On the eve of the 30th anniversary edition of The Superyacht Cup Palma Richard Mille the Bay of Palma got a sparkling foretaste of the excitement to come over the next three days.
Most of the 20 superyachts taking part in the milestone event seized the opportunity to fine tune their racing skills in the excellent sailing conditions on offer in the waters off Mallorca’s capital.
None more so than the two J Class yachts taking part – Rainbow and Svea – who will effectively be engaged in a match race from Thursday on their own windward-leeward course. The duo practiced their starts and mark roundings in the final countdown to Thursday’s start of the 30th edition of Europe’s longest-standing superyacht regatta.
Racing starts Thursday 25 June, with the Pantaenius Race. It continues with the 30th Anniversary and St. Regis Mardavall Mallorca Races on Friday and Saturday.
Among those making their debut at The Superyacht Cup Palma Richard Mille are the 58m Ron Holland designed Perini Navi ketch Burrasca, the elegant 30.9m Wally Inco, and the Swan 100 Point Counter Pointand Swan 88 Spiip.
Five of the six YYachts taking part – the 23.80m Lucid and Distancia, the 29.71m Bella, and the 23.80m Judel/Vrolijk Beati and Brenta 80 Makai – are also first-time entries, with only the 25.99m Calabash, designed by Mallorcan naval architect Javier Jaudenes and owned by YYachts, the only returnee in this class.
Concluding the impressive line-up in Palma are those making a welcome return: the two-time winner Win Win, the powerful Oyster Archelon, the 39m Tripp design Cervo, and the 27m Hoek Design Atalante 1, racing under new ownership.