★ Superyacht Cup Palma

01Why it matters

Palma has built one of the Mediterranean's largest concentrations of superyacht refit and service businesses, and this regatta is the annual event that puts that industry's own product on the water in competition rather than at the dock. Its three-decade run gives it a claim to seniority among the Mediterranean's superyacht regattas that younger, better-funded rivals cannot match, even though its scale is more modest than Porto Cervo's or Monaco's equivalents.

02The week around it

Late June in Palma sits just ahead of the true Mediterranean summer peak, with the city busy but not yet at its August capacity. Club de Mar and the surrounding marina district see a concentrated week of racing crews, yacht support teams and industry visitors, while Palma's old town and waterfront continue to operate at their own steady early-summer tourist pace alongside the regatta.

03When to arrive

The middle two days carry the fullest racing programme; arriving Wednesday for registration and staying through Saturday's prizegiving covers the whole event.

04Where to stay

Palma's Paseo Marítimo, close to Club de Mar, is the most convenient base; the old town, a short taxi ride away, offers a quieter alternative with Palma's usual concentration of restaurants and shops. Mallorca's wider resort areas are a further, lower-cost option for visitors with a car.

05Access and hospitality

Entry to race is by registration through the organizer, open to qualifying sailing superyachts of twenty-four meters and above, including multihulls from 2026. There is no admission charge to watch from the Club de Mar waterfront or the Bay of Palma shoreline, and no public ticket, since the club's own facilities are for members, competitors and their guests.

06Where the social activity happens

Club de Mar's marina walk and clubhouse terrace are the regatta's public-facing center, visible to anyone walking the marina even without a competitor's credentials; Palma's Paseo Marítimo and the old town's restaurant districts take the broader evening crowd drawn to the island regardless of the regatta.

07Getting there

08Practicalities

09History

The regatta was established in 1996 and has run at Club de Mar in Palma for most of its history since, a continuity that trade press credits as unique among Mediterranean superyacht events of comparable age. Palma's own rise as a superyacht hub over the same three decades — driven by its refit yards, its marinas and its position roughly midway along the Mediterranean's summer cruising routes — has grown up alongside the regatta rather than because of it, though the two are now closely associated in the trade's own account of the island's yachting economy.

10Who is there

Sailing superyacht owners and their crews; the Mediterranean's superyacht refit, brokerage and service trade, heavily represented given Palma's own industry; professional racing sailors hired for the week; and Club de Mar's membership.