Vayu’s comeback story unfolded across two races in light, patchy offshore breezes off Puerto Calero, setting the Thai-flagged yacht atop the leaderboard after day one of the Royal Cup. Don Whitcraft’s crew, steered with tactical precision by Mallorca’s Manu Weiller, arrived at the finish line with a three-point buffer over Provezza and Platoon Aviation, both locked on eight points.
The opening race belonged to Provezza, but Vayu’s recovery proved the real theatre. After jumping the start gun and forced to re-start, they carved through the fleet on a favourable left-hand shift. Weiller explained the silver lining of starting from deep in the pack: “Coming from behind, we caught a good left-hand shift. The fact you’re not tied to the front of the fleet means you can sail freely and catch the wind shifts as you want until you’re level again.” A jib hoisting drama almost scuttled their day entirely, forcing Vayu into a scramble that should have left them buried.
Race two painted a different picture. Vayu executed a cleaner start, rounding the first mark in sixth before climbing steadily through the downwind leg. By the second beat, only Platoon Aviation held them off, securing third place and widening their overnight lead.
Provezza’s first-race victory stemmed from tactical execution rather than luck. Navigator Nacho Postigo had identified a left-favoured track, and the Turkish boat led at every mark, their first win since Puerto Portals. Alpha Plus took Race 2, splitting left on the downwind to catch a shaft of stronger breeze that proved decisive.
Harm Müller-Spreer’s Platoon Aviation clawed back six points on circuit leaders Sled with a sixth and a second. “It was a tricky place to sail today, like Bavarian lake wind from all directions,” Müller-Spreer said, “but I’m happier seeing Sled behind us than worrying about their scoreline.”
Sled tumbled to eighth overall after a tenth in race two, their momentum checked by the fickle conditions. Takashi Okura’s circuit leaders will need Wednesday’s forecast light to moderate breeze to regroup before beefier tradewinds arrive Friday.
Teasing Machine sat out both races after breaking a D2 shroud before the start but should return to the line Wednesday at 1330hrs local time.
