Over one hundred boats fill Palma Bay on day two of the 21st edition of PalmaVela regatta

Ten more classes—bringing the total to eleven for this edition—joined the spectacle of the 21st Sandberg PalmaVela yesterday, May 2. Three racecourses and over a hundred boats filled Palma Bay, where a gentle breeze challenged both the Race Committee and the fleet right up to the end, leaving three classes waiting until today, May 3, to make their debut.

Palma Bay was filled with sails on the second day of the 21st Sandberg PalmaVela. After the Maxis kicked off the event on April 1, five ORC divisions, A2, 6 Metres, Espíritu de Tradición, and Sportboat joined the competition yesterday, Friday.

With the eleven classes spread across three race areas, Sandberg PalmaVela once again demonstrated its open and inclusive character—bringing together different approaches to sailing within a single regatta. The event features both professional and amateur crews, and a mix of small, medium, and large boats—from 30-meter Maxis to the smallest boat in the fleet, the 6.4-meter Viper Team Balearia helmed by Mallorca’s own María Bover, competing in ORC Sportboat.

The wind was one of the key players yesterday, making things difficult for both the fleet and the Race Committee. Unstable conditions across much of the bay forced multiple race cancellations and frequent course adjustments.

Classes scheduled for coastal races—ORC 0, ORC 1, Espíritu de Tradición, and A2—managed to complete their day’s programs with light breezes between 5 and 7 knots. Meanwhile, the Maxis, ORC 2, and ORC 3 completed a windward/leeward race late in the day. The 6 Metres, Sportboat, and ORC 4-5 classes hit the water and even began a race, but it was ultimately abandoned. They will begin racing today.

After a long day on the water, the provisional leaders of Sandberg PalmaVela after Day 2 are:
"Tilakkhana II" (Maxi), "Vudu" (ORC 0), "HM Hospitales-Hyatt" (ORC 1), "Windwhisper 44" (ORC 2), "Falapouco" (ORC 3), "Smerit" (ORC A2 0–3), "Minimon" (ORC A2 4–5), and "Happy Forever" (Espíritu de Tradición).

The largest boats in the fleet, the imposing Maxis, started a race just after 1:00 PM, but it was later abandoned due to a drop in wind. At the start, a collision occurred between Spirit of Lorina and Magic Carpet E, resulting in both yachts withdrawing and not returning to race.

After hours of waiting on the water, at 4:30 PM the Race Committee was finally able to set a fair course—although without Magic Carpet E and Spirit of Lorina.

Tilakkhana II, helmed by French skipper Pascale Decaux, took the win, while the German Rose Bullit (a Wally 80) held on to third place overall in the Maxi class thanks to a second-place finish in that race.

On the same Course Charlie, ORC 2 and ORC 3 also began their single race of the day after 5:00 PM. Windwhisper 44, owned by Polish sailor Marcin Sutkowski and skippered by Joan Navarro, took victory in ORC 2—the largest class in this year’s edition.

Falapouco, from RCN Torrevieja, leads ORC 3 after finishing 11 seconds ahead of regular PalmaVela contender Meerblick, skippered and owned by Germany’s Gabrielle Pohlmann. Three seconds later came Wanderlust, helmed by Josep Pons, securing provisional third.

The classic yachts in the Espíritu de Tradición class completed a 17-nautical-mile course around the bay. At the top of the leaderboard is Happy Forever, owned by Germany’s Christian Oldendorff, which won in both real and corrected time after more than three hours of racing—finishing over six minutes ahead of Little Thila and nine ahead of Micanga, both from RCNP.

ORC 0 and ORC 1 had longer courses of 23 nautical miles, where Vudu and HM Hospitales-Hyatt are the respective provisional leaders.

The A2 class, featuring two-person crews, also completed a 20-mile coastal race around the bay that began just after 1:30 PM.

In A2 0–3, Smerit, helmed by Tito Moure, a familiar name at PalmaVela, leveraged its experience to claim the first win of the 21st edition. In A2 4–5, it took more than four hours to complete the 20 miles, with Minimon, helmed by Miquel Matas from RCNP, winning the day.

Racing resumes today at 12:00 PM.