Day two at the 35th Copa del Rey MAPFRE (© Tomas Moya)

The Maxi 72s wrapped up two races today on the Bay of Palma for the second day of racing at the 35th Copa del Rey MAPFRE in Mallorca, Spain. The racing was exceptionally tight today, with each team scoring a total of five points between the two races. Bella Mente, led by owner/driver Hap Fauth, took second and third places finishes and still holds the class lead, one point ahead of George Sakellaris’ Proteus. Tomorrow the fleet will take on the event’s annual coastal race.

Day two at the 35th Copa del Rey MAPFRE (© Tomas Moya)

Terry Hutchinson

Pretty impressive when the entire fleet scores the same number: cinco! It really shows you the closeness of the fleet and how even the boats are with one another. The only change was in race one when Bella Mente was able to slip around Caol Ila R to take the second place finish. We are looking forward to the coastal race tomorrow.

Adrian Stead

Day two of Copa del Rey brought about a softer sea breeze in Palma.

The first race of the day saw us in third place at the first mark, just having to go behind Caol Ila R on the layline. We kept it close with a good gate rounding, and were able to pass them on the second beat for a good second place finish.

The second race of the day had Momo leading from start to finish, with us battling away with Caol Ila R again. This time, there was no way of passing them. All four boats ended up collecting five points at the end of the day, leaving us still in front.

We sailed well again today and did great work keeping the boat going fast and options open. The coastal race is scheduled for tomorrow and more sea breeze is forecasted.

Mike Sanderson

The forecast for today was for light patchy sea breeze, and so we were expecting it to be a very tricky day with the possibility of bad results, which would have made it tougher for the rest of the week. In the first race of the day, Proteus came off the weather-end of the start line and came in first place, while Momo came off the leeward-end of the start line and came in fourth. In the second race of the day, Proteus again came off the windward-end of the start line and this time came in fourth, and Momo again came off the leeward-end of the line and won. Those guys owned the ends all day and each got a first- and fourth-place finish. Bella Mente and Caol Ila R swapped positions in each race, right in the middle of the line and both got a second and a third. I have now been racing Maxi 72s for five years, and I am certain that this is the first day that we have ever had, that the whole fleet scored the same amount points for the day.

For Bella Mente, there are many positives to take away from today. We are getting close to our goal of sailing the boat consistently, whether we have a two-minute lead or are battling for every place at the back of the pack. Hap and the speed team did a really nice job holding the boat in our lane, which helped Terry tactically. We know that all of this will be beneficial for the rest of this week and for the Maxi Worlds next month.

Day Two Photo Gallery:

Click here for the event’s most recent press release

Nightly race reports will be posted to the Bella Mente Racing website

Follow Bella Mente Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Follow the Maxi 72 Class on the Class Website and Facebook
Follow Copa del Rey MAPFRE on the Official Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Race Results
Event Photos 

Bella Mente practicing this weekend for the 35th Copa del Rey MAPFRE (© María Muiña)

Six days of racing in the the 35th Copa del Rey MAPFRE starts up tomorrow on the bay of Palma off Mallorca, Spain. Monday’s racing is scheduled for 1300hrs CET. Maxi 72 Bella Mente along with the rest of the fleet spent the weekend fine tuning and training.

Check out the links below for more information on how to follow the event and the team during racing:

Bella Mente practicing this weekend for the 35th Copa del Rey MAPFRE (© María Muiña)

Click here for the event’s most recent press release 

Nightly race reports will be posted to the Bella Mente Racing website

Follow Bella Mente Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Follow the Maxi 72 Class on the Class Website and Facebook
Follow Copa del Rey MAPFRE on the Official Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Race Results
Event Photos 

Bella Mente at the 2014 Copa del Rey (Photo Credit: Jesús Renedo)

Bella Mente and the rest of the Maxi 72 Class kick off their European season next week in Mallorca, Spain for the 35^th Copa del Rey MAPFRE. The team, led by owner/driver Hap Fauth, is just off winning the inaugural Maxi 72 North American Championship in Newport, R.I. last month, and will put their skills to the test again against the same highly competitive teams at Copa del Rey, scheduled for Monday, August 1 through Saturday, August 6.

Bella Mente at the 2014 Copa del Rey (Photo Credit: Jesús Renedo)

“Bella Mente’s crew includes sailors in all positions from a very high level, and they have also managed to become a real team, standing out over rivals when things get complicated,” said Secretary of the Maxi 72 Class, Rob Weiland, adding that Bella Mente took second place in IRC 0 at the 33rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE in 2014 and is the current Maxi 72 World Champion “I have rarely seen the concentration ability that Terry Hutchinson (tactician) has; his skills as sailor, team coordinator and motivator are admirable.”

Bella Mente at the 2014 Copa del Rey (Photo Credit: Jesús Renedo)

Weiland added that the Maxi 72s are very fast and technologically advanced monohulls and in 2014, the owners of these yachts decided to start the Maxi 72 Class as an evolution of the Mini Maxi racer fleet. “They are real racing boats, ideal to compete in either classic 600 mile offshore regattas or in coastal or inshore races. In the offshore format, they devour miles and can sail at full throttle in almost all conditions.”

“Although its dimensions complicate the organization of the logistics, the races are very rewarding. The icing on the cake is that this is an owner-driver class, so the skipper must be the owner himself.”

Bella Mente Racing will be doing nightly race reports Monday through Saturday featuring updates from the sailors. Follow the team on the website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For more information on the 33rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE, visit http://www.regatacopadelrey.com/index/index.php and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.