Varadero Valencia Aquarelle Sailing Team has won its first regatta, crossing the waters between Majorca and Ibiza in the VI Edition of the Regata de Travesía APD. Varadero Valencia’s recently-formed racing team walked away with the victory on both elapsed time and corrected time after the 6 hour and 14 minute crossing, on a day that saw little wind and where the boat was able to break away from the rest right from the start.

The regatta began off the Majorcan coast at 11 in the morning, heading towards Ibiza, where the finishing line was off the island of Tagomago, 49.2 nautical miles away. It was a day with very good conditions for the Aquarelle with a wind of between 6 and 17 knots that permitted the Varadero Valencia Aquarelle Sailing Team to sail at an average speed of 8 knots and maximum 13.5 knots, stealing the lead from the other participating boats right from the start.

The yachts sailed with spinnaker and mainsail from the windward offset mark to the finishing line where, after 6 hours and 14 minutes, the Varadero Valencia vessel crossed it off Tagomago and subsequently headed towards Marina Ibiza, where the event organisers awaited them along with the marina team.

In the end, only five of the eleven yachts crossed the finishing line before the permitted time of 8.30 pm. The other boats had to start their engines to get them back to port owing to the lack of wind. The race classification was as follows:

On arrival at Marina Ibiza they were met by the marina team and the race organising team, who toasted them with champagne to celebrate their victory. Afterwards, all the teams met up in Restaurante Calma to enjoy a courtesy cocktail, an evening which continued until well after midnight, put on by Marina Ibiza, one of the companies collaborating in the regatta.

The prize-giving took place the following morning followed by breakfast on the terrace of Restaurante Calma, with fantastic views to Dalt Vila. At around 1 pm, the Varadero Valencia Aquarelle Sailing Team cast off from the marina to head back to Valencia, where the boat will return to its base at Varadero Valencia to get ready for its next race, the Trofeo SM la Reina, from 1st to 4th July.

This boat is being primed for her racing calendar at Varadero Valencia and so far her mast and boom have been painted. On arrival at the shipyard, work will once again get underway to improve the boat’s hull, with a deep sanding and subsequent paint with Durepox, especially for racing boats, as well as painting and refitting the hull and deck, all part of the boat’s continuous improvement process.