The build up has begun on the dock at Muelle Viejo, the new venue
for this year's Superyacht Cup, where 18 yachts will take part in
the four-day superyacht regatta starting on Wednesday next week.
Over the next few days, this special site in the oldest part of
the port will be transformed into The Horus Superyacht Cup
Regatta Village, incorporating a huge circular shade to cover the
bar and entertainment area and temporary structures will be
set-up for the event office and press centre. Registration for
the yachts starts on Wednesday followed by the Welcome Cocktail
party at 20.00. The first race is on Thurdsay June 25th starting
at 13.00.
Peter Harison's 35m Farr designed ketch Sojana sailed in to Palma
yesterday after a quick trip across the Atlantic from Antigua. A
great supporter of the Superyacht Cup, Sojana has taken part
twice in Palma editions and twice in Antigua, winning in 2007.
Mari Cha III also arrived yesterday sailing all the way from
Tahiti in the South Pacific. Royal Huisman-built yachts Gliss,
Hyperion, Meteor, and Maria Cattiva, as well as the Wally Open
Season, are all ensconced in Palma where the captains and crew
are all busily preparing their yachts and looking forward to the
action on and off the water next week.
The weather in Palma at the end of June is traditionally hot,
creating perfect sea breeze conditions in the afternoons, and the
Race Officer will be looking to set courses around the bay of
Palma that will keep the racing close and exciting for everyone.
This year the 'Bucket Rating System' will be used to set
individual start times and all yachts will be in the one class.
Expert Ratings Officer Jim Teeters of US Sailing will be
calculating the handicaps. Following on from the success of this
rating system at the St Barth's Bucket earlier in the year, it is
likely the results will be very close, despite the vast
differences in designs and sizes of the yachts taking part.
Although there was a provision for an IRC class, even the most
performance-orientated yachts have opted to race in a larger
class against the whole fleet rather than creating an IRC racing
class of only 4 or 5 yachts.
Daily results will be posted on the website and a selection of
photographs posted in the gallery:
www.thesuperyachtcup.com/palma2009
[http://www.thesuperyachtcup.com/palma2009]