This will be the first opportunity for the crew of the new Hanse 430 Competition, christened Minnic to be able to prove their ability!When participating at the Palma Vela Regatta, the crew around team manager and skipper Eiken Albers are ready to bring out the best of their ship – after three days of putting final touches, hard tuning the carbon rig, sewing battens in the sails, testing and extensively exploring the boat.
‘We are really pleased to sail a coastal race first, so we are able to get the measure of all the other competitors without having to concentrate on too many difficult manoeuvres,’ says Skipper Albers, ‘even though there will be about 80 yachts swarming at the start line!’
After the coastal race, there are 6 up’n’down-courses to conquer . The yachts are classified following the Spanish RN-formula-rules, a real novelty for the skilled sailors onboard the Hanse 430 Competition. ‘We are dying to know how we perform on the race course !We don’t know the competitors, we don’t know how the handicap works for us. It’s really thrilling!’, says Minnic Navigator and Tactician Stefan Matschuck.
The regatta continues until Sunday. The Palma Vela is organised every Year by the Club Nautico de Palma and is reputed to be one of the most important international regattas in the Mediterranean .