18 beautiful sailing yachts will take part at port Muelle Viejo, Palma, Spain the new superyacht cup venue for the Horus Superyacht Cup 2009. LiveYachting will cover the race results, as they come in, so please check back.
The four day superyacht regatta starts on Wednesday next week, and over the next few days the build up to the superyacht regatta begins.
The super sailing yachts are already lined up and ready to begin racing and below we take a brief look at all of the yachts. They are now ensconced in Palma where their captains and crew are extremely busy preparing their yachts for the race.
Muelle Viejo, Palma is a special site and the Regatta Village has been well organised and incorporates a very large circular shade for the event’s bar and entertainment area.
The official registration for the superyachts participation starts next Wednesday followed by the Welcome Cocktail party at 20.00. The first yacht race for the Horus Superyacht Cup 2009 begins on Thurdsay June 25th and weather permitting the gun will fire at on 13.00.
The weather on the land in Palma at the end of June is traditionally hot. This traditionally pulls in an idea sea breeze condition in the afternoon. With this knowledge the regatta Race Officer will set various courses around the bay of Palma which will be aimed to keep the racing close and exciting for everyone.
Expert Ratings Officer Jim Teeters of US Sailing will be calculating the ever crucial yacht handicaps and the 2009 St Barts ‘Bucket Rating System’ will be utilised to set individual start times so that all yachts will be in the one class and can race side by side. Indeed the St Barth’s Bucket regatta 2009 provided very close results, which is the aim in any yacht race, and particularly when there are huge differences in yacht length and performance.
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.
Seven interesting Superyacht Cup entries for 2009:
Sailing Yacht SOJANA
SOJANA is a 35 m Bruce Farr designed ketch which has often sailed ‘above her weight’. The superyacht sailed in to Palma yesterday after a quick trip across the Atlantic from Antigua. Would a superyacht regatta be quite the same with the ubiquitous sailing yacht SOJANA? Owner Peter Harison is a fantastic ongoing supporter of yacht racing and of the Superyacht Cup. Sailing yacht Sojana is always very well sailed by Marc Fitzgerald and his expert sailing crew. Sojana has taken in two Palma superyacht regattas as well as two in Antigua, the Caribbean. Sojana always races well and she won the Antigua event in 2007. Is 2009 again to be the year for S/Y SOJANA, Marc Fitzgerald and Peter Harison?
MARI CHA III
Those who know sailing yachts are very familiar with the famous sailing yacht Mari Cha III. Mari Cha III also arrived yesterday sailing all the way from Tahiti in the South Pacific! Leaving paradise for the Mediterranean race circuit Mari Cha III may consider luxury yacht charters this season. She is a 44.7 meter composite ketch as launched by Sensation yachts in Kiwiland back in 1997. Since then her racing prowess has been impressive, wining too many events and records to mention here.
http://www.mari-cha.com/
Sailing Yacht GLISS
Hot of the heals of winning the last superyacht regatta, the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2009, sailing yacht GLISS will be expected to do well again in Palma. It should be noted, however, that there is some more competition for next weeks racing and every yacht in the regatta will have their work cut out to make it through in first place. Royal Huisman built sailing yachts Gliss, is 32 meters and owned by Switzerland’s Marco Vogele.
http://www.liveyachting.com/sailing-yacht-gliss-wins
Sailing Yacht Hyperion
Built by Royal Huisman in 1998 S/Y Hyperion is a large and powerful sloop, once the largest, measuring an impressive 47.42m (155′ 6″) in length.
Sailing Yacht Meteor
S/Y METEOR is a beautiful 2007 gaff-rigged schooner which performs very well in a firm15 to 20 knot breeze as evidenced when she won the 2009 St. Barths Bucket Yacht Race beating a fleet of 35 yachts. Sailing Yacht METEOR was built by Royal Huisman, is 52 m (170’6) LOA and is ably captained by Dean Maggio. More info on METEOR here: http://www.liveyachting.com/?s=meteor
http://www.liveyachting.com/2009-st-barths-bucket-yacht-race
Sailing yacht Maria Cattiva
Completing this years Royal Huisman theme, S/Y MARIA CATTIVA is another wonderful Huisman of 39m (130′) LOA which was launched in 2003 to a Bruce King Yacht Design.
Wally Open Season.
Coming second on the line in the Palma 2008 event, and only behind the magnificent sailing yacht ‘Senso One’ (former Mari-Cha IV), Wally Open Season has always shown a clean pair of heals. Sailing Yacht Wally Open Season is owned by Thomas Bscher, also showed good boat speed in the recent Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2009.
Daily results will be posted on the LiveYachting website as well as info and photos.
Related Superyacht Sailing Regatta Videos:
http://www.liveyachting.com/sailing-yacht-mari-cha-iv-2
http://www.liveyachting.com/my-song-leading-superyacht-regatta-day-3
http://www.liveyachting.com/day-1-loro-piana-superyacht-regatta-2009
http://www.liveyachting.com/supermaxi-speedboat-virgin-money
http://www.liveyachting.com/the-rolex-cup-porto-cervo-2008
http://www.charterworld.com/index.html?sub=Sailing-Yacht-Sojana
The official Superyacht regatta website is: http://www.thesuperyachtcup.com/palma2009
