The 25th anniversary of the Superyacht Cup Palma is shaping up to be a landmark celebration of Europe’s longest running superyacht regatta.

With the new-look event fully focused on the racing from 23-26 June, the prospect of top-level competition on the Bay of Palma has attracted an inspiring degree of interest featuring the return of regular participants alongside no fewer than three first-time entries.

As ever, SYC attracts entries from across the superyacht spectrum, with the trio of debutantes in 2021 no exception.

The high-performance Shamanna is a striking 35m Frers-designed Nautor Swan 115 FD and she will be joined by Umiko, a representative of the iconic Swan 80 range also from the Nautor stable, and the 43m Ravenger (ex Sea Eagle) another stunning example from Royal Husiman, also making it a Frers clean sweep on the design front.

While entries are still preliminary, they are set to line-up against 10 returnees including Wally representatives Saudade and Highland Fling, the awesome 46m Ganesha, and 2019 Class C runner-up Huckleberry.

Despite the necessary adaptations to local pandemic restrictions the 25th anniversary event will still have at its heart the feature that makes SYC so special – in the words of regular participant, Bouwe Bekking: “The great thing about racing in Palma is the conditions. You can look at your watch and know that in a couple of hours you will have 12 or so knots of breeze, maybe even a little bit more.

“It’s as close to guaranteed sailing as you can get anywhere, so it’s not surprising that owners – and crews – look forward to returning to the Superyacht Cup Palma year after year. The event atmosphere is great too – serious racing but relaxed afterwards. A magic combination.”

It’s a view shared and endorsed by another high-profile round-the-world sailor, Mike ‘Moose’ Sanderson: “Mallorca is a very special place to sail, and you just know that Palma Bay is going to turn it on with beautiful conditions. I have raced a lot of different yachts in a lot of different places, and superyachts and Palma just go together.

Alongside the enduring support of the superyacht community over the last quarter of a century, SYC has also welcomed the backing of commercial friends, suppliers, and partners such as Silver Partner Marinepool, the company celebrating its 30thanniversary this year, and specialist marine insurers Pantaenius.

Long-standing Destination Partner New Zealand is also taking its place front and centre at the Superyacht Cup, highlighting the wonders of Aotearoa – the Land of the Long White Cloud.

“Alongside the owners, captains and crews who have made Superyacht Cup Palma the great success it has been for the past 25 years, we are also indebted to our commercial supporters for their faith in our programme and their marvellous ongoing support,” said SYC Event Director Kate Branagh.

Among those increasing their support in the ongoing challenging environment is the Superyacht Cup’s long-standing race management collaborator Real Club Náutico De Palma, which will provide the shoreside venue – as well as some berthing – in 2021.

The prestigious setting is well suited to the Superyacht Cup brand and will doubtless find favour with the ultimate decision makers – the superyacht owners themselves.

“The owners are the ones that choose the Superyacht Cup Palma time and again, it is always one of the ‘must-do’ events, and it tends to satisfy their styles and demands really well,” said SYC regular Peter Holmberg.

“It’s an added bonus that racing crew really love sailing here as well. So, it’s a great fit. Twenty-five years and still going strong, that speaks for itself!”

Find Notice of Race here

For a taste of the Superyacht Cup Palma, don’t miss episode 11 of Matt Sheahan’s much loved show, Planet Sail. We feature in the Docktalk segment here:

by Daphne Morgan Barnicoat