Two days of regatta and two days of cancellations gave a colourful variety to the Spring regattas but left many participants hungering for more.

This event, created by the Royal Yacht Club of Palma five years ago as of today, has consolidated despite the economic turmoil, stormy weather, and the increasing number of events and competitions which fill the calendar and hinder the selection of participants. This was the case in this year’s edition of Palmavela which was celebrated on the third weekend of April and again invited a considerable number of regatta competitors of all styles: Superyacht owners with their guests in one sector, regatta-cruise ships eager to compete in time handicap in another and monotypes, such as the 20 Platu-25 or the 11 J-80 models: increasingly more numerous and eager to enjoy the competition in real time. To which must be added an increasing number of traditional yacht lovers who arrive in their Balearic Latin Sailboats. Missing were the TP 52, the genuine stars in the firmament of high competition, where unfortunately the Palmavela dates are too early for them.
The Mallorcan club dressed up in its best gala and had a considerable list of registered competitors, although it was not as well represented as last year. And this despite the cancellation of two days of regattas due to a strong South-eastern wind, which mercilessly blew in with the string of storm fronts that moved from the Atlantic into the Mediterranean, sweeping through the peninsula and the Balearic archipelago, although this failed to dishearten the participants from their objective, which was to enjoy the magnificent regattas in the Bay, where these yacht lovers enjoyed the company of their colleagues, assisted by the Club’s hospitality and the numerous soirees and events organised throughout the long weekend.

MAXI MEETING POINT
As in previous occasions, the outer jetty of the Royal Yacht Club of Palma was transformed into a meeting point for superyachts and their crews. A large awning equipped with service areas offered soft drinks and snacks to all the collaborating participants every afternoon, where a row of mooring ber ths was added which, due to the large quay space and the convenience which this represented for the sailboats and the other accessories for the other long yachts, was everything that these superyachts could desire.
This atmosphere was also a special meeting place for the luxur y yacht crews which embarked in the aforementioned units, several hired by their owners to elevate their level, and other guests looking for a good time. Karol Jablovski piloted the Y3k, the Wally 100 vessel which we recently described in these pages; Jochen Schuman was in Open Season, another Wally, this time in a 94-ft ship, considered by many as the most beautiful ship produced by the Italian fleet. Luca Bassani, a prestigious skipper as well as strong right-hand man of the aforementioned Wally fleet captained the Tiketitoo. We also watched Ib Andersen, Diego Colón, Jesús Turró, Nacho Postigo, and a sizeable crowd of fans that enjoyed the event.The presence of Wallyño, Kiboko, Fortuny, and Lizard among the participants can be considered as a major Spanish participation, which allows us to think that in the future, this could become a meeting point for our country’s ship owners who find the superyacht regatta to be a more attractive social stimulus than conventional regattas.