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THE HORUS SUPERYACHT CUP 2009 – A GREAT SUCCESS

A new venue, a new title sponsor and three spectacular days of racing for the 18-strong fleet in the Bay of Palma combined to produce a highly successful Horus Superyacht Cup 2009.

The eventual winner of the iconic Bent Cleat Trophy for the winning yacht went to Marco Vogele’s 32m Royal Huisman built, sloop Gliss, designed by Philippe Briand, but she was chased hard by the 46m Perini Navi Antara skippered by the popular Jonno Johnston, Thomas Bsher’s 28.6m, Frers-designed Wally Open Season and the Bruce King-designed 39.9m Maria Cattiva, also built by Royal Huisman.

Owners of Gliss receiving the 'Bent cleat award'  for first overall.
Photographer: clairematches.com

With helmsmen and skippers including Volvo star Mike Sanderson, America’s Cup helmsman Peter Holmberg and solo sailor Nick Maloney aboard a variety yachts accompanied by a sprinkling of world class trimmers and bowmen there was a real competitive edge out on the water.

The big challenge for The Horus Superyacht Cup this year was settling into its new venue close to Palma’s old city centre and with the help of new title sponsors and the continued backing of Abu Dhabi this element of the three-day regatta proved to be a resounding success.

The stylishly appointed village protected by a spectacular circular canopy became the focal point of the onshore action with all 18 yachts moored conveniently stern-to. Palma’s magnificent Le Seu cathedral provided a dramatic backdrop and the proximity of the city mean meant friends and family could easily join the event generating a lively and convivial atmosphere. The elegant bar staff, live music each evening and free of charge happy hours gave the village a buzz that matched the attractions of Palma itself.

Also new for this year was the introduction of the Bucket rating system which calculates a yacht’s performance based on design information and subsequently provides her with an individual starting time for each pursuit race. The idea has been imported from the Caribbean and the USA where it is used to good effect at the St Barths and Newport Bucket regattas. Start times can also be calculated to take into account the wind conditions and race-course lengths can be set accordingly.

Predicting the winds off Palma has always been regarded as something of a black art but two light to moderate days followed by a sparkling day blessed with 18 knots of onshore breeze gave the fleet excellent racing conditions. Antara was the first yacht to start on Abu Dhabi Race Day and she fought off all opposition to take first place. The same thing happened to the Fife designed, Horus campaigned Sunshine in race three, starting and finishing first, while in race two the lightweight fliers Open Season and Black Pearl took the fleet apart.

But there were some great close finishes, particularly in race three when 15 yachts finished with 20 minutes of each other, eight of them just 3min 30sec seconds apart. The exceptional racing in final pursuit was the ideal aperitif for a spectacular open-air prize giving and gourmet buffet at the Es Baluard museum which overlooks the Bay of Palma and the regatta village itself.

Gliss, winner of The Horus Superyacht Cup, Photo: rawphoto.co.uk 

With the prize giving complete (see Results) things really started hotting up when The World Famous Red Sox, billed as the world’s best party band, took to the stage. This stunning precision rock band can play just about anything in any style and brought owners, crew, family and friends to the dance floor for a fantastic finale.

Title sponsors Horus have signed for three years, the venue is secure for the same period and the organisers have set the dates for the next regattas as 23rd – 26th June 2010.

We very much looking forward to seeing you all again for next year’s regatta!

By David Glenn - Editor Supersail World