Supermaxi yacht Alfa Romeo, owned and skippered by New Zealander Neville Crichton, has opened their 2007 account with five line honours wins at the Hublot PalmaVela in Palma de Mallorca, confirming Alfa Romeo as, once again, the yacht to beat. The first results of 2007 bring to 107 the total number of line honours won by Crichton with Alfa Romeo I and II.

One hundred and ninety eight boats from ninteen nations and almost 2,000 persons participated in the Hublot PalmaVela regatta this year, which was organised by Real Club Náutico de Palma and sponsored by the Swiss watchmaker firm. A success without precedents considering that it is a young event which reached its fourth edition this year, In fact, it the largest annual event for keeled boats in Spain.

The event gathers together 100feet Maxi, Transpac 52, small lateen rigged vessels, traditional and classic yachts, cruisers, One design and Disabled sailing, thanks to the collaboration of La Caixa. Ten classes competed in five simultaneous racing areas distributed in the bay of Palma. This philosophy of an “open” event has been the key to success of Hublot PalmaVela, which was referred to by the international press in 2006 as “the Cowes of the Mediterranean”.
 

It is a long trajectory popular regatta that welcomes all types of sailing and is enjoyed with enthusiasm by the whole town.  With an organisation team of over 100 persons, “the Real Club Náutico de Palma throws itself into Hublot PalmaVela with the objective of approaching Palma citizens to the sea and sailing”, commented the race manager, Rafael Durán. One thousand citizens were able to follow the races of Hublot PalmaVela onboard tourist boats chartered by Palma city council.

There was good wind in Palma, allowing the full race programme to go ahead, with an average 6 to 9 knots blowing, except on Saturday when wind speed rose to 18 knots between Palma and Isla de Cabrera, giving free rein to the spirit of competition among the 205 yachts competing in the event. “The boat and her crew are once again in perfect harmony, but I think I can still get more speed out of Alfa Romeo,” said Neville Crichton at the finish. “We’re working flat out to get more speed for the Giraglia Rolex Cup, where I hope to break the race record we set with Alfa Romeo I in 2003.”

After the Giraglia Rolex Cup (9-14 June), Alfa Romeo will return to Palma to race in the Super Yacht Cup, limited to craft of 30 metres and over, and the Millennium Cup (15-20 June). Alfa Romeo will then make her way to the UK to compete in the Rolex Fastnet Cup, the historic 608 mile race which will start on 12 August and which Alfa Romeo won in 2003. After spending the middle of August in the English Channel, the maxi yacht will make her way back to the Mediterranean to compete from 2 to 8 September in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup at Porto Cervo.