regatta ever with 54 yachts gathered. The event was held in June for the first time, where it has remained ever since. Its professional race management was further improved courtesy of RCNP, the Real Club Nautico de Palma, an active collaborator since 2011. Over the years the Superyacht Cup Palma has attracted a total of over 300 entries, including many yachts and owners who have returned several times. This devoted list of multiple returnees includes names such as Atalante, Ganesha, Highland Breeze, Maria Cattiva, Saudade, Scorpione dei Mare and the current champion Win Win. Participants and observers have been treated to an incredible display of maritime design, engineering and construction that has celebrated the impressive diversity of yachts that is part and parcel of the Superyacht Cup Palma experience. In what is a veritable marine industry Who’s Who, the list of designers and shipyards is headed by the likes of Royal Huisman, Vitters, Jongert, Wally, Classen – an SYC Silver Partner, and Baltic – a Gold Partner, on the shipyard side, with Frers, Hoek Design – an SYC Friend – and Dubois taking the podium places for the most frequently represented design houses at this annual festival of sail.
Top: high performance, race-focused modern
superyachts such as the current SYC champion Win Win will be racing in a dedicated Performance Class at the next Superyacht Cup Palma in June. The Performance Class will have its own dedicated fleet start and course. Above: of course another key attraction is the fine dining scene of Mallorca’s beautiful capital city!
Behind it all, the success of the Superyacht Cup Palma has been built on some solid foundations. First up, the Bay of Palma’s metronomically predictable afternoon sea breeze has always been a major part of the appeal – if not an absolute certainty you wouldn’t bet against it – delivering superb, reliable sailing conditions year in, year out. Aside from the racing, the event has also earned its enviable reputation by combining the action on the water with a vibrant and exclusive social scene ashore. The custom-built race village sits in the shadow of Palma’s magnificent cathedral, which forms a backdrop to the private, relaxed and informal setting that is the focal point pre- and post-racing for owners and their families, guests, captains and crews. Located in the heart of historic Palma, the race village hosts the daily captains’ briefing each morning and allows for networking and informal meetings with sponsors or suppliers during the day, before becoming the venue for evening happy hours, dock parties, live music and of course the prizegiving at the regatta’s conclusion.
It is also an easy walking distance from another one of Superyacht Cup Palma’s big attractions, the incredible range of restaurants and accommodation in Mallorca’s vibrant capital. And a short ride away is a further highlight in the form of the St. Regis Mardavall Mallorca Resort – SYC’s preferred hotel partner – the venue for the annual owners’ dinner which features the very best of Mallorca’s fresh local produce prepared by the hotel’s Michelin- starred chef. Add in the fact that Palma is home to the world’s leading superyachts services including Astilleros de Mallorca, RSB Rigging, Evolution Sails and STP who are all on the SYC sponsor roster as Silver
Partners, and the Balearic base makes perfect sense.
Peter Holmberg summed up the Superyacht Cup Palma’s USP neatly when he said: ‘In Europe you can get too little or too much breeze quite often at some venues, so Palma has got the best odds of going sailing and the reliability of the breeze is probably the number one advantage. ‘And then the shoreside is a favourite of pretty much everybody, and it’s all within walking distance of the old town, so it ticks all the boxes.’ He added: ‘The owners are the ones that select Palma, it’s on their list and an event that they want to do. It satisfies the owners’ styles and demands really well, and that’s a credit to Kate and her team.’ Branagh brings the benefit of extensive regatta management experience to every edition of the Superyacht Cup Palma, informed by a sailor’s eye with more than 250,000 sea miles of both racing and cruising. The introduction of the Performance Class for 2020 is another valuable addition to a well- honed organisational machine that will continue to strive to deliver a memorable and rewarding experience for all who take part. The last word from Kate Branagh: ‘Owners, their families, guests, skippers and crews love coming to The Superyacht Cup Palma because it offers a unique mix of great racing on the water and relaxed socialising ashore, and that is something we work hard to maintain and enhance year on year.
‘At the same time we explore where we can further improve the offer, bringing in new elements to extend the event’s appeal to a larger audience in the superyacht world.’ Next year’s 24th edition will once again demonstrate the success of that mission.
www.thesuperyachtcup.com q SEAHORSE 79
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