The usually reliable Bay of Palma has not only delivered good racing conditions for each and every day of the 42nd Copa del Rey MAPFRE, but it saved the best until the last day when the new Finals format added spice to the deciding finale. Portuguese Olympic bronze medalist Hugo Rocha has dozens of Copa del Rey class wins under his belt, not least in the Swan 45, Swan 42 and J/80 – all of which he has gone on to win the World Championship as tactician in. Rocha called tactics on the Vigo team on Luis Bugallo’s Kimpton Hotels/Les Roches to win the Sandberg Estates J/70 fleet, in which most contenders have been training and scoping out the race areas ahead of the World Championship. Second place went to John Heaton’s crew from Chicago USA who were eighth at last year’s Worlds. Rocha reported, “Actually it was a big fight for me to be here as I just finished the Baltic 600 four days ago and struggled to get here on time. But it has been such a nice week with such a nice team. Today in the first and second races, we made very good starts, and we are fast which makes my job as tactician quite easy.” Heaton of Empeiria enthused, “It was a great week. It has been just a little bit too hot for us at times, but it has been a super week. One day we did not have speed, and we figured that out fairly quickly, but the first-placed boat was super fast. We have something to shoot for. That one day we had the rig too loose and the headstay too tight, we were slow and that makes tactics hard but after that we have been good. But it has been great learning for the Worlds, the club is great, the city is great and the whole area is great. We can’t wait for the Worlds in September.” The 42nd Copa del Rey MAPFRE was organised by the RCNP by delegation of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation (RFEV), with the sponsorship of MAPFRE, the institutional sponsorship of the Government of the Balearic Islands and the Palma City Council, with the collaboration of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands and the Balearic Sailing Federation. For full event details, visit www.regatacopadelrey.com.