BIg boats to join 2025 Sandberg PalmaVela
Palma de Mallorca, March 26, 2025With just one month to go, the 21st edition of PalmaVela regatta, organised by the Real Club Nautico de Palma (RCNP) from April 26 to May 4, and this year backed by Sandberg, will see the world debut of Magic Carpet E, the latest 100-foot Maxi yacht. Launched in early 2025 by Persico Marine, this state-of-the-art vessel was designed by the acclaimed Guillaume Verdier for Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, marking his fourth addition to the legendary Magic Carpet racing lineage.
This new Maxi yacht - the owner is also a member of the International Maxi Association (IMA) - joins 5 other maxi entries already registered for the 21st Sandberg PalmaVela: Pascale Decaux’s Wally Cento Tilakkhana, the German yacht Rose, another 80-foot Wally helmed by Sven Wackkerhagen, and Pelotari Project (SPA) a 68-foot Vismara Mills skippered by Andrés Varela Entrecanales.
Also competing in the Maxi class are two 60-footers: Spirit of Lorina (FRA) owned by Jean-Pierre Barjon, and R6 (POL) with Robert Szustkowski at the helm.
The bay of Palma will once again become the epicenter of international sailing with the 2025 Sandberg PalmaVela. From April 26th to May 4th, a fleet of 157 yachts will navigate its waters in one of the most emblematic events on the nautical calendar.
The event kicks off with ‘La Larga,’ the offshore race that will take the fleet around the Balearic archipelago, starting on April 26th. From May 1 to 4, the Multiclass event will be offering four intense days of excitement and strategy.
Combining tradition with high-level competition, the 2025 Sandberg PalmaVela promises spectacle both on and off the water, solidifying Palma’s status as an indisputable reference in international sailing.
With the countdown underway, RCNP director Manu Fraga expressed satisfaction with the regatta’s strength and growth: “Not only due to the loyalty of the big boats but because the Sandberg PalmaVela represents the full splendour of cruiser sailing.”
Big Boats are joining also ‘La Larga’ offshore race
Last Friday brought good news for Sandberg PalmaVela’s offshore race, ‘La Larga,’ as six large yachts registered to compete across the Balearic archipelago. Notably, Loren Jarsen’s VO70 L4 Trifork (formerly Ericsson 4, winner of the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race) will participate under the RCNP burgee. L4 Trifork boasts a victory in the 2021 edition and has held the Round Mallorca record since 2020.
Another ‘La Larga’ regular is Andrés Varela Entrecanales’ Pelotari Project. The 68-footer from Real Club Nàutic de Pollença clinched the 2022 edition and will face larger yachts such as the French Luce Guida owned by Jean-Michel Caye, a 77-footer also designed by Vismara Yachts.
Among the favourites in the big boat category is Stefan Jentzsch’s Botín 56 Black Pearl, arriving in Palma after winning the 2024 Aegean 600 in Greece and narrowly missing the podium with a fourth-place finish at the Rolex Middle Sea Race in Malta.
Fraga highlighted the event’s inclusive nature:
“This regatta brings together virtually the entire spectrum of cruiser sailing, from offshore races in ‘La Larga’—with full crews and double-handed teams—to the intense coastal and windward-leeward races of the multiclass competition.”
He also noted that the Sandberg PalmaVela “will serve as a prelude to the ORC European Championship, which will be held as part of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE and is already seeing a high rate of registrations.”
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