A EUROPEAN SEASON TUNE-UP
A EUROPEAN SEASON TUNE-UP
Six Division Wins And Podium Sweep At Palma Vela
North clients had great results during Sail Racing Palma Vela, winning six divisions overall and sweeping the podium in ORC 1. Palma is known as one of the best places to sail, and even better places to race, making this event a productive training session ahead of the ORC World Championships later this summer.
Arobas2 came out hot, winning five races, giving them the overall win in ORC 0. “This has been such a good regatta, commented boat owner Gerard Logel. “Our boat is versatile, and we are too.” In Mallorca Sotheby’s ORC 1 class, tactician Afonso Domingos helped guide owner Pit Finnis on his Swan 42 CS Dralion to the number one spot. “It was not easy racing in a mixed fleet ORC class, as some boats are higher and faster than you. The team sailed well, and the conditions were great. It has been a great regatta,” said Afonso.
North Sails has a wealth of knowledge in the Swan 42 class, with many experts worldwide that can help clients with any sail and tuning needs. North Sails expert Jesper Feldt joined Alfonso as mainsail trimmer on Dralion, while Palma based Marc Patino served as tactician on second place Pez de Abril. Jesper who has been racing Swan 42’s for the last seven years describes how the team’s onboard knowledge helped their team find success. “Our experts know a lot about the boat, how it should be set up and tuned, allowing him to focus on driving and boat speed,” Feldt explained. “The team, our 3Di sails, and conditions in Palma lived up to our expectations; winning our class was the best part.”
Patino, whose team finished just one and a half points behind Dralion also had positive feedback on Pez de Abril’s overall performance. “Our teamwork work was great, and we had a nice week of sailing. There were a variety of conditions over the course of the regatta and our 3Di jibs were a major contributor to our speed and ability to point upwind. Our headsail kept us fast through the pressure variations.”
In ORC 3, Antonio Guasch’s Vertigo Dos Texia, a Salona 37, scored four bullets out of five races, comfortably staying ahead of their competition. Scott Beattie’s J/97 E Just The Job in ORC 4 was not only consistent, but kept their score count low. With four bullets there was no need to participate in the last race, so they won the race to the dock. Client Maria Campins’ Modified First 30.5 Tres Mares took third, just four points out of second. Otto Pohlmann on Meerblick took first in the Dragon fleet, and J/80 Atila with Miquel Pujadus won their division.
“Our experts know a lot about the boat. The team, our 3Di sails, and conditions in Palma lived up to our expectations; winning our class was the best part.”
The TP52 fleet of ten had their warm-up event of the season, just prior to the Super Series kick-off later this month. Gauging from this trial event, the competition is as tight as ever. Only three points separated fourth and fifth, and second place tied. Santiago Lange, the strategist on Azzura, commented about the racing over the course of the event, and what that meant for his team going forward into the TP52 season; “We are a little bit rusty. It is tough to know where we are when you look at the start of the Super Series because it feels like everyone is going at the same speed. No one is slower, and no one is faster, so it comes down to racing well. We need to be smart and try to sail better every day.” After a year hiatus, Vladimir Liubomirov’s Bronenosec has rejoined the fleet with a new hull and talented crew additions. This first event for the team was a great shakedown, and we look forward to seeing them back in action.
