the final race. This performance also places him among the leading contenders for the overall regatta title, pending the outcome of the ILCA class races next weekend.

Second place went to Alonso Coronado of the Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa with nine points, while third place was claimed by Tomás Salvá, also representing the Club Nàutic S’Arenal.

The top female sailor was Marta Verges from the Club Nàutic Cala Gamba, who finished fifth overall. The women’s podium was completed by her clubmate Daena Perales in 15th place and Martina Forteza-Rey from the Real Club Náutico de Palma in 20th.

In Group D, reserved for the youngest sailors in the fleet, victory went to Carlota de Orbaneja of the Club Marítimo de Mahón. Second place went to Chris Laureo from the Club Nàutico del Portitxol, followed by Adrián Remesal from the same club.

The Optimist class completed a total of five races over the weekend: one held on Saturday, marked by strong winds, and four more completed this Sunday. Meanwhile, the Group D fleet sailed three races, all scheduled and completed today.

The Race Committee was able to recover the races that could not be held on the opening day thanks to the favorable conditions in the Bay of Palma on Sunday. The wind blew steadily from the southwest at between 10 and 14 knots throughout the day. Joan Masrc, director of the Club Nàutic Cala Gamba and head of the regatta organization, highlighted the positive reception among sailors and coaches to the introduction of a shorter-race format: “Thanks to this, we were able to complete four races before three in the afternoon, also helped by the fact that we started a little earlier to take advantage of the excellent conditions the bay offered today.”

The Optimist class prize-giving ceremony took place this afternoon at the outdoor facilities of Cala Gamba and was attended, among others, by club president Susana Zanoguera and Jaume Durán, owner of the sponsoring company.

This year, the XVII Setmana de la Vela – Trofeu DURAN brings together more than 200 boats and is being held over two weekends with the participation of the Optimist, ILCA 4, ILCA 6, and traditional lateen sailing classes. Following the conclusion of the Optimist races, the regatta will continue next weekend with the entry of the ILCA fleets and the lateen sailing fleet. The ILCA 6 competition will count toward the Federation Cup of the Federación Balear de Vela, featuring sailors from Mallorca, Menorca, and Ibiza.