‘Optimum’ and ‘Red Hot Mini Pepper’ win the first Palma-Melilla-Palma

The ‘Optimum’ has completed the 1,000 nautical miles of the two stages in 148 hours and 37 minutes, while the ‘Red Hot Mini Pepper’ has invested 154 hours and 59 minutes. The fleet, made up of 30 boats after the abandonments of the ‘Chaner R.’ and the ‘Rapscallion’has been crossing the finish line at the Real Club Náutico de Palma in stages during the early hours of the morning and in the early hours of the morning.

The overall winner, Mateo Le Calvic, highlighted the importance of this regatta for his project: «It was my first regatta aboard ‘Optimum’ after losing my previous boat in the Les Sables-Azores regatta. These 1,000 miles were crucial to be able to be in next year’s Mini Transat«. Regarding the second stage, Le Calvic explained that »it was very hard in the first 40 hours, where we already managed to take the lead, but everything improved when the wind began to blow from the southwest and the fleet was able to sail downwind«. Likewise, he praised the organization and the treatment received in Palma and Melilla.

Challenges in the second stage

The second stage, between Melilla and Palma, was marked by the hardness of the first two days. The participants had to make a long upwind trip to Almería, with a headwind and a lot of waves, conditions that caused breakdowns and breakages in several boats. However, the last day and a half of sailing offered strong winds and allowed the Mini 6.50s to sail on their natural course at high speeds, as corresponds to this type of boats designed for Atlantic conditions.

Miguel Rondón, skipper of the ‘Kristina II’, which has three editions of the Mini Transat, described this section as “shipbreaking and people breaking conditions«: »These sailboats are made to sail with outriggers and we find a bow wind and a tree-lined sea. We suffered the breakage of the stay bolt, which endangered the integrity of the mast, which held up thanks to the baby stay. We looked for a quiet area near the coast to weather the storm and we were able to continue, but we lost six hours when we were among the head of the fleet.” With the miles required for his fourth Mini Transat in 2025 already secured, Rondón joked that his participation »will ultimately depend on what my wife says«.

In this section, the organization activated a rescue protocol after the detection of two boats by the monitoring boat chartered by the Real Club Náutico de Palma and one of the participants, the Europe. The intervention was carried out in coordination with Maritime Rescue and culminated in the rescue of 31 people of sub-Saharan origin. One of the boats, with 24 crew members, was adrift after being left without steering.

Spanish classification

The ‘Suricate’, Tomás Ruiz and Carlos Manerahas been the best-ranked Spaniard, reaching fifth place in the Series category. Manera, runner-up in the last Mini Transat in 2023, has shown great consistency throughout the regatta. The other Spanish boats, the ‘Amuitz Sames Company’, ‘Kristina II’ and ‘Cristalmina-Majorica’, finished in 12th, 13th and 14th positions respectively.

Hugo Ramonskipper of the ‘Cristalmina-Majorica’ and promoter of the regatta as sailing member of the Real Club Náutico de Palma, has highlighted the extreme conditions of the first section: «The initial upwind was especially tough, and in our case, the tactical decision of Sailing south, close to the Algerian exclusion line, penalized us. However, Ramón has expressed satisfaction with the organization and reception of the test: «The fleet has appreciated the support received both in Palma and Melilla. For most, the important thing was to add the necessary miles for the Mini Transat of 2025.

The Palma-Melilla-Palma A2, organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma and the Real Club Marítimo de Melilla, has been described in its first edition as the most important event on the Mediterranean circuit. With a distance of 1,000 miles, it is eligible for the classification of the Mini Transat 2025.

This is the first 1,000-mile ocean regatta organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma in its 76-year history. Before casting off, Hugo Ramón stressed that Palma-Melilla-Palma is “a dream” that began to haunt him more than 20 years ago, when he took his first rides in the Mini class: “I feel very proud to see how the club where I learned to sail hosts its first high altitude regatta. “I see this inaugural edition as an opportunity to promote ocean sailing among young people and to contribute to the development of the Mini 6.50 class in the Mediterranean.” With his participation in the regatta, Ramón has sought to qualify for the Mini Transat, in which he has participated in three previous editions (2005, 2007 and 2009).

The Mini class boats, with a length of 6.5 meters, are designed for ocean navigation alone or with two crew members.