There was huge anticipation from within the maxi community with Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones’ new Verdier 100 Magic Carpet E making her debut at Sandberg PalmaVela that concluded Sunday 4 May.
The new Magic Carpet E had a similar design brief to previous Magic Carpets: optimised for racing both inshore and offshore under IRC in 8-12 knots in the Mediterranean and with a full interior enabling her to be cruised. However the 100ft long Magic Carpet E incorporates the latest technology and weighs just 37 tonnes (10 less than Magic Carpet Cubed).
Magic Carpet E has a steerable canting canard forward, a 7.1m keel that not only cants but can be raked aft by 60˚ enabling her to draw just 4.6m (to berth in St Tropez) and twin rudders where the blades retract into revolving drums.
Importantly, her extensive electric winch and hydraulic systems are battery rather than engine-powered, enabling her to day sail without running the engine.
An offshore race, La Larga, opened the event on 26 April.
Among a fleet of 35, the three Maxis racing under IRC sailed a 235 mile course rounding Ibiza and Formentera before returning to Palma via a mark off Porto Colon.
In winds that peaked at 15 knots, the heavily turboed VO70 L4 Trifork, skippered by Joern Larsen, was first home, 7 hours 38 minutes before Jean-Pierre Barjon’s Botin 65 Spirit of Lorina, the 2021-22 IMA MMOC winner. However under IRC Poland’s Robert Szustkowski and his Mylius 60 FD R6 (ex-Sud) was second.
The Maxi inshore/coastal competition at the 21st PalmaVela began on Thursday 1 May, a day ahead of the other classes. The 100 footers were represented by Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones’ brand new Magic Carpet E and Pascale Decaux’s Tilakkhana II (ex-Magic Carpet Cubed).
Magic Carpet E won the first race by 3 minutes 49 seconds on the water from Tilakkhana II and by 1 minutes 57 seconds on Sven Wackerhagen’s Wally 80 Rose under IRC. She also won the second, this time by 3:38 on the water and 4:39 under IRC from Tilakkhana II.
On day two sadly a start line incident between Magic Carpet E and Spirit of Lorina, incurred damage to the former’s one-piece Aero 6 rigging, while Jean-Pierre Barjon’s Botin 65 sustained damage to her starboard aft quarter.
Both retired and were scored DSQ. While this race was abandoned, a race was successfully held late afternoon which Tilakkhana II won ahead of Rose.
On Saturday Spirit of Lorina was back on the race track, but, in light winds, Rose won big, her time correcting out 20+ minutes ahead of Tilakkhana II, leaving the two leading into the final day, tied on points.
By rights Sunday’s final coastal race should have been Spirit of Lorina’s – an offshore specialist, the winds gusting to 25 knots were her conditions. Sadly she missed a mark but despite retracing her steps she lost by only 8 seconds to Tilakkhana II. With Pelotari Project just a further 16 seconds behind under IRC, the regatta concluded with an ultra-tight finish.
Pascale Decaux was delighted with her Tilakkhana II (ex-Magic Carpet Cubed) team’s victory, especially since all but one of her crew are new. The race team, led by tactician Laurent Pagès had to start from scratch.
In addition to Decaux the crew includes eight women such as round the world specialist Dee Caffari, plus three other members of The Famous Project – Alexia Barrier’s all-women Jules Verne Trophy campaign.
At the prizegiving at the RCNP, among her prizes Pascale Decaux received the trophy for the Best IMA Member.
The IMA MMOC continues with the Regata dei Tre Golfi, the offshore race of the IMA Maxi European Championship on 16 May followed by the Europeans’ inshore and coastal series taking place over 19-22 May.
