Start signal for the 21st edition of PalmaVela

Over one hundred teams from 19 nationalities gathered today, April 1, in the Bay of Palma for the first major multi-class regatta of the season: the 21st Sandberg PalmaVela. The first to take the stage were the spectacular Maxis, which began with the starting signal at 1:00 PM.

Vivi Mainemare: “We are very grateful to the IMA for including us in their calendar, both with La Larga as part of the Maxi Offshore Challenge and with the multi-class in the Inshore.”

Everything is ready at the Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP) for the second act of the 21st Sandberg PalmaVela, the multi-class event that this year brings together over a hundred teams from 19 countries. After the La Larga offshore race, the bay is now set to welcome the large yachts with the debut of the Maxi class, which will feature a fleet including two majestic Wallys, a Botin 65, a Mylius 60 FD, a Mills V68, and the newly launched Verdier 100 “Magic Carpet.”

After a winter in which many teams take the opportunity to fine-tune their boats or compete in the Caribbean, spring brings them back to the Mediterranean. For them, Sandberg PalmaVela marks the first major event of the European season.

“The most loyal is the Magic Carpet, which never misses if it can help it. And although we’d love to have more boats, we are definitely very grateful to the IMA [International Maxi Association] for including us in their calendar, with La Largain the Maxi Offshore Challenge and the multi-class in the Inshore,” says Vivi Mainemare, sports coordinator at RCNP.

The conditions offered by the Bay of Palma and the RCNP are also a major advantage: “The bay is a spectacular place to train and test equipment. Plus, they feel very comfortable at the club—they love the convenience and calm they find here, as well as the experience of the human team,” adds Mainemare.

In addition to the two teams that already competed in La Larga—Jean Pierre Barjon’s Spirit of Lorina and Robert Szustkowski’s R6—and Sir Lindsay Owen’s Magic Carpet, the regatta will also feature Rose by Sven Wackerhagen, Pelotari Project by Andrés Varela, and the Wallycento Tilakkhana II from Gamageo Yachting, formerly known as Magic Carpet.

In total, the Maxis can complete up to six races—two coastal and four windward/leeward format—with today’s first starting signal given at 1:00 PM.

The rest of the fleet, including the different ORC divisions, A2, Espíritu de Tradición, and the 6 Metre and Dragon one-design classes, will join the large yachts on Saturday, April 3, bringing the total to over one hundred boats competing in the Bay of Palma.