From left to right: José Manuel Inchausti (MAPHRE), Olivia de Borbón, Javier Sanz (RCNP) and Günther Quandt (BMW) © Bernardo Paz

The Mapfre King's Cup follows its renewal process. In its 35 years of history it has been renewed and in each edition it has had one or more new ones. This year there will be two, on the one hand the inclusion of the GC32 flying catamarans and as guest class the Swan 45 and on the other and the most outstanding, that there will be two absolute winners, one in which it will come out of the classes in real time and the other in compensated time.

This absolute winner model was already carried out in 1998 when the Damm Star of Ignacio Montes de León He took the triumph to the great projects of the time. Now the Royal Nautical Club of Palma has wanted to repeat that formula, praised by some and criticized by others.

This edition will return to this format, although the winners of each of the classes will also receive their particular trophy. It will be a new concept in which to the end you will not know who are the absolute winners of the race. It can be an incentive to the competition, which every year seeks to reinvent itself to remain the claim of the Mediterranean summer.

Alinghi is one of the teams sailing in GC32.

The entry of the GC32, flying ships and now on the rise is another of the fans that will have this year's King's Cup. The candle is tending to the show and without a doubt this type of ships and concepts is where this sport is going since it became fashionable in the last Cup America, and now other GC32 has chosen for this option the circuit of the Extreme.

The Swan 45 are the guest class at this year's King Master Cup.

As for the guest class, the Swan 45, one of the maystatic classes and they are always a reference in classicism in a classic race in the calendar like the King's Cup, which is the one with the largest range of classes: Maxi 72, IRC, ORC, TP52, X-35, J80 and the new GC32 and Swan 45.

The first week of August Palma Bay will again be the focus of the world cruise sailing. There is no doubt about this.

Text: Jaume Soler