46m Ganesha wins overall trophy at The Superyacht Cup

The 46 metre Vitters sailing yacht Ganesha has won the overall trophy at The Superyacht Cup Palma, but only by the "narrowest possible margin", according to organisers. 

At the end of the four-day regatta, Ganesha and the 43.6 metre J Class Svea were tied for points with identical score lines, but it was Ganesha that emerged as the overall victor after securing the win in her last race.

Speaking on the victory, Dr Peter-Alexander Wacker, owner of Ganesha said: "It is a great moment as we really didn't expect it at all, but we worked hard for it and I am glad we are a winner today. It's not my first time here – I have just bought a house here in Palma, so I am going to be a Superyacht Cup Palma regular for sure."

"It was very, very close," said Ganesha's skipper Alex Pamment. "Yesterday we came second by one second, but today the weather gods were with us and we were able to get a result. The tacticians had it tough, but we were able to make the right calls."

Racing took place in the Bay of Palma and was as close as can be with frontrunners winning by only seconds on corrected time. On the penultimate day of racing, Class B saw the race result decided by a single second on corrected time, with the 27 metre modern-classic Savannah edging the far larger 46 metre Ganesha to take her second successive win. 

Ganesha's tactician Mark Sadler said: "To finish the day with a one second delta to the first boat is pretty fantastic. Obviously you look back and think where that one second could have been gained or lost, but it's the same for the other boat."

Elsewhere, the overall scoring of the Class A contest was also decided on countback, with the high-performance Malcolm McKeon-designed Pattoo taking the class from Kiboko Tres, with her last race victory settling the outcome. Pattoo's win meant that this year's three class winners were all built by Dutch shipyard Vitters.

The Superyacht Cup kicked off on Wednesday (June 29) with two windward-leeward races between the four J Class yachts: Ranger, Topaz, Velsheda, and Svea. The fleet sailed in near-perfect conditions of 10 to 14 knots and offered a masterclass in close-quarter racing to those watching from the shoreline with numerous lead changes.

While she came within touching distance of the overall trophy, it was not meant to be for Svea and her crew, but at least the vessel could take consolation after emerging as the winner of a hard-fought J Class contest. There were cheers and hugs after she crossed the line of the final race, securing the class victory by two points from Ranger, who won the final race on corrected time.

"We are thrilled, delighted to have won our class – we are over the moon," said co-owner Niklas Zennström. "It is the first regatta with the boat for the new team and the new owner group, and we came to this event having put in a training week before to get to know it, as many of us have never sailed a J Class before."

On the second day of racing, the Js were joined by the rest of the fleet with a slightly lighter breeze than in the opening races, and the committee opted for a three-hour coastal race. "The committee sent us on a great course, and there were some pockets of really good breeze so you had to choose your course carefully," said Savannah's owner Hugh Morrison. The following two days with a prevailing north-easterly wind saw the Bay of Palma become a challenging arena once the opposing sea breeze tried to dominate, with two separate wind bands presenting a tactical challenge as the yachts negotiated their racecourses.

Organisers have announced that next year's event will be held from June 21-24.

Overall results

1. Ganesha
2. Svea
3. Savannah
4. Ranger
5. Kiboko Tres
6. Pattoo
7. Velsheda
8. Archelon
9. Topaz
10. Rose
11. La Belle