Sunday, May 3, 2015

Palmavela Preview

J/80 sailing off Palma Mallorca, Spain(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- The Gaastra PalmaVela regatta will celebrate its twelfth edition with a multi-coloured fleet, consolidating its international status as the Mediterranean’s first big boat sailing event of the season.  117 boats from 16 different nationalities will be hosted by the Real Club NĂ¡utico de Palma, where flags will be flown from Germany, Antigua, Spain, France, Holland, Hong Kong, England, Ireland, British Virgin Islands, Italy, Monaco, Portugal, Russian, Switzerland, Sweden and the United States.

The Gaastra PalmaVela Regatta was first held in 2004 as an ambitious project to “convert Palma into the Mediterranean capital of sailing”, explains Manuel Fraga. Eleven years later, the regatta has established itself as the principal kick-off event of the offshore keelboat season in the Mediterranean.

“The key word is adaptation”, adds Fraga, “There are a lot of regattas on the calendar, but in the last decade Gaastra PalmaVela has managed to continue filling the spectacular Bay of Palma de Mallorca with boats and sails in springtime”.

The racing programme of Gaastra PalmaVela 2015 will alternate coastal racing with windward/leeward races throughout the four days. J sailors will be participating in J/80 one-designs as well as in the ORC handicap classes.

A number of top Spanish and German teams are sailing as part of their preparations for the upcoming J/80 World Championship in Kiel, Germany.  Champion sailors like Marc de Antonio from Barcelona will be skippering BRIBON-MOVISTAR and his team will be up against fierce competitors like Javier Chacartegui Cirerol on HM HOTELS, Sebastian Allebrodt on MNEMONIC and World Champion Jose Marie van der Ploeg on NAUTICA WATCHES.  One Swedish team will be on the line- Tom Bscher’s OPERA SEASON- TEAM RCNP.  And, two German teams should be in the hunt as well- Dirk Euler’s LIMMAT EXPRESS and Inken Braunschmidt’s JOY TOY.

The large ORC Offshore Division will have to contend with Juan Carlos Sanchis’ J/92S CAFE DEL MAR from CNS Antonio.  For more Gaastra Palmavela sailing information