Storm dominates the second day of the Copa del Rey Repsol de Barcos de Época

A storm surprised the Big Boats fleet off Isla del Aire, causing the dismasting of 'Tuiga' (1909) and significant damage to 'Lady Anne' (1912), in a day that began and ended at the port of Mahón.

The second day of the Copa del Rey Repsol de Barcos de Época offered a contrast as beautiful as it was dramatic. Eager to compete after the previous day’s suspension, the fleet faced a short but intense course, starting and finishing in Mahón’s natural harbor, one of the most spectacular settings in the Mediterranean. Under a heavy, overcast sky, the 49 classic and vintage boats set sail toward the mouth of the harbor, creating a scene rarely seen in the regatta’s two-decade history.

But that tense, electricity-charged calm was not merely a backdrop. When part of the fleet had already crossed the finish line and was safely moored, a downpour struck violently near Punta Prima. Torrential rain and gusty winds caught the Big Boats mid-course, hitting them hard. The largest vessels had started last, and their course required rounding Isla del Aire to starboard, leaving them outside the protection of the harbor when the storm reached its peak. The FI15 ‘Tuiga’ (1909), flagship of the Yacht Club of Monaco, lost its trapezoidal rig, while the 'Lady Anne' (1912), of the same class, broke its bowsprit and starboard cross-tree. The Copa del Rey Repsol for Vintage Boats was over for both vessels. The positive news is that the incidents caused no personal injuries. Faced with this situation, the Race Committee decided to suspend the Big Boats competition and apply scoring adjustments for the boats in the other classes that had not crossed the finish line and were affected by the approaching front.

The ‘Mariska’ (1908) and the ‘Cariad’ (1896), the other two Big Boats in competition, emerged almost unscathed from the downpour, although they too were fully hit. Jean-Michel Rouve, crew chief of Cariad, explained that the team knew they might have to weather the storm: “We knew the forecast was tricky because we had the official warning, but the wind force exceeded what was expected,” Rouve said, adding: “We encountered a peak of 53 knots when reaching Isla del Aire. It was a very tough moment, which we managed thanks to a crew that listens and knows how to stay calm.”

Sailor Pachi Rivero, skipper of Barlovento, with experience in major ocean races and leader in the Espíritu de Tradición class, acknowledged the difficulty for the organizers in making decisions under such unstable weather —“choosing one course or another, knowing when to shorten…”— and celebrated his luck for finishing the race just before the downpour hit: “We were fortunate to drop the mainsail immediately after crossing the finish line.”

On the sporting side, ‘Spartan’ (1913) won the Época Cangreja category (pre-1950 boats with trapezoidal rig). Following it was Rowdy (1916), owned by Dona Dyer, who managed to beat its twin Chinook (1916) in the unique duel of the NY40s designed by Herreshoff. In the Época Bermudiana category (pre-1950 boats with triangular rig), Amorita (1937), owned by Claudio Mealli, crossed the line ahead of Santana (1936), a boat formerly owned by actor Humphrey Bogart and skippered by Wendy Smith, and Baruna (1938), owned by Tony Morse.

In the Classics category, the victory went to ‘Argos’ (1964), owned by Bárbara Trilling, one of the most decorated boats in the history of the Copa del Rey Repsol, ahead of Mowgly (1965), owned by Patrick Harris, and Clarionet (1966), skippered by Andrey Harvey. In Espíritu de Tradición, Barlovento (1975), with Pachi Rivero at the helm, led ahead of Celeste di Mare (1971), skippered by Félix Comas, and Happy Forever (2008), owned by Christian Oldendorff.