‘Trifork’ crowned champion of La Larga offshore race.

At 16:54 on Sunday, April 27, the VO70 of the Real Club Náutico de Palma, “Trifork” by Joern Larsen, crossed the finish line of La Larga after covering 228 miles in 24 and a half hours of sailing. The rest of the fleet is still competing, so the winners will not be determined until corrected time is applied, once all participating teams have finished.

24 hours, 34 minutes, and 52 seconds is the time the VO70 “Trifork” in the IRC class took to complete the 228-mile course of La Larga, the offshore race that kicks off the 21st edition of the Sandberg PalmaVela, organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP).

Just before 17:00 on Sunday, April 27, Joern Larsen’s yacht, sailing under the RCNP burgee, crossed the finish line located at the entrance to Palma Bay. The crossing came after more than 24 hours that included everything from winds above 15 knots during the first miles toward Ibiza, to a heavy squall at Punta Salinas and calm conditions encountered by the fleet near the island of Cabrera.

Following behind in real time is the French “Spirit of Lorina” by Jean Pierre Barjon (YCF), approaching the Porto Colom buoy, and the Polish “R6” by Tobert Szustkowski (Polish YC), currently near Cabrera. Both are sailing with very light wind.

In the same area as “R6” and under the same wind conditions are the ORC 0 and 1 class fleets, which have the same course as the IRCs. Although they still have a long way to go to the finish line, the current leaders in their respective categories are “Azahar” by Herve Grunig (CVP Andratx/YCF) and the Dutch “Vertigo” by Robert in den Haak.

The battle also continues for the title in the ORC 2 to 5 classes and A2 teams. With a shorter course, rounding the islet of Tagomago instead of Ibiza and Formentera, at 18:30 on Sunday, “Alegría” by Pit Fins (DYC) was leading ORC 2-3 both in real time and corrected, already sailing near Punta Salinas.

Farther back, heading toward the Porto Colom buoy, “Indigo” by Pedro Siquier of CN Arenal holds first place in the provisional ORC 4-5 standings, while in the A2 0-2 and 3-5 divisions, “Modul” by Félix Coma (CN Santa Ponsa) and “Guaguanco IV” by Thierry Lallemand (CN Altea) are in the lead, respectively.

Once the entire fleet has completed the course, the general classification with corrected times will determine the new winners of La Larga, which will hold its trophy ceremony this coming Tuesday, April 29, at 19:00 at RCNP.