The clock has ticked down, skippers have completed their preparations and the crews have gathered – it’s time to go racing at the Superyacht Cup Palma!
Competition begins this Thursday with the opening Pantaenius Race, which will see an impressive selection of 13 of the world’s most breathtaking superyachts make the most of the idyllic and reliable sailing conditions on the waters of Palma Bay. The second day of racing will now have added spice with the announcement that the brand new North Sails Boat of the Day Award will be presented to the yacht with the best results on Friday 21 June.
The beautiful award – a limited-edition crystal and Sterling silver Admiral ship’s decanter and glasses – is dedicated to the memory of North Sails founder Lowell North and in recognition of his inspirational contribution to sailmaking.
North Technology Group CEO Tom Whidden said: “We wanted to create an award that helped us showcase success within the Superyacht Cup fleet and, following the passing of Lowell North in June, it felt like dedicating this year’s award to him would be a fitting way to recognize his legacy and celebrate his contribution to the sport.” Whidden is racing on Bequia in the Superyacht Cup and will present the award on Friday alongside head of North Sails in Palma Quinny Houry. The winning crew will also all receive floppy hats in tribute to Lowell North’s famously iconic headgear.
Meanwhile anticipation among the assembled owners, skippers and crews is growing, with the start of the Superyacht Cupjust hours away. Nowhere is the sense of excitement more apparent than onboard SYC first timers Huckleberry and Kealoha. “It’s something we have been meaning to do for a few years now and this year it has come together for us so we are very excited to finally be involved,” said Kealoha’s Captain James Saddington.
“It’s a bit of a home base for us so we can involve a lot of the people we work with on a day to day basis, so we can have a boat full of the people we know and have a great week of sailing!”
It was also the case of an ambition fulfilled for the owners of Huckleberry. Co-skipper Carlos Pottier said: “The owners are fairly new to racing events and did their first superyacht regatta at the St Barths Bucket, which they enjoyed, and were keen to do this event in Palma, so they are here to enjoy it and have fun.
“The event ticks all the boxes for them, it’s in Palma and close to home so it’s all good – we are all looking forward to it very much, very excited, and hopefully with a successful outcome.” Meanwhile, on the very eve of the start of Superyacht Cup Palma, New Zealand officials have announced a cavalcade of superyacht events wrapped around the 2021 America’s Cup in Auckland.
A total of 11 events including superyacht regattas, J Class regattas, superyacht fishing competitions and island cruises between January 2020 and March 2021. They are timed to fit in around the America’s Cup World Series, the Prada Cup challenge and America’s Cup Match events. The first event will be the NZ Millennium Cup Superyacht Regatta in the Bay of Islands from January 29 to February 1 2020. Click here for full info.
Three days of racing at the Superyacht Cup Palma begins on Thursday 20 June. The opening day of racing is followed by the Southern Spars Happy Hour and an SYC Dock Party. Other highlights of the regatta include Friday’s North Sails Happy Hour, Marinepool Paddle Board Challenge and Owners Dinner at the St. Regis Mardavall Mallorca Resort, as well as Saturday’s celebratory prize-giving in the SYC Race Village.
