The tenth edition of the Copa del Rey of Classic and Vintage Boats Panerai Trophy has just finished in Mahon. For two days, the bestshaped vintage and classic yachts have duelled in Menorcan waters.
The last race, reserved for Saturday 31st, was suspended as a consequence of the strong North wind, with an intensity of up to 30 knots and waves of two and a half meters, very hard conditions for vessels of this category.
The Copa del Rey of Classic and Vintage Boats Panerai Trophy closed its tenth edition with a sound sporting success and fully consolidated as one of the reference events of the classic sail Mediterranean calendar. The organization has been able to gather, from August 27th to the 31st, fifty vessels built between 1903 and 1975 coming from 12 countries. This regatta enjoys a very significant popularity among ship owners and sailors, and it is one of the most crowded races in the calendar. The island’s waters and weather, they explain, meet the ideal characteristics for sailing. All this adds up to the beauty of the Mahon natural port, which turn port entrances into a stunning show.
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This regatta is organized by the Club Marítimo de Mahón (CMM) and the Club Náutico de Barcelona. It is supported and promoted by Officine Panerai, the Italian Haute Horlogerie maison which sponsors the most important circuit of historic sail regattas, the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge. After the event in Mahon, many of these boats will sail to Cannes to compete on the last stage of the Panerai circuit. Among them Eilean, a Bermudian ketch owned by the brand, will travel from Mahon to Cannes to compete on the last stage of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge.
WINNERS
Lady Anne (1912), in class FI15; Mariette (1915), in Big Boats; Chinook (1916), in Gaff; Horizonte (1942), in Marconi; Alba (1956), in Classic, and Charisma (1970), in Spirit of Tradition, are the brand new winners of the best Classic sail regatta of Spain, held on the Mahon race courses since last August 28th. The winners within the four categories that count towards the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge circuit received a watch from Mario Giménez, Director of Panerai Iberia. The ship owners Juan Ball (Horizonte), Alejandro Pérez Calzada (Charisma), Damián Ribas (Alba) and Patrice Mourreau(Mariette) received the award.
FI15
The six winning boats are genuine sea legends and form part of the international naval heritage. Starting by the British Lady Anne, the most ‘modern’ boat of all FI15 vessels, designed by William Fife and launched in 1912, and which in the Panerai Trophy has always sailed one step ahead of its rivals, the Mariska (1908), the Tuiga (1909) and the Hispania (1909), which used to belong to Alfonso XIII.
The captain of Lady Anne, Richard Le May, who sails with the Spanish naval designer Marcelino Botín, made clear from the beginning that his target was to win all races in the FI15 circuit. In the Mahon race courses, he combined seafaring dexterity with boldness to sail with free wind while his rivals were fighting each other.
BIG BOATS
Additionally, the crew in the Mariette, a breathtaking golden schooner launched in 1915, demonstrated being the most competitive vessel within its class. The withdrawal of the Mariquita (1911) before the beginning of the second regatta smoothed its way towards the victory. The Cambria (1928), which had been the quickest vessel in real time in the first leg –although it finally gave in the leadership after the time compensation-, was too conservative at the beginning of the Friday regatta (August 30th) and missed out any option to exceed its rival.
The Mariette, with a 32-meter length and 7.25-meter beam, has been one of the best vessels of the Big Boats class since the beginning of the 1990s. Designed by Nathanael G. Herreshoff and built in the United States, this schooner, currently captained by Charlie Wroe, can unfurl up to 1,030 square meters of sails. In 2007, it was crowned with the Copa del Rey of Classic and Vintage Boats Panerai Trophy.
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VINTAGE
“We didn’t expect to win. This is our second regatta and we’re still learning, although we know it’s a quick boat”, confessed Jonathan Greenwood, captain of the cutter Chinook (1916), winner in the Vintage gaffers category, where sailboats with trapezoidal gear, built until the 31st of December 1949, compete. This design by Sparkman & Stephen stands out for the breadth of its stern and its clear deck area. Its excellent role in the Panerai Trophy (with two wins) has been one of the surprises in the competition, since some of the best boats of the circuit race in this class, such as the Kelpie (1903), the oldest within the fleet, or the Eva (1906), the William Fife, which belongs to the musician Pete Townshed, guitarist of the British band The Who.
The greatest surprise, however, was that of the Horizonte (1942), which belongs to Juan Ball and is captained by Nicolás González, in the Marconi class, also for boats launched until the end of 1949 but of triangular gear. This ketch, designed by German Frers, had never participated in the Copa del Rey Panerai Trophy.
CLASSICS
The Alba (1956), owned by Damián Ribas, commodore of the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona, was the best within the Classic boats (built between 1950 and 1975), winning the first and second positions. The yawl, designed by Phil Rodes, with a 13- meter length, beat the Yanira (1954), six-time winner of the Copa del Rey of Classic and Vintage Boats Panerai Trophy and which, in this occasion, was left yearning for more after being penalized for committing an error during the second day. The Emeraude (1975), metallic vessel with a much more modern look than most of its rivals, had to content itself with the third position.
SPIRIT OF TRADITION
The Charisma (1970), owned by the Fundación de Navegación Oceánica de Barcelona and captained by Guillermo Altadill, won on the Spirit of Tradition class, reserved for sailboats built after 1975 by respecting the classic lines, or before such date but including materials other than wood or metal. The Calima (1970), which, as in the case of the Yanira, was penalized by the Jury, had to content itself this time with the second position.
