International crews gear up for the 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE

The most international class of the 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE is set for an intense battle for the title in the Bay of Palma. Among the 33 teams from 15 different countries competing in the Sail Racing ORC A category are the defending champion, the ClubSwan 42 world champion, and the team with the most overall victories in the history of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE.

The starting lineup in the Sail Racing ORC A class will be the most international of this 43rd edition. With just two weeks until the competition begins at the Real Club Náutico de Palma, 33 teams from 15 nations have confirmed their participation in this category, including boats flying the flags of Montenegro, China, Poland, and Luxembourg.

A look at the entry list shows the high quality of the fleet, with strong contenders such as the Swan 42 “Elena Nova” skippered by German Christian Plump and the DK46 “Hydra HM Hospitales” helmed by Andalusian Oscar Chaves, first and third in ORC 2 last year respectively; the ClubSwan 42 “Pez de Abril” by José María Meseguer from Murcia and “Nadir” by Mallorcan Pedro Vaquer, current world champion and runner-up of the ClubSwan 42 class; or the Swan 42 “Selene Alifax” by Italian Massimo de Campo, recent winner of the XXVI Trofeo S.M. La Reina in Valencia.

It will also be interesting to see the performance of the Knierim 49 “Desna” by German Johannes Wackerhagen, runner-up at the 2024 European Championship; the DK46 “Estrella Damm Sailing Team” of Swiss Rolf Auf der Maur and Andalusian Ignacio Montes, the team with the most overall titles in the history of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE (1998, 2018, and 2019); and several powerful Swan 45 boats, such as “From Now On” by Argentine Fernando Chaín or “Aceites Abril” by Galician brothers Luis and Jorge Pérez Canal.

The Sail Racing ORC A fleet brings four new flags to the list of countries in the 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE: representing China is the IY 14.98 “Windflower” by Yun Ye; from Luxembourg, the Ker40 “Vito 2.3” by Munos Antony; from Poland, the Corel 45 “Sailing Factory 2” by Jacek Chabowski; and from Montenegro, the XP-50 “Odessa” by Vladimir Kushnir.

The Sail Racing ORC A competition schedule includes a maximum of eight races between July 29 and August 2, featuring two coastal races. The best-ranked team will receive the titles of champion of the 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE in the Sail Racing ORC category and 2025 European Champion in ORC A class.