The 44th Copa del Rey MAPFRE opened in the Bay of Palma with 84 boats from 15 countries on the water, and the story going into the regatta was who was steering one of them. Felipe VI took the helm of Hispania, his TP52, for the first time in a competitive race. The boat finished the day tied for first place in the ORC 0 class with the Italian entry Vudu, having placed second in the opening race and then won the second by 25 seconds. Switzerland's Kilara rounds out that class.
Hispania's tactician, Alberto Barovier, said afterward that the King had sailed well and that the new boat feels different to handle, with more tools available to make it go faster, though facing sailors of that quality still demands hard work from everyone aboard.
The King's result was only one of five separate class contests that opened tightly. In Sail Racing ORC A, Sweden's Ran and Estonia's Nola finished level after a protest decision that went in Ran's favor, with Sweden's Garm third. In the largest fleet, Uber ORC B, the Spanish boat Teatro del Soho San Miguel, owned by Javier Banderas, leads ahead of L'Immens, Ebury and Solgreen Frutis. In Azulmarino ORC C, Germany's Niramo leads a class that also includes the Spanish boat Wanderlust X and the Italian Django. In the ClubSwan 42 class, Pedro Vaquer's Nadir won both of the day's races outright, ahead of Selene Alifax and the defending world champion boat, Pez de Abril.
Conditions were light by regatta standards, with wind peaking at around 13 to 13.5 knots, which sailors in the fleet described as good sailing weather without being demanding. Nadir's tactician, Rayco Tabares, said the double win had taken more work than the scoreline suggested, since light and shifting conditions of that kind reward tactics over raw boat speed.
The regatta continues with the Balearia Women's Cup on day two, a separate event for 15 all female crews, alongside a coastal race starting at 12:30 and windward leeward racing from 13:00. With five classes still effectively tied or close to it after one day, including the one carrying the King, the Bay of Palma has a full week of racing left to sort out who actually wins.