“H
ello Hélène, see you Friday at 11:30am. We're boarding a press boat. Take a waterproof jacket, it might get wet!” The message is direct, almost a warning. Friday morning, I entered the Real Club Náutico de Palma grounds for the first time. Founded seventy-eight years ago, the club is a mecca for Mediterranean sailing. It organises several major regattas each year, including the famous Copa del Rey – a high-level event marked by the regular presence of the royal family – and Palma Vela. “Palma Vela is a very popular regatta because it's easy, it's very flowing, it's very cool,” explains Viviane Mainemare, RCNP sports coordinator. “For us, it's quite a challenge: all the boats taking part in the regatta are moored at the club, and there are seventy people involved in the organization!”
For four days, Palma Vela brings together 110 yachts from 19 countries. Eleven classes compete, from small 6-metre yachts to majestic 30-metre maxi yachts. The atmosphere is concentrated but relaxed, with crews mixing seasoned professionals and passionate amateurs. Three race zones have been defined: two courses “to windward and leeward” - balovento and sotavento, as they say here - and a coastal course whose itinerary, kept secret until the last half-hour, depends on the whims of the wind.
At the press office, the excitement is palpable. A large table is crammed with computers, telephones, telephoto lenses and waterproof bags. Half a dozen photographers specialising in marine regattas are finalizing their equipment. The day's program is posted on a board. The two press officers divide the reporters into RIBs and distribute picnic baskets. “We eat on the boat,” explains Franco, an Italian photographer who has specialised in shooting Maxis for twenty-years, the Formula 1s of the seas. “You have to have something in your stomach if you don't want to get seasick.”
