21st Sandberg PalmaVela Overall - A breezy finale in the Bay of Palma
by Alejandro Varela 5 May 08:51 NZST
30 April - 4 May 2025
21st Sandberg PalmaVela - ORC sailing today on the Bay of Palma © María Muiña
A thrilling and intense final day at Sandberg PalmaVela was enjoyed with choppy seas and wind conditions ranging from gentle airs to gusts of up to 23 knots. Several broken masts are evidence how tough the day was for some.
It was an exciting fourth and final day of the Sandberg PalmaVela regatta, the traditional multi class curtain raiser for the Mediterranean racing season. Mallorca's Bay of Palma offered a spectacular finale to more than 100 boats which mustered for four days of racing: waves, sunshine, and wind. Four classes saw a change of leadership on the final day, while in the other seven divisions the established class leaders held out to take victory.
The champions of the 21st Sandberg PalmaVela are: Tilakkhana II (Maxi), Vudu (ORC 0), Ran (ORC 1), Katara (ORC 2), Meerblick (ORC 3), Just the Job (ORC 4-5), Smerit (ORC A2 0-3), Kyo VI (ORC A2 4-5), Kanguru (ORC Sportboat), Little Thila (Spirit of Tradition), and Momo (6 Metres).
Shake-up on the Maxi Podium
The Maxi fleet completed a coastal race of nearly 29 miles today, which not only broke the tie for first place between the Wally yachts Rose and Tilakkhana II, but also brought a complete turnaround on yesterday's provisional podium.
Tilakkhana II, winner of PalmaVela back in 2014 under the name Magic Carpet Cubed, concludes its first regatta with its new owner-skipper Pascale Decaux sailing with a strong female complement in her crew line up, including record breaking yachtswoman Dee Caffari. Their win in the coastal race today secured their class win overall.
Rose finishes second, and the Spanish entry Pelotari Project, owned by Andrés Varela, climbs onto the podium at the last moment.
Vudu Dominates ORC 0
After two windward-leeward races, Mauro Gestri's Vudu clearly dominated this 21st edition, mathematically securing the Sandberg PalmaVela title with one race to spare.
With the winner already decided, the battle in the final race focused on the fight for second and third place. Irish entry Searcher won the final race, moving up one spot to secure second overall, displacing Blue Carbon - Aproperties, skippered by Toni Guiu and representing the RCN of Barcelona, to third.
Aifos narrowly missed out on a podium finish after breaking her mast during the second race of the day, forcing it to withdraw.
Ran Triumphs in ORC 1
Sweden's Ran, owned and steered by Niklas Zennström, had a modest start to the regatta with a ninth-place finish but bounced back with three consecutive wins. With the discard coming into play today, Ran climbed straight to the top of the leaderboard counting a perfect scoreline.
HM Hospitales-Hyatt, owned by Oscar Chaves, and X-Odessa, by Vladimir Kushnir, swapped places to finish second and third respectively.
Surprise in ORC 2
After leading throughout the event, Poland's Windwhisper 44 had its worst day, costing it the title. A seventh-place finish followed by a premature start in the final race—although discarded—was not enough to hold off Argentina's Katara. Skippered by Julián Somodi, Katara had a consistent regatta and sealed the win with a victory in the final race. L'Immens, skippered by Nicolás González, finished third.
Meerblick Unstoppable in ORC 3
Germany's Meerblick, skippered and owned by Gaby Pohlmann, confirmed its provisional lead with two more wins today. Italy's Sarchiapone Fuoriserie finished second, with Falapouco, owned by Andrés Manresa, rounding off the ORC 3 podium.
Just the Job Takes Fifth PalmaVela Win
In ORC 4-5, Just the Job gave no quarter, scoring a second and a first place in today's two windward-leeward races. Scott Beattie's boat, representing CVP Andratx, earned its fifth Sandberg PalmaVela victory, ahead of El Travieso, owned by Ángel Blázquez, and Tres Mares, skippered by María Antonia Campins, in second and third.
Clean Sweep for Smerit in ORC A2 0-3
The Swan 45 Smerit, owned by Tito Moure, claimed a flawless victory in the third and final coastal race of the program, securing the overall win with a perfect score. Modul, by Félix Comas, and Bip Bip, by Andreas Hoehn, tied for second and third, with the tiebreak going to Comas, despite not finishing today's race.
In ORC A2 4-5, Kyo VI, skippered by Guillermo Durán, delivered a surprise finish to claim the overall victory, tying on points with Minimon, the previous leader, and winning on countback.
Kanguru Strikes Gold
In the Sportboat class, the strong winds tipped the balance in favour of the Australian J70 Kanguru, owned by Kristyn Gills. Gusts of 20 knots in the final race caused Team Balearia, skippered by María Bover, to break its mast and drop to second overall. Gills' team won both of today's races to secure the title. Sal, skippered by Cati Darder, completed the podium in third.
Little Thila Tops Spirit of Tradition
There were no changes at the top of the Spirit of Tradition leaderboard. The Wally Nano MKII Little Thila, owned by Marcus Schiermann, sealed the title with a second-place finish today. Just one point behind was Happy Forever, owned by Christian Oldendorff, who won today's coastal race. Celeste di Mare, by Amador Magraner, placed third overall.
Victory for Switzerland in 6 Metres
Momo, owned by Dieter Schoen, claimed its first Sandberg PalmaVela victory in the 6 Metre class. The class completed one race today but could not finish the second, which was cancelled due to excessive wind for this type of boat.
Find out more at www.palmavela.com