Palm
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Four days of intense tests at sea, a lively social activity on land, eleven of the most spectacular boats in the world, and the excellent sailing conditions in the Bay of Palma, have been the ingredients of the long-awaited 26th edition of the Superyacht Cup Palma, which ended today with Ganesha proclaiming himself the absolute winner.
The St. Regis Race Day, hand in hand with the hotel sponsor St. Regis Mardavall Mallorca Resort, has today put an end to the competition at sea with a final test that began with everything to be decided, with a northeast component wind.
Today’s test left two boats tied on points opting for the absolute title of the Superyacht Cup Palma: the J-Class Svea and the elegant Ganesha.
But thanks to his victory in today’s race, against the second place achieved by Svea in the J Class, Ganesha won the absolute title of the 2022 edition of the longest running superyacht race in Europe.
Peter-Alexander Wacker, owner of the Ganesha, showed his enthusiasm for the victory: “It’s a very exciting moment as we didn’t expect to win it, although we’ve worked hard for it and I’m glad we did.”
Looking to the future, he added: “It’s not the first time I’ve come to Palma, I just bought a house here, so I’m sure I’ll keep coming to the Superyacht Cup Palma”.
The skipper of the boat, Alex Pamment, echoed his words: “It was a bit of a surprising victory, we didn’t expect it, neither in the class nor in the general”.
In Class J, consistency was also the key to success for Svea, who took advantage of the first two tests to claim victory with a total of five points and a second at St. Regis Race Day. Ranger was the winner of the day, finishing second overall with two third parties and the first today. Topaz and Velsheda close the table, tied at 9 points.
“We are very happy for the win in our class,” shared Svea co-owner Niklas Zennström. “It is the first race with the boat for the new team and ownership group and we come to this event with a week of practice to get to know him, many of us have never sailed a J-Class before.”
“The fascinating thing about this class is that it’s always very close. This was going to be a learning race so winning the class is something very special. Racing is about minimizing mistakes and the team didn’t make too many and did a great job “.
Class A has seen an intense fight for the top of the standings, with the 33m Pattoo, designed by Malcolm McKeon and built by Vitters Shipyard, taking victory in today’s test and in his class. Kiboko Tres, a 32-metre Farr design from Southern Wind Shipyard, with a second and third in the first two trials, was a strong contender for the class title, but today’s win by Pattoo, a 33-metre Farr design, Malcolm McKeon and construction of Vitters Shipyard, has led him to win the title of winner. Little Wally Rose, 24 meters tall, was second in today’s test and closes the class table.
Pattoo’s patron, James Waugh, shared: “We are a new team, but we have been able to start working here with a couple of days of training, every day we have known the boat better and we have gone further”.
“We had exactly the same results as Kiboko Tres, and I suppose a bit of luck too, but we are delighted. We loved the Superyacht Cup Palma, the organization is great and the atmosphere too”.
In Class B, Savannah’s promising start to the race was cut short by today’s fourth position, which leaves him in second place overall.
On the other hand, for the largest vessel in the fleet, Ganesha, at 46 meters in length, designed by Dubois Naval Architects and built by Vitters Shipyard, consistency has been the key to success. With two second places in the first two tests, thanks to today’s victory, she has risen to victory in Class A.
Before the celebration of the trophy delivery at the Real Club Náutico de Palma, the director of the SYC event, Kate Branagh, commented: “The Superyacht Cup Palma has always offered friendly but competitive regattas, and this year it has more than delivered.”
“The fact that the ultimate winner was in doubt until the very last moment makes racing incredibly exciting. We hope all the owners, captains and crews had a great time regardless of their finishing position.
“We are looking forward to welcoming them all again in 2023, offering them the chance to win the Superyacht Cup Palma Trophy.”
The organizers of the Superyacht Cup Palma have already announced the dates for next year’s event, from June 21 to 24. Branagh said goodbye with some emotional words: “I would like to express my great thanks to all of our sponsors and friends who have helped to celebrate this great regatta.”
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism