On the first day of the Superyacht Cup Palma, BOOTE EXCLUSIV travelled on the official spectator boat, a brand new Wajer 55S.
And what a difference it makes to experience the queens of sailing live. When the black walls of the sails push the spearhead-like shaped sterns and carefully polished transoms across the sea at the cross, it seems as if the water molecules are there specifically to mould themselves to these still adorable hull shapes. Or the humming sound of the winches during the hectic pre-start phase. And: J-sailing is a team sport. This becomes clear when teams of crew members, all professionals, stand ready on the foredeck to pluck 900 square metres of spinnaker out of the sky. One realisation quickly sets in: It is a feast for the senses to watch this quartet racing.
Once the mountainous hinterland had warmed up sufficiently, Mallorca's thermal wind engine kicked in. At twelve o'clock sharp. The four Js - "Topaz", "Velsheda", "Ranger" and "Svea" - initially started in winds of less than ten knots. "Ranger" had an early start and the 42.62-metre "Topaz", which was delivered in 2015, led the closely bunched field, but was caught by "Svea" on the downwind leg. The J, which was created after a Tore Holm tear, is the youngest and most modern and has the highest race value of all the starters. This is calculated by speed prediction software (VPP) developed by a team led by J-Class designer Andre Hoek. "Svea's" gap was also sufficient for victory according to the calculated time. A remarkable start, as the longest class representative with 43.60 metres came to Mallorca with new owners and a new but experienced crew. "Ranger" finished in third place ahead of "Velsheda", although the 41.60 metres were the last to cross the finish line, but are made of steel and not aluminium and therefore have to pay the least.
At the start of the second race, the sea breeze blew at up to 15 knots and small whitecaps rolled across the bay of Palma. "Topaz" crossed the line best at the buoy, while "Svea" had the worst start. The 42.62-metre sloop is sailed by a well-coordinated crew led by helmsman Peter Holmberg and navigator Nacho Postigo, who knows his way around Mallorca. But the "Ranger" crew around John Kostecki also brought local knowledge on board with Jordi Calafat. The Olympic gold medallist and America's Cup winner grew up sailing off Palma. "Svea" hired Bouwe Bekking, who won the 2017 J-Class World Championship off Newport with "Lionheart", as tactician. Nevertheless, "Velsheda" went round the windward mark in the lead with her owner at the helm and left "Topaz" in her wake despite a fabulous start. "Svea" fully exploited her speed potential on the downwind passages and made up metres, but had to settle for fourth place in the adjusted results list. Calculated, "Topaz" won ahead of "Velsheda" and is ahead in the intermediate classification, followed by "Svea" and the tied "Ranger" (two third places) and "Velsheda".
On Thursday, the second day of the Superyacht Cup Palma, seven more yachts over 24 metres will join the four J-Class formats.
The preliminary J-results are available here (please click!)
Sören Gehlhaus
Stellvertretender Chefredakteur BOOTE EXCLUSIV
