Copa del Rey MAPFRE Regatta Preview
(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- The 2023 edition of the Copay del Rey MAPFRE Regatta will again be hosted by the Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP). The event will again feature the J/70 class and the J/80s for the Women’s Cup Trophy! The event is taking place from July 31st to August 2nd, 2023 on the gorgeous azure-blue waters of the Bay of Palma.
HERBALIFE J/70 Division
The J/70 class will once again be sponsored by Herbalife, which will give the category its name. The J/70 is probably the most numerous modern one-design keelboat in the world and has not stopped gaining followers since it arrived in Spain in 2015 due to its speed, agility, and stability. Among the nine teams registered this year, there will be the current Spanish champion, Mon Cañellas’ HANG TEN, and Luis Albert’s PATAKIN- 4th in the 2022 J/70 Worlds in Monaco.
Manu Fraga, RCNP manager, explains the importance of the Herbalife J/70 class in the Copa del Rey MAPFRE. “Summoning the J/70 is betting on a class that we think is one of the best in level and several teams both in Europe and in the world. In Spain, the number of teams and owners continues to grow, at a very high level. I think it is a good complement to the J/80, which we have dedicated to the Women’s Cup Trophy. Having them in the Copa del Rey is a bet for the future.”
From the Spanish J/70 class, Ricardo Terrades appreciates the efforts of the Mallorcan club. “It’s great news that the RCNP once again invites the J/70 class, the world’s most fashionable one-design class. In Spain, we have two solid fleets, one in Barcelona and the other in Vigo, which was the pioneer in Spain. In Majorca, a small fleet is being created, motivated by the fact that Palma will host the 2024 J/70 World Championship next year!”
2024 J/70 World Cup update
The RCNP will host the J/70 World Championship from September 14 to 21, 2024. In Fraga’s opinion, “including them in the Copa del Rey MAPFRE is a way of learning about the idiosyncrasies of the class to ensure that we are prepared to host the international fleet.” The 2022 edition of the J/70 World Championship, held in Monaco, brought together 90 teams of 23 nationalities. The 2023 World Cup, which will be held from October 30 to November 5 at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club in Florida, United States, has 95 pre-registered teams.
“Everyone wants to sail in the Bay of Palma, and the fact that the World Cup is being held in this water is excellent news”, points out Terrades. “Everything that is sailed in Palma is positive for the teams ahead of the World Cup, so being in this Copa del Rey is an excellent opportunity to continue adding hours of sailing on this magnificent race course.”
The HERBALIFE J/70 class program in the 41 Copa del Rey MAPFRE will consist of a maximum of six races in the Preliminary Series (from August 1-2) and eight races in the Final Series (from August 3-5).
The 41st Copa del Rey MAPFRE is organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma and the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, with the sponsorship of MAPFRE and the institutional collaboration of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Palma City Council, the Balearic Islands Port Authority and the Balearic Sailing Federation.
J/80 SOTHEBYS Women’s Cup
Since the Real Club Náutico de Palma included the women’s class in the Copa del Rey MAPFRE in 2019, three teams have shared the three titles to date: Helena Alegre’s FEDRACION BELEAR in 2019, Nuria Sánchez’s DORSIA COVIRAN in 2021 and María Bover’s TEAM BALEARIA in the latest edition.
For the 2023 edition, the regatta adds new crews to the Mallorca SOTHEBYS Women’s Cup who all hope to inscribe their names on the list of winners of this great event in the Mediterranean.
Among the eleven registered crews, there will be no shortage of defending champions. Under the baton of the Balearic sailor María Bover, the TEAM BALEARIA managed to win in 2022 accumulating a total of four victories and another four podium finishes. They were closely followed by the DORSIA COVIRAN team, which had Natalia Vía-Dufresne at the helm. Both will be on the starting line again this year and are, without a doubt, two clear contenders to battle for the title again.
“We really can’t wait to start the regatta and we are very motivated,” explained Bover. “This year we have been able to do a few regattas on the Mediterranean circuit, so we have been able to get to know each other a bit more as a crew and that has been very good for us.”.
Nine other teams representing the regions of Cantabria, the Balearic Islands, Galicia, Catalonia, and Valencia, will be participating this year. Those teams include Helena Alegre’s SAL, Eva González’s ZONA NORTE from Santander, María Perelló’s HERBALIFE NUTRITION-FBV, Patricia Suárez’s CITANIAS, Inés Ferrer’s CN ARENAL, Elena Raga’s BANDIDO, Laura Tamani’s REPSOL FM GRUPO TECNOLOGICO and two crews from the Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona and the Club Náutico Cambrils.
“There is a high level like every year and in the end, when there is such a competitive fleet, the team that is most inspired and makes the fewest mistakes is the one with the best chance of winning”, affirms the owner of TEAM BALEARIA.
The competition program of the Mallorca Sotheby’s Women’s Cup, which will be held aboard the J/80 one-designs, includes a maximum of 14 races spread over five days of the regatta, starting on Tuesday, August 1st.
Everything indicates that the victory of the women’s class will once again be very tight in this 41st edition of the most anticipated event of the Mediterranean regatta season.
The 41st Copa del Rey MAPFRE is organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma and the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, with the sponsorship of MAPFRE and the institutional collaboration of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Palma City Council, the Balearic Islands Port Authority and the Balearic Sailing Federation. For more Regatta Copa del Rey sailing information