For the penultimate day of racing at the 41st Copa del Rey MAPFRE, the Bay of Palma will see a transition in the weather today, starting out with a residual light offshore NE breeze but the question is how much the SSW’ly sea breeze will come in the afternoon but this is expected to drop through the afternoon.
Some models show a gradient NW’ly wind which wraps in from the west of the bay, stronger over the westerly race course Charlie. The official forecast even shows just 3-5kts in the afternoon during race time, suggesting the thermal component will fight the gradient and so it might prove to be very light, a real contrast after Thursday’s Gregal which is produced by the Mistral in the north, blowing out of the Gulf of Lyon.
Gaspar Morey, Principal Race Officer, warns that we will probably start with a postponement ashore until the breeze becomes raceable.
Nonetheless it is planned for the fleet to race over the usual three areas. In the Alpha (closest to the RCNP), the Majorica ORC 4, Herbalife J/70 and Mallorca Sotheby’s Women’s Cup should compete today; in the Bravo (east of the airport), the Majorica ORC 1 and 3; and on Charlie (in the centre of the bay and offshore) the Majorica ORC 2 and the ClubSwan 42 and ClubSwan 50 one designs.
The class leaders are Palibex-Elena Nova (ESP) in Majorica ORC 1, Teatro del Soho Caixabank (ESP) in Majorica ORC 2, Scugnizza (ITA) in Majorica ORC 3, Just the Job (GBR) in Majorica ORC 4, Hatari (ITA) in ClubSwan 50, Nadir (ESP) in ClubSwan 42, Team RCNP Balearia (ESP) in Mallorca Sotheby’s Women’s Cup and Usana-Les Roches (ESP) in Herbalife J/70.
