The 44th MAPFRE King's Cup sailing regatta at the Real Club Náutico de Palma reached its final day with titles open in more than half of the competing classes. Crews completed two races on the penultimate day of competition in Palma Bay to set up Saturday's decider.
In Abanca ORC 0, Mauro Gestri's Italian boat Vudu built a nine-point lead over Swiss entry Kilara II, skippered by Jamie Scott-Hopkins. Brazilian boat Caballo Loco, skippered by Mauro Dottori, sits 11.5 points back after winning Friday's second race.
Spanish boat Hispania sailed without King Felipe VI on board on Friday. The team won the opening race of the day but finished ninth in the second race, eliminating their chances of victory and dropping them off the podium.
Sail Racing ORC A and Uber ORC B standings
Niklas Zennstrom's Swedish boat Ran took two race victories in Sail Racing ORC A to gain a narrow advantage over Estonian entry Nola, skippered by Margus Uudam. Five boats remain in contention for third place: Pep Román's Garm of Sweden, Christian Plump's Elena Nova of Germany, Fernando Chaín's From Now On of Argentina, Óscar Chaves's HM Hospitales Hydra of Spain, and Jean Pierre Joly's Confluence of France.
Javier Banderas leads Uber ORC B aboard Spanish boat Teatro Soho San Miguel with a 14.5-point margin over Uruguayan entry L'Immens, skippered by Nicolás González. Argentine boat Katara, skippered by Julián Somodi, holds third place.
Azulmarino ORC C and ClubSwan 42 competition
Azulmarino ORC C stands as the closest division, with less than three points separating German entry Early Bird under Hendrik Brandis, Spanish boat Project Work under Antonio Porres, and German entry Niramo under Sönke Meier.
In ClubSwan 42, Pedro Vaquer's Spanish boat Nadir went winless for the first time in the regatta. Despite the set-back, Nadir holds a lead of more than six points over Italian boat Selene Alifax, skippered by Massimo de Campo.
Balearia Women's Cup medal race line-up
The Balearia Women's Cup completed its initial Round Robin stage. Balearia Team qualified for the Medal Race in first place with 18.21 points, followed by Solgreen - Les Roches with 37 points, Pulperas Team with 39.64 points, Italia Team with 40 points, Merched y Mor with 46 points, and Rudder Rebels with 47.14 points.
The final day of competition on Saturday will feature two scheduled races. The regatta concludes on Saturday night with the prize-giving ceremony at the Almudaina Palace starting at 8:30 p.m.
