International Maxi Association challenges resume with Sandberg PalmaVela
by James Boyd / International Maxi Association 5 May 12:49 UTC
30 April - 4 May 2025
Maxi fleet gets underway at Sandberg PalmaVela © SailingShots by Maria Muiña
There was huge anticipation from within the maxi community with Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones' new Verdier 100 Magic Carpet E making her debut at Sandberg PalmaVela that concluded yesterday (Sunday 4 May).
The event, originally called Maxi Race Week when it was first held by the Real Club Nautico de Palma in 2004, has traditionally started the Mediterranean maxi yacht racing season. Since then it has grown to include other classes and rechristened PalmaVela. In 2001 the RCNP added an offshore race to it, La Larga. Sandberg PalmaVela has been part of the International Maxi Association's annual Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge (MMIC) since its inception, while La Larga is traditionally second event of the IMA Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge (MMOC) following the preceding autumn's Rolex Middle Sea Race.
La Larga started the event on 26 April although a lack of wind caused the start to be postponed for four hours. Among a fleet of 35, the three Maxis racing under IRC sailed a 235 mile course rounding Ibiza and Formentera before returning to Palma via a mark off Porto Colon. In winds that peaked at 15 knots, the heavily turboed VO70 L4 Trifork, skippered by Joern Larsen, was first home, 7 hours 38 minutes before Jean-Pierre Barjon's Botin 65 Spirit of Lorina, the 2021-22 IMA MMOC winner. However under IRC Poland's Robert Szustkowski and his Mylius 60 FD R6 (ex-Sud) was second.
The Maxi inshore/coastal competition at the 21st PalmaVela began on Thursday 1 May, a day ahead of the other classes. In this Spirit of Lorina and R6 were joined by Andres Varela's Mills Vismara 68 Pelotari Project and Svan Wackerhagen's Wally 80 Rose. In recent years PalmaVela has been a major competition for 100ft maxis but on this occasion some, including triple winner and defending champion Galateia, were returning from the Caribbean. Instead the 100 footers were represented by Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones' brand new Magic Carpet E and Pascale Decaux's Tilakkhana II (ex-Magic Carpet Cubed).
A Persico-built design from Guillaume Verdier, better know for his winning IMOCAs and Ultim trimarans as well as Emirates Team New Zealand's America's Cup winners, the new Magic Carpet E had a similar design brief to previous Magic Carpets: optimised for racing both inshore and offshore under IRC in 8-12 knots in the Mediterranean and with a full interior enabling her to be cruised. However the 100ft long Magic Carpet E incorporates the latest technology and weighs just 37 tonnes (10 less than Magic Carpet Cubed). She has a steerable canting canard forward, a 7.1m keel that not only cants but can be raked aft by 60° enabling her to draw just 4.6m (to berth in St Tropez) and twin rudders where the blades retract into revolving drums. Importantly, her extensive electric winch and hydraulic systems are battery rather than engine-powered, enabling her to day sail without running the engine.
As to her performance, her IRC TCC is 1.825 compared to her predecessor's 1.784.
The team's extensive training and development time this spring paid off on day one of Sandberg PalmaVela when the maxis completed two windward-leewards. She won the first race, that started with the wind in the high teens then dropping, by 3 minutes 49 seconds on the water from Tilakkhana II and by 1 minutes 57 seconds on Rose under IRC. She also won the second, this time by 3:38 on the water and 4:39 under IRC from Tilakkhana II.
On day two sadly a start line incident between Magic Carpet E and Spirit of Lorina, incurred damage to the former's one-piece Aero 6 rigging, while Jean-Pierre Barjon's Botin 65 sustained damage to her starboard aft quarter. Both retired and were scored DSQ. While this race was abandoned, a race was successfully held late afternoon which Tilakkhana II won ahead of Rose.
On Saturday Spirit of Lorina was back on the race track, but, in light winds, Rose won big, her time correcting out 20+ minutes ahead of Tilakkhana II, leaving the two leading into the final day, tied on points.
By rights Sunday's final coastal race should have been Spirit of Lorina's - an offshore specialist, the winds gusting to 25 knots were her conditions. Sadly she missed a mark but despite retracing her steps she lost by only 8 seconds to Tilakkhana II. With Pelotari Project just a further 16 seconds behind under IRC, the regatta concluded with an ultra-tight finish.
Pascale Decaux was delighted with her team's victory, especially since all but one of her crew are new. The race team, led by tactician Laurent Pagès had to start from scratch. "We have so many things to put together and our learning curve remains huge, so winning is quite unexpected..." he commented. In addition to Decaux the crew includes eight women such as round the world specialist Dee Caffari, plus three other members of The Famous Project (Alexia Barrier's all-women Jules Verne Trophy campaign).
Of the final race Pagès commented: "We had 15 knots with 22 knots gusts but it was flat water, so it was good fun. The boat was really nice to sail downwind with this breeze. We just sailed cleanly and simply."
However the big conditions were not to Rose's liking and they blew up kite, as tactician Diego Fructuoso explained: "Today for sure we could have done better - the performance of the boat in less than 15 knots is much better, but we are really happy. This week we've had three boats fighting at every mark - a huge competition with Pelotari Project and Spirit of Lorina. It was amazing."
At the prize-giving at the RCNP, among her prizes Pascale Decaux received the trophy for the Best IMA Member.
The IMA MMOC continues with the Regata dei Tre Golfi, the offshore race of the IMA Maxi European Championship on 16 May followed by the Europeans' inshore and coastal series taking place over 19-22 May.
More information at www.palmavela.com