Saturday, August 20, 2011

JMVP & Son Wins J/80 Copa Del Rey!

J/80s rounding mark at Copa Del Rey, Palma Mallorca, Spain (Palma de Mallorca, Spain)- The 30th Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre regatta started spectacularly.  The racers were greeted with the fabulous (and famous) "Palma conditions" of 10-15 knots onshore, with the stunning backdrop of the famous hills, city and cathedral behind them.  And, it was ultimately to the liking of Spanish Olympic Gold Medallist Jose Maria van der Ploeg and his son on FACTOR-Energia.

On the first day of sailing, the reigning J-80 World Champion Ignacio Camino sailed his renowned NEXTEL ENGINEERING perfectly, dominating the day with two bullets, continuing on his roll from winning the recent J/80 Worlds in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Also on this day, the two-times Star Class World Champion Tono Gorostegui was second, after a sixth and a second place and Jose María Van der Ploeg's FACTOR-Energia was third.

J/80s sailing in sync off Palma Mallorca, Spain in Copa Del ReyBy the second day of racing, it was clear the sailors were loving the "classic" Palma conditions. The sailors again saw perfect sailing conditions, and a sea breeze - known as "Embat" in the local lingua-franca - from 10 to 12 knots established soon after noon and reached 10 to 12 knots.  Within the J-80 fleet Jose María van der Ploeg's FACTOR-Energia pulled up to first after finishing second in both races. The Olympic Spanish sailor is accompanied by his eleven year old son Jose María Van der Ploeg Jr aboard, the youngest sailor of the 30th edition of the Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre. World champion Nextel Engineering could only manage a third and a fifth on this day.

With just two races to go, things looked tight in the J-80 fleet, for the three first boats where just three points apart. NEXTEL ENGINEERING was leader after ten races, tied in points with FACTOR-Energia and followed by Javier Aguado`s CROCS. In the first race the first two boats challenged each other in the center of the race area, but after the first tacks Camino went to the right hand side and her title was gone. In a low pressure, she saw herself sink in the pack, with FACTOR-Energia sitting on top and maintaining that position until the finish. Van der Ploeg came into the last race with a six point cushion, and didn`t take any risks in the second, finishing fourth, thus clinching his second Copa del Rey after his 2007 victory. CROCS got the prize for consistency with a third and a first place, whereas MAPFRE took the other win of the day.  Sailing photo credits-  Nico Martinez    For more Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre sailing information