The preliminary day of racing of the Superyacht Cup taking place in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, saw the J Class yachts set off in their own competition.
The five J Class beauties racing were Hanuman, Lionheart, Ranger, Rainbow and Velsheda. While Ranger finished first on line honours, it was determined that Hanuman and Lionheart finished with a tied win on corrected time and will share the perpetual King's 100 Guinea Cup trophy. They finished second and third across the finish line, respectively, behind Ranger. But Ranger received a penalty for rules infringement when approaching the first leeward gate. Hanuman was the winner in last year's Superyacht Cup J Class race and Lionheart won the Menorca Maxi event last month.
Celebrated sailor Ken Read, sailing aboard Hanuman, commented on the tie, 'I think it's a fair result. The time is taken in rounded off seconds. I think it is not going to get any easier, it is just down to who sails better. It will be interesting when it is breezier. I said it was going to be full on, and shit, yes it is full on.'
The Superyacht Cup kicks off today with a 26-strong fleet including 2013's class champions – class 1 winner, 34m Swan Highland Breeze, and the overall trophy winner 24m Heartbeat. There will be three races taking place over Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week, including coastal courses from 19 to 30 miles. Stay tuned for all the action from the racecourse in Palma.