Everything set for the Yanmar Dragon Gold Cup in Puerto Portals

A fleet of 66 boats from seventeen countries will compete from today through next Saturday in the waters of Palma Bay.

The Yanmar Dragon Gold Cup began its program this Sunday, March 15th, in Puerto Portals, which this week will become the world epicenter of the Dragon class. The competition itself starts today, Monday, March 16, but the official opening ceremony of the championship took place yesterday.

The organizers had planned to hold a non-scoring practice race so that crews could familiarize themselves with the racecourse where, starting today, a fleet of 66 boats from seventeen countries will compete. However, the race could not be held due to strong winds, with gusts exceeding 30 knots, recorded in the waters of Palma Bay.

A significant part of the fleet already knows these waters well: many teams have taken part in the winter series organized by Puerto Portals in recent years, helping to establish this venue as one of the European centers of the Dragon class. The championship is considered one of the most important events on this class’s international calendar and brings together some of the world’s top sailors.

The Yanmar Dragon Gold Cup features a sporting format that differs from other usual regattas in the Dragon class. The schedule includes a single race per day on windward-leeward courses, with a maximum of six races planned throughout the week. The rules state that at least four races must be completed for the championship to be valid.

In addition, unlike other sailing championships, there is no possibility of discarding the worst result. This particular feature makes every race decisive for the overall standings and gives consistency and risk management a key role throughout the week.

Yesterday afternoon, the official opening ceremony of the championship took place at 7:00 p.m. in Puerto Portals. With this institutional event, attended by Puerto Portals CEO Corinna Graf and the Mayor of Calvià, Juan Antonio Amengual, a week of competition bringing together the world elite of the Dragon class in Mallorca was officially inaugurated. Also speaking at the ceremony were Carlos Carbajal, president of the Spanish Dragon Class Association, and Martin Payne, representative of the International Dragon Class.