The fall of the wind in the second half of the regatta today marked the second day of the King's Cup for Vintage Boats organized by the Club Marítimo de Mahón and deprived the Menorcan fans of witnessing a new arrival in port. The committee, with good judgment, chose to shorten the tests and establish the end of the crossing at the mouth of the natural port of Mahón.
The Época class ships (divided into the Gaff and Bermudian categories depending on their rig) made a triangle of about 13.5 miles rounding the Isla del Aire to port. The rest of the races (Big Boats, Classics and Spirit of Tradition) completed an almost identical route and saw their regatta reduced from 23 to 14 miles
The five departures -one for each class- took place punctually starting at noon with a light wind from the north of 7 knots. Intensity fluctuated quite a bit throughout the two runs. The anemometer marked his highest streak on Isla del Aire, where ten knots were recorded. The direction changed from 10 to 40 degrees, the result of a very unstable weather situation, with overcast skies and high levels of humidity in the environment.
There are boats that are favored by strong winds and others by the opposite. This difference became evident, above all, in the Gaff Era category (the one that concentrates the oldest units in the fleet, with trapezoidal rig), where Patrizio Bertelli's Scud (1903), skippered by Olympic five-time medalist Torben Grael , was surpassed today in no less than ten minutes in compensated time by the American Spartan (1913), by skipper Justin Burman, who now leads the general classification thanks to the advantage that his greater length and sail area gave him.
Both yachts were designed by Nathael G. Herreshoff, the Wizard of Bristol, and are level on three points with only one race to go before the end of the competition.
The Scud remains tied with its main rival by very little, given that it obtained a lead of just 19 seconds over the Chinook (1916), owned by Paolo Zannni, who occupies third place with six points.
Upon arrival at port, a very satisfied Burman praised the work of his crew: “Despite the changing conditions, I think the team has done a very good job; It has been a very tactical regatta due to the changing wind and a challenge for everyone. In these cases it is very important to maintain concentration to navigate optimally”
The general classification of the Bermudian Era class (sailboats launched until 1950 with triangular rig) suffered a shaker effect after Saturday's regatta. The leader after the first day, the Fjord III (1948, German Frers), crossed the finish line in eighth position and fell back to fourth place overall.
Comet (1916, Olin Stephens), with two thirds, took the lead of the fleet, with owner Donna Dyer's Rowdy (1916, N.G. Herreshoff), hot on her heels a single point behind. Varuna (1930, Sparkman
Scott Perry had already warned in the morning, shortly before going to sea, that the level of the Bermudian Era class is very high, the highest in recent years, and any small loss could be reflected in the classification.
Zaki Karossane, Comet crew member, said he was "happy" with the boat's performance: "Today has been a very tactical day, with a very changeable wind due to the difference in temperature between the water and the land. It has been a hard day and Tomorrow it will be too, because strong winds are expected. Our aim is to finish ahead of Rowdy."
In the Big Boats class, where the giants of the fleet meet, Alain Moati's Sumurun (1914, William Fife III) took the lead thanks to his victory today, which places him on three points. The scenario, in the absence of a test, is identical to that of the Crab Era class: the second classified, Viveka (1929, Fran Paine), is tied with the leader and either of them can take the glory.
Both vessels have made their debut this year in the Repsol King's Cup for Vintage Boats. Sumurun is an unmistakable William Fife III design, whose rounded sterns and curved lines make the ships from the famous Scottish shipyard recognizable at first glance.
The third provisional position is for another Fife, the Hallowe'en (1926), which the naval architect himself said was the most beautiful of his ships. Mariete (1915, Herreshoff), the boat with the largest length and displacement of the 49 gathered in Mahón, suffered especially during the day with little wind and finished fourth, a position that she also occupies in the general classification.
The news of the day in the Classics category (boats launched between 1950 and 1976) was the partial victory of the Encounter (1976, Germán Frers) ahead of the Argos (1964, Holman
The winner of the day, skippered by Bart Weduwer, enters the final day in second position, with a one-point lead over Rossina di Mare, Sparkman
Also in the Spirit of Tradition class, we will have to wait for the last board to meet the winner of the XVIII Copa del Rey Repsol. Calima (1970, Sparkman
