The 71st Ciutat de Palma Trophy de vela started last Sunday in the Bay of Palma with the participation of more than 300 Optimist class boats representing 18 countries. The southwest wind was generous throughout the day, with an intensity between 12 and 15 knots, conditions that the Regatta Committee of the Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP), organizer of the competition, took advantage of to complete four sleeves, one more than initially scheduled.
The fleet went to sea at 09:30 and remained in the regatta field, located in front of the Cathedral of Mallorca, until 16:00. The young sailors, aged between 9 and 15, endured quite harsh conditions, with temperatures around 13 degrees, wind that got worse as the day progressed and waves of a meter and a half in height. Manu Fraga, sports director of the RCNP, confessed that it was one of the best premieres of the last editions of the Ciutat de Palma Trophy: “We have started with quite demanding weather, but at the same time ideal for this type of boat. The forecast for this Monday is that the wind turns to the north, which in the Bay of Palma means that it will blow from land and will be much more unstable. You have to take advantage of the good days to give the maximum number of possible outings before sunset”.
The favorites took positions at the head of the table. The Majorcan Juan Bennàssar, from the RCNP, and the Ukrainian Sviatoslav Madonic, sixth in the last world championship, both located in the Top-10 of the ranking of the regatta, were placed as provisional leaders after winning the first four races in their respective groups . This Monday they will sail with the yellow jersey that identifies the first place in the regatta. Madonic explained that the day had been “hard” and with strong winds. “I think that when I compete with Juan Bennàsar in the Gold Group it will be very interesting”, assured the Ukrainian sailor, who had never been to Palma to date: “I’m enjoying the regatta. There are many boats and a very high level”. For his part, Bennàssar acknowledged that the conditions of the first day had been very good for him. “I’m good at medium winds pulling high. I am very satisfied with the first four places; I hope to keepbut the championship is very long and the level of the fleet is very high”, pointed out the sailor.
The dispute of the fourth regatta brought into play the discarding of the worst result obtained so far. Maltese Timmy Vassallo was able to dispense with the fourth place obtained in the opening heat and moved into second position, just one point behind the leaders and tied with Joan Domingo, from Club Nàutic de Cambrils. Hugo Rodríguez, from Club Nàutic S’Arenal, placed fourth overall and keeps all his options intact. This Monday the second qualifying day will be played, before giving way to the final phase. It is the first time that the Ciutat de Palma has been held over four days. The winner, who will inscribe his name on the base of the RCNP ‘Silver Carabela’, will be announced next Wednesday.