Aside from representing the fifty footers in the fleet, from the Oyster 49 Yattarna to the 56 Olanta, Class 4 also reflects the international nature of an event with five different nationalities. 

The event comprises four days of racing, two days around laid marks in Palma Bay and two passage races out and back to Andratx with each race being between 18-23 miles.

Weather conditions for the opening day look set to provide a gentle start to the event with an 8-10 knot south westerly breeze.

But while a run down the entry list and a look at the forecast may give an indication of what is in store, there is nothing quite like an afternoon dock walk to reveal the broad nature of the event.

From crews packing spinnakers on foredecks, to divers scrubbing waterlines, there was plenty of serious race preparation. But with cocktails and canapés on deck the social side of the week had already started too.

Getting the mix right is one of the special ingredients – it’s what makes this Oyster Regatta a not to miss event.

First off for the opening day’s racing was Class 2 comprising eight sixty footers. Leading the charge in this fleet was the recently launched 675 ‘Amphora’ that surged off the front of the pack on the first beat. 

Hot on their heels in Class 1 having stared 10 minutes behind, were  the two 885s, ‘Lush’ and ‘Guardian Angel’ that duly worked the right hand side of the course as the forecast had suggested, to set the pace among the big guns as they started to haul in the bulk of Class 2. 

Keeping momentum in the light breeze was the key for all, fortunately the sea state was flat helping everyone to maintain their delicate pace upwind. 

First around the top mark was ‘Guardian Angel’ whose team had not only kept their pace throughout, but had tacked bang on the lay line, cutting the corner on those who had been forced to over stand the mark when the breeze swung even further right. But even for ‘Guardian Angel’, the upwind leg had been a long grind that required patience. From the start, to the top of the course had taken just over an hour and a quarter. 

Next around was ‘Amphora’ in Class 2 delivering an opening performance that had shown just how slippery the latest generation of Oyster really is. More evidence was to come on the downwind leg as she sailed faster and deeper than the rest of her fleet.

Third around was ‘Lush’ who, pulled off the first of two gybe sets in a bid to outperform the two front runners by hooking into to the slightly stronger breeze on this side of the course. Behind them was the 82 ‘Starry Night’, a boat that has competed in every Oyster Palma regatta to date.

Meanwhile, in Class 4 the crew of the Oyster 56 ‘Olanta’ continued their race winning ways of last year by scoring a clear victory in today’s opening race, beating second placed ‘Ostra’ by more than six minutes on corrected time.

It had been a tricky day of light winds that required a softly, softly approach and while most would have preferred a few more knots of breeze to spark up performances, there is nothing like finishing, whatever the conditions, to provide a good source of conversation at the social. And there was no shortage of that.

Day 2 sees a change of gear on the racecourse as the fleet heads on a passage race to Andratx.

Little surprise then as teams headed out towards the start area, all eyes we looking out for clues in the sky. 

The morning had started off well with typical Palma sunshine and heat to match. But as dark clouds swept across the island from the north and the rain hammered down over the town, a local breeze swept out towards the start area from the East bringing rain and white caps with it.

Such localised conditions had most teams wondering how long this breeze would last after the rain had passed through. The answer came around 30 minutes later, shortly after Class 4 and 3 had started. 

By this time the first two classes to start had covered the mile long beat to the first mark, rounded it and headed southwest to open water with spinnakers set. 

Behind them, Class 2 were approaching the top mark just as the breeze shut down altogether parking this fleet at a variety of angles around the mark as they struggled to find the breeze. 

As they ghosted downwind the big guns in Class 1, who had started last, were catching up and running in towards the back of Class 2. 

The result was an impromptu multi class gathering as another rain shower then threw a smattering of snakes and ladders over the area.

 And when the breeze finally did arrive it was solid. 

Conditions were spectacular with15-20 knots, bright sunshine and a punchy sea state. It was difficult to image that just minutes before the same bows that were plunging through crystal clear waters had been motionless.

Adding to the superb conditions, the beat to the finish in Andratx was set along a spectacular coastline. This was Majorca at its best.

For most the upwind blast provided an opportunity to stretch their legs, but for some the long beat turned into a needle match to the finish. In particular, the two 745s ‘Satori’ and ‘Pitanga’ locked horns in a match race to the finish, crossing the line with little more than a boat length between them. All of which made for some great banter ashore at the dock party in Andratx where vicars, leprechauns, vikings, Cat Woman and many more filled the dockside to round off an extraordinary day.

Class 4, in which Sionna is racing, may have the smallest boats in the fleet but the racing is intense. The start alone proved that.

As the first class to start there were no markers or guides as to the best route to take up the first leg. Instead the decision was all ours for the short beat to the north, before turning the windward mark and heading southeast and downwind. But in the final 60 seconds before the start it was clear that the entire fleet had figured out the best place to start and their time on distance to the line. No one was giving any quarter.

Indeed, according to the race management team, throughout the start sequences that followed it was clear that all of the classes had locked into the event and raised their game, getting more competitive with every start.

Interestingly and as another mark of the steady uplift in performance across the entire fleet during the week, the leaders among the smallest boats were only overtaken by the biggest two boats, the 885s ‘Guardian Angel’ and ‘Lush’, who had started 30 minutes behind, in the closing minutes of the race after three hours of racing. 

While the intention had not been to create a pursuit style race, the result was just that in that the bulk if the fleet finished at around the same time. The downwind style course also threw up some interesting results come the finish. 

While Vasily Senatorov’s ‘Olanta’ took another win in Class 4, the Oyster 575 ‘Irene III’ took the top spot in Class 3 for the first time in the week.

In Class 2 it was Henrik Jansen’s Oyster 655 ‘Blow’ that stood atop the podium, while in Class 1 the Oyster 82 ‘Starry Night’ went from a frustratingly slow race the day before, to taking the overall win in this class today to help mix up a set of results that have so far been dominated by Guardian Angel.

Friday is the final day for the event and after a day in which the pack got shuffled the pressure will be on in several of the classes. 

And with a forecast for a decent breeze and with the prospect of a bit more upwind racing around the cans, there may well be a few more teams offering steak sandwiches for breakfast.

There was similar situation between Vasily Senatorov’s 56 Olanta and Mike Kearney’s 56 Sionna who were also separated by just 1.25 points. 

But, as it turned out the breeze built steadily and allowed racing to get underway with just a 30 minute postponement as the 8 knots that were forecast arrived with a billiard table flat sea state.

As each class headed off on a similar figure of eight styled course there were shifts and breeze lines to keep the tacticians on their toes. 

But by now, with a week of racing under their belts, all the boat handling was slicker and quicker throughout and in many cases the margins had shrunk.

In Class 1, Guardian Angel led the field but Lush was hot on her heels on corrected time. At the finish Lush was just 22 seconds behind on corrected time, but the overall win was secure for Guardian Angel.

In Class 2 Henrik Jansen’s Blow came second on the day but this was enough to secure the overall class win with Klavs Bruun Kristensen’s Amphora in second.

Meanwhile, Class 4 may have had the smallest and most mature boats in the fleet, but the racing was just as close, particularly between the leading pair of 56s, Vasily Senatorov’s Olanta and Mike Kearney’s Sionna.

For the final race, Sionna took an impressive win, hauling back into the frame during the race. This impressive performance put them on equal points with Olanata. But when it came to the tie break, both had two firsts, both had two seconds and the pair were only separated on the difference between their last remaining results, a fifth and a third delivering the final overall victory to Olanata.

It doesn’t get much closer than that.

Going into the final race it was Louis Goor’s Oyster 575 Irene III that held the overall lead, but only by 0.25 of a point with a total of 5.75 points. Behind her, the next three boats that included Janus, Lisanne and the 565 Panthalassa were all on 6.00 points. And even behind them the gap was only a further 0.75 points for Pacifica and Mastegot.

The results sheet alone made it clear that in this fleet the racing would go all the way down to the wire.

In Class 2 eyes were focussed on the needle match between the 655 Blow and the 675 Amphora. Throughout the week Amphora had proved to be as potent in the light as she was in stronger conditions and yet it was Henrik Jansen’s Blow that had won both of the passage races in this class. 

Meanwhile, Class 4 may have had the smallest and most mature boats in the fleet, but the racing was just as close, particularly between the leading pair of 56s, Olanta and Sionna. The difference in crew experience between these two boats was also of interest. Vasily Senatorov is a Dragon sailor and his team aboard Olanta included several accomplished racing sailors.

There were also three boats that came to the event with a different set of credentials, a circumnavigation in the 2017/19 Oyster World Rally. Few regattas have such a broad mix of entries and yet manage to maintain such an evenly matched and universally appealing event.

So, while results may be the most visible aspect of the regatta, the ongoing success of the Oyster Palma Regatta comes down to a sophisticated mix.

But when it did come to the silverware, Guardian Angel took the overall win in Class 1 while Henrik Jansen’s Blow took the top trophy in Class 2.

The needle match in Class 3 was hotly contested on the final day’s racing and saw Eric and Ann Alfredson’s Lisanne push Irene III off the top spot.

In Class 4 Sionna took the win on the final race to put them on equal points with Olanata. When it came to the tie break both had two firsts, both had two seconds and the pair were only separated on the difference between their last remaining results, a fifth and a third delivering the final overall victory to Olanata.