King Felipe VI's yacht Hispania tied for the overnight lead in the Abanca ORC 0 class on the opening day of the 44th Copa del Rey MAPFRE, level on points with Italian sailor Mauro Gestri's Vudu after the first two races in the Bay of Palma.
The Spanish Navy-crewed Hispania never dropped out of second place across the two races, splitting the day's wins with Vudu. Both boats finished on three points, opening a gap over Swiss sailor Jeremy Weir's Kilara, which completed the podium after day one.
The Copa del Rey MAPFRE is staged every summer in the Bay of Palma, off the coast of Mallorca, and has long been associated with the Spanish royal family. King Juan Carlos I raced in the event for decades before his son, Felipe VI, took up the tradition. Boats in the ORC classes are graded under the Offshore Racing Congress handicap system, which allows vessels of different sizes and designs to race each other on corrected time.
Two other Abanca ORC 0 crews had a tougher start. Tomas Gasset's Urbania is fifth with 11 points, while the Spanish Navy's second entry, Aifos 500, sits ninth with 17 points.
Sail Racing ORC A: Nola takes control
In the Sail Racing ORC A class, Estonian owner Margus Uudam's Nola built a clear lead with a first-place and a second-place finish in the opening two races, putting the crew four points ahead of Pep Roman's Swedish boat Garm.
Christian Plump's German entry Elena Nova sits third. The class's defending champion, Estrella Damm Sailing Team, skippered by Nacho Montes and Rolf Maur, is well off the pace after finishing seventh and ninth in the two races.
Uber ORC B: Teatro Soho San Miguel ahead of world champion
Javier Banderas's Teatro Soho San Miguel leads the Uber ORC B class after winning the first race in a tie with Javier de Tomas's Solgreen Frutis, then adding a third-place finish in the second race. That gives Banderas's crew a half-point advantage over second-placed L'Immens, the Uruguayan boat owned by Nicolas Gonzalez, which won the second race and finished ahead of Solgreen Frutis in the overall standings.
Organisers had billed the Uber ORC B fleet as bringing together the reigning world champion and the winners of several of the year's biggest regattas. That champion, Argentine sailor Julian Somodi's Katara, is down in eighth place after finishing eighth and twelfth in the two races.
Azulmarino ORC C and the ClubSwan 42 fleet
Sonke Meier's German boat Niramo leads the Azulmarino ORC C class in its debut season on the circuit, after winning the first race and finishing second in the next. Josep Pons's Spanish entry Wanderlust X Queremoshacerhistoria and Vittorio Lombardi's Italian boat Django are tied on points behind Niramo, sharing the rest of the podium.
The ClubSwan 42 monohull fleet produced the day's most one-sided result. Pedro Vaquer's Spanish boat Nadir won both of the day's races, opening a three-point lead over one of the class favourites, Massimo del Campo's Italian entry Selene Alifax. Jose Maria Messeguer's Pez de Abril is third, four points off the lead.
Women's Cup joins Wednesday's racing
Racing continues on Wednesday, with boats due out to sea at 11:00, when the Balearia Women's Cup makes its first appearance in this year's regatta. The all-women fleet will race in a round-robin format, pitting every entrant in the women's competition against one another. The class has established itself as a reference point for women's sailing within the Copa del Rey MAPFRE.
