Event Briefing
(Successfully) solving the conundrum
Someone had to take the initiative and it is the Superyacht Cup in Palma that grasped the nettle with the introduction of a new dedicated Performance Class at its next edition in June 2020
The Superyacht Cup Palma has taken a lead in meeting the evolving nature of the superyacht community with the introduction of a dedicated Performance Class for its 24th edition in 2020. It’s a move that reflects the maturity and responsiveness of Europe’s longest-running superyacht regatta, and looks well set to be warmly welcomed by the increasing number of yachts, owners and crews who occupy the “more speed please” sector of the spectrum.
Organisers of the Mallorca-based superyacht event have of course always sought to meet the needs of the very broad superyacht church – one with a growing congregation to boot – and have done so with some style for almost quarter of a century. Any event that can embrace the likes of the 32m modern classic German Frers designed Bolero, the venerable and iconic J-Class Velsheda, and the Javier Jaudenes designed Baltic-built lightweight flyer Win Win – the last three winners of the Superyacht Cup Palma – as well as the awesome 62m Hoek-designed Athos, is self- evidently delivering the goods. Not content to rest on its laurels, however well deserved, the new Performance Class will now join the ever-popular Original Superyacht Class and the Corinthian Spirit Superyacht Class – itself introduced in 2017 – at The Superyacht Cup
78 SEAHORSE
Palma from 17 to 20 June. ‘The Superyacht Cup Palma has got better and better over the past 23 years, and at every edition we listen to the owners, skippers and crews and then look for ways to improve on what we deliver,’ said event director Kate Branagh. ‘It has always been a celebration of sailing in all its diversity, for yachts old and new, traditional and modern, and that vision remains at the heart of the event. The introduction of the Performance Class offers a bespoke category for the new generation of ultra-modern high-performance flyers, along with the excitement and challenge of a fleet start,’ added Branagh, whose Aquamarine Events took ownership of the Superyacht Cup Palma in 2013.
Alongside the conventional racing element of a mass start, and all the pre-start tactics that goes with that, the Performance Class will also race under the RRS on a separate course to the two other classes, all of course with the blessing of the Superyacht Racing Association and the Offshore Racing Congress.
With the Corinthian Class providing a more relaxed alternative for owners who enjoy the superyacht scene but want to avoid the hassle of extensive race preparation, and the extra crew and stress involved in flying super-sized spinnakers, the
Above:
the former Alinghi
helmsman Peter
Holmberg at work in
Palma. The reliable sea breezes in the Bay of Palma are of course the number one attraction but there’s a lot more to it than that. The Superyacht Cup Palma’s 23-year long success story is founded on a special mix of top-quality racing and a relaxed but impeccably run social programme ashore, plus a continuous drive to refine and improve the offering, bringing in new elements to extend the event’s appeal
addition of the Performance Class means Superyacht Cup Palma has broadened its offering and now has something for everyone. Regular participant Peter
Holmberg is one who has welcomed the move: ‘I’ve raced in Palma for many years on all kinds of boats and I know it works because the owners love sailing here, says the US Virgin Islands yachtsman who was at the helm of the J-Class Topaz which took an SYC class win in 2019. ‘You now have a growing number of owners who have gone for fast, lightweight racer-cruisers, so for them to have their own high-performance class is a smart move – and it will also produce some great racing as well’. The added spice of the
Performance Class will enhance the appeal of the Superyacht Cup Palma, which has grown over the years. Beginning life in 1996 as an end of Mediterranean sailing season sail loft get-together for crews waiting to go transatlantic, it quickly acquired a racing component to go alongside the social side – in the early years this took the form of a safety-first pursuit race as owners were not always aboard.
In 2007 – with the America’s Cup being held in Valencia – The Superyacht Cup partnered with the New Zealand Millennium Cup to hold what was then the biggest superyacht
SAILING ENERGY/SUPERYACHT CUP
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