All the highlights from the Barcelona Superyacht Regatta at the 37th America's Cup

The 2024 Barcelona Superyacht Regatta, a three-day racing event alongside the 37th America’s Cup, wrapped up this weekend. Organised by the Real Club Nàutic de Barcelona (RCNB) and BWA Yachting, the race was affiliated with, and sanctioned by, the SuperYacht Racing Association (SYRA). 

The Barcelona Superyacht Regatta was part of the Premier Regatta Series, a series of competitions running in parallel to the Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup, and was organised in conjunction with America’s Cup Events (ACE). BOAT reported live from the action. 

Barcelona Superyacht Regatta: Race Day Three and Prize Giving

The weather forecast for Sunday was for 14-16 knots, but, disappointingly, the wind didn't play ball and the race was cancelled after the 2pm cut-off time. 

However, the crews took it on the chin. "It's always disappointing when you can't finish a regatta," mused V's Captain Jack Boutell. "But it happens, and you can't do anything about it. But the owner loved it, there were some great sailing conditions with a bit of everything, and it was great to sail against some different boats."

The winners of the Barcelona Superyacht Regatta 2024 were: V, followed by Jasi and Nefertiti (Performance Class). In the Cruising Class, Halekai scooped the big prize, followed by Esense and Fidelis. 

Halekai was taking part in her first regatta. "We definitely learnt a few things and were happy with how the boat went," said Halekai 's Captain James Saddlington. "Things were quite varied out there so we could get to see how she sailed in all conditions."

He added that his class wasn't that competitive and the boats weren't so closely matched. "That's often how it is with events like this," he said. "But the ratings system is working well and doing the job of bringing us closer together. And it's so important to have these events to bring boats, crew and owners together, to have fun and use them in a different way than you normally get to use them. There will definitely be more racing to come for us in future."

Superyacht racing is about coming together and putting some of the world's most beautiful boats through their paces. It is not just about winning, as Fidelis Captain Jono Johnston observed, "When you are racing a 56-metre Perini Navi you have to take it as fun!"

And the fun continued during prize giving. Against the backdrop of the Puig Women's America's Cup taking place live on the big screens of the Race Village,  Esense 's crew danced a conga to the stage and V sent two of the younger crew to accept their cup. And it was Halekai 's crew that drew the biggest cheer as they took to the stage dressed in Hawaiian-style shirts, and, in a nod to the Hawaiian-themed boat, held their cup aloft and shouted 'Aloha!'.

If you have missed any of the action, catch up with the highlights on Instagram.

Gala dinner

The Gala Dinner saw over 300 distinguished guests gather at the Real Club Náutico Barcelona (RCNB) to celebrate the Superyacht Regatta and upcoming J Class World Championships. The event, organised by Real Club Náutico Barcelona and BWA Yachting, and hosted by America’s Cup presenter Tucker Thompson, saw speeches by RCNB President Real Club Náutico de Barcelona Jordi Puig Alsina and BWA Yaching’s managing partner Antonella Della Pietra. 

The evening featured a ‘surprise act’, Auckland’s Tāmaki tribe, who performed the haka and other traditional local dances. After dinner, a charity auction of artist Kos Evan’s unique photographic art series, Carbon Canvas took place, with monies raised for the RCNB Foundation and Ocean Family Foundation. These one-of-a-kind pieces, crafted from sections of sails from some of the most legendary heritage yachts - Britannia, Endeavour, Velsheda, Courageous, INEOS Britannia, Alinghi Red Bull Racing, and Emirates Team New Zealand.

Race Day Two

“You’re only as good as your last race,” Ken Reed, V's tactician told BOAT cautiously, after winning Performance Class on Day One. And, as Day Two drew round, it was clear that no boat was resting on their laurels as they took on the course starting off the coast near Parc del Fòrum.

At 12.30pm the boats lined up for the start of the race, but the wind wasn’t playing ball (it did, eventually, but more of that later), so the circling boats whiled away the time with morning coffee and some starting-line practice. The warning bell was finally called at 2pm. Fidelis was first off the blocks in a staggered sequence for the Cruising Class, followed by Esense, which took up the breeze and overtook Fidelis, with Halekai following behind. In the Performance Class, Jasi led the day’s group, followed by Nefertiti and V.

At the first mark, the boats scattered and Halekai unfurled her spinnaker. Jasi was first to reach the second mark, with V coming up the helm, overtaking Halekai. After that, the Performance Class boats set off on a 20.28nm sprint round Prema while the Cruising Class took a shortened 12.44nm route to El Balis.

After a slow start, the wind came into play. “It was an interesting sailing day," said Jasi’s tactician Mark Sadler said after they returned to Port Vell. "We weren’t expecting to have any particularly strong breeze, and to have 12-14 knots both in two different directions in the same race made it interesting. but we made good sailing out of it, the boat was going well and we really enjoyed being out there.”

The Performance Class race was won by V, coming top for the second day running, in 1 hour 39 minutes, followed by Jasi in two hours and Nefertiti in two hours 17 minutes. The Cruising Class saw Halekai clock the race in 2 hours 28 minutes, followed by Esense which failed to sail the correct course and recorded a NSC and Fidelis, which came out of the race with an RET. 

Esense’s tactician Salvo D’Amico was philosophical of the day's events, remarking that the wind shifts didn’t make it easy for a big boat like theirs. “At the start it was about five, six knots and then it increased a bit til nine, 11 knots. And then there was the shift, offset Mark One, and then at the end of the downwind, it turned again.” 

For tomorrow, he's hoping for at least 10, 12 knots to get up to speed. “We were supposed to race as Corinthians, so without downwind sails. But in the end, there were not enough for a class so we are sailing with the others but without downwind sails so at a disadvantage.”

Race Day One

The Barcelona Superyacht Regatta got off to an exhilarating start earlier today. At the start of the day a southerly breeze of around 13 knots was predicted, with a 0.8-metre swell from the east. At 1.30 p.m. the Race Committee sounded the start of the race, with the Cruising Class leading the way. Fidelis was the first superyacht off the line in a staggered starting sequence, closely followed in two-minute intervals by Halekai and Esense. The quicker Performance Class boats, Nefertiti, Jasi and V, followed closely behind.

The course followed a five-mark 20.28 nm course for the Performance Class and three-mark 12.44 nm course for the Cruising Class. After leaving Port Vell, the boats made their way to the starting line off the coast near the iconic triple towers of the Badelona Power Station, just a couple of nautical miles from the Louis Vuitton Cup Final and the duel between INEOS Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team.

At the first mark, V  caught the wind on her spinnaker and accelerated away, leaving Fidelis and Nefertiti trailing behind. 

And, true to form, seasoned racer V won the Performance Class tussle, completing the course in 1 hour 39 minutes, with Nefertiti finishing in 2 hours 18 minutes and Jasi, in just over two hours. "The race for us was won on the second leg when we chose the correct sail and maybe a couple of our competitors didn't, and we legged out to a nice little lead," Ken Reed, V's tactician, told BOAT. He said V had been practising. "We're more a racing superyacht than a cruising superyacht. And that refinement you probably saw today."

In the Cruising Class, regatta newbie Halekai came top, completing the course in 1 hour 18 minutes, with Esense finishing in 1 hour 20 minutes and Fidelis in 2 hours 7 minutes. Halekai's navigator, Jonny Malbon, said the weather was on their side. "It was definitely better than we expected. We were kind of dreading the switch from the offshore breeze to the onshore breeze, but we got quite lucky with a nice South Westerly sea breeze."

Getting to the start was not without its problems, though. "We had a lot of issues with the electronics and stuff yesterday, so we were up til 11.00pm last night trying to fix everything," said Malbon. "And it's the first time the boat's raced, so we pushed it quite hard.
It was quite windy, actually, in the end, around 15, 18 knots or so. And so I think, for the owner and the full-time crew,  they put a massive effort into getting the boat here and to be working properly and, you know, we delivered for them. So it's great to come in as a race crew and be involved with a nice boat, a fun owner and do well for them."

Skippers meeting 

The Barcelona Superyacht Regatta 2024 skippers meeting was held over sunset drinks in the Real Club Nàutic de Barcelona (RCNB). The race was set for Friday 4 October at 1pm. Murray Lord, driver for Fidelis, admitted this was the first race the boat had done for a few years. Asked what were the crew's tactics, he told BOAT: "Don't break anything. Don't get a DNF. Have fun!" Their secret weapon? "The crew... and the fact that we're the only 56-metre in the regatta; we're the biggest boat, so we have to win!"

Like Lord, Halekai's Captain James Saddington was also hoping not to break anything. "You can't be thinking that winning the races is totally down to tactics, it's a team effort," he said. "You can make some small gains by making good decisions, but you can make some huge losses by breaking something." 

It was to be the first regatta for Halekai. "The boat is four years old and been round the world and we're just starting to get into the regatta scene," Saddington said. "So we want to get through the race clean and safe, learn how to race the boat and concentrate on making smooth manoeuvres."

Unlike Halekai and Fidelis, Jasi is an experienced competitor on the regatta scene, having ticked off 12 races in the last three years, with the owner manning the helm. "We like to cherrypick events, so the owner can have new experiences rather than repeating the same events," explained Captain Toby Clarke. "Obviously this was top of the list this year. We're a Palma-based boat and, of course, the America's Cup is a big draw for the sailing community. We're really excited to be here. And of course, we're here to win."

Captain of V , Jack Bouttell has already got his sea legs, having taken part in the Barcelona Maxi Yacht Regatta a week ago, but, he admitted, this didn't mean he would have an advantage. "This is a superyacht regatta, so different rules, different strategies," he remarked. "We're just trying to get round the course as quickly as we can."

All captains admitted that there will be a big distraction tomorrow: the big AC75 head-to-head with Italy's Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli against INEOS Britannia which will be going on in the background – surely one big impetus for getting over the finish line first. 

Halekai

Sporting a 39.4-metre LOA, Halekai was built in the United Kingdom by Pendennis and delivered in 2020. One of two Truly Classic 128 models, she can accommodate up to six guests in three staterooms, with five crew.  She was designed by Hoek Design Naval Architects, who also completed the naval architecture and designed the interior. Halekai can reach a top speed of 15.0 kn, which is 2.84 kn above the average compared to similarly sized sailing yachts. Equipped with North3Di sails and a brand new spinnaker staysail, she recently underwent a sail service in Palma, Mallorca in preparation for the race.

Jasi

Jasi was built in Finland by Nautor Swan and delivered in 2018. At 35.1 metres, she can accommodate up to six guests in three staterooms, with five crew members. She was designed by German Frers, who also completed the naval architecture, Her interior was designed by deVosdeVries Design. Jasi is in the top 30% by LOA in the world and is one of 213 sailing yachts in the 35-40m size range. She competed for the first time in last year's Ibiza JoySail (Performance class), in a duel against Moat, which won overall after coming first in all three races, Jasi notching up three seconds. 

V

WallyCento yacht V (formerly Tango) was built by Persico Marine and delivered in 2017. She was designed by Mills Design, who also completed the naval architecture and her interior was designed by Pininfarina. The 30.5-metre yacht can accommodate up to six guests in three staterooms, with four crew members. She is one of 390 sailing yachts in the 30-35m size range, and, compared to similarly sized sailing yachts, her cruising speed is 1.21 kn above the average. V has proved to be a competitor to watch, winning the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta combined Performance and Cruising Class last year in Porto Cervo, her first outing under a new owner.

Fidelis

The tenth and final unit in Perini Navi's 56M series, all-aluminium ketch sailing yacht Fidelis boasts a top speed of 15.5 kn, thanks to her twin Caterpillar engines. With a 50-metre LOA, sh can accommodate up to 12 guests in six staterooms, with nine crew members. She was designed by Ron Holland Design with naval architecture by Perini Navi, who also drew up the interior. 

Nefertiti

27.7-metre yacht Nefertiti was built in Finland by Nautor Swan and delivered in 2010. She can accommodate up to eight guests in four staterooms, with four crew members. She was designed by German Frers, who also completed the naval architecture and her interiors were penned by Nautor Swan. Her top speed is 12.0 kn thanks to her Perkins Sabre diesel engine and, compared to similarly sized sailing yachts, her top speed 0.94 kn above the average. Over the years Nefertiti has proved herself to be an active competitor on the Mediterranean and Caribbean regatta scenes, taking first place in the 2013 edition of the Swan Caribbean Challenge Trophy at the RORC Caribbean 600, finishing 5th in the IRC overall on corrected time. 

Esense

43.7-metre Esense is another noteworthy racer from the Wally stable and is the only 143 model. Her top speed is 14.0 kn and power comes from a Caterpillar diesel engine. She can accommodate up to eight guests, with six crew members. She was designed by Luca Bassani Design and Wally, with the naval architecture by Bill Tripp and interiors by Odile Decq. When she was delivered in 2006, she raised the bar of hi-tech pre-preg carbon fibre construction with a displacement of only 140 tons, and at the time of her launch was the lightest sailing superyacht ever built.