The earliest plans for the Spirit Med Cup were drawn up over a dram of the amber nectar. A fleet of the elegant, British-built modern classics gathered off Palma in October 2025 for the first time, to indulge in a four-day programme of serious racing by day and relaxed socialising come evening. As the dust recently settled on a highly successful launch event, the organisers and participants happily concurred that many of the best ideas are found at the bottom of a whisky glass.
“The owners’ regattas were the result of a late-night conversation over a bottle of Balvenie between Sean McMillan [Spirit Yachts Founder] and the owner of Spirit C72, Gwenhyfar II,” Helen Porter, Marketing Director at Spirit Yachts, elaborates. “It was at British Classic Week in Cowes in July 2019, onboard Gwenhyfar II, sat in what the owner calls his ‘whisky chairs’. The next day, they came to me with cheeky grins on their faces (and probably headaches!) and said, ‘We’ve had an idea’.”
In reality, the momentum behind a Spirit Regatta had been building for a while. The number of these cold-moulded wood epoxy beauties was already swelling year on year and a core group of owners had begun to race more often in regattas across Europe, while also expressing a desire to sail exclusively with other Spirits. The whisky-fuelled conversation back in Cowes set the ball rolling and, following two successful Spirit events in Guernsey (in 2022 and 2024), Palma beckoned – partly because of the stunning location but also because of the growing fleet of Spirits located there.
According to Porter, the original mission was to deliver challenging racing and varied courses in attractive locations. Meanwhile, the social scene had to be just as good as the sailing. If the event is a joy for owners, it balances out a wealth of logistical challenges for the organisers. Spirit offers a full support service for each regatta, which includes shipping or delivery of yachts, finding crew, accommodation, restaurants, technical support and organising activities for attending family or friends. The result is now four days of racing off Palma across two classes, held every two years (with the aim to host races in Northern Europe during the ‘off years’). Hosted by Palma’s Real Club Nautico [RCNP], seven yachts entered the inaugural October 2025 race, with the biggest being the 111ft Geist and the smallest Legolas, a Spirit R46.
It’s been a big moment for the whole team at Spirit; a tight-knit group at the best of times and one which works closely with owners, as Managing Director Karen Underwood highlights. “Bringing the Spirit fleet together is really special; to witness yachts that have gone from being the owners’ dream, through to the design stage, through to the craftsmanship and evolution of the build, to sailing fully powered up across the start line is an absolute privilege and an impressive spectacle. We build up a strong relationship with each owner and their family during the build phase, and we share their joy when they have a good day out on the water.”
Racing, unsurprisingly, has proven to be an unpredictable affair at times, with day one of the first Spirit Med Cup having to be canned due to 35kn winds. After that, the competitors settled in for some hard racing and the results were surprisingly varied. In Class 1, Geist initially dominated but An Mei II, a Spirit C68, showed her giant big sister a clean pair of heels on race day 4 when conditions were lighter. In Class 2, the Spirit R52 Flight of Durgan prevailed overall and her Skipper, David Grylls, could not have been happier. “I don’t think we could have chosen or experienced a wider variety of conditions,” he recalls. “Things were very light on the first day, and we struggled. On the second day, there were fresher winds – a bit of ‘chop’, which we like – and we got two wins from two races. Then the last day saw really mixed conditions: lighter, flukier winds that were really swinging around. And we had biblical rain to end with! On the final day, we had 20 seconds to spare, and we just crept over the line to win the series in our class.”
In Class 1, Christian Hentschel, owner of Spirit C72 Anima II, sums up the vibe of the event. “We had some challenging racing, which is all part of the fun. I was really impressed with the smaller Spirits – they did a great job,” he says. “We have a number-one rule on Anima: nobody gets hurt. Number two is: nobody breaks anything. Number three is: everybody should have fun, which was the case – we had a great time. Overall, I was really, really happy.”
While the action was fast and furious on the racecourse, the evenings demonstrated the strong feeling of togetherness within the fleet. “After our first day’s racing, the owner of Geist kindly invited the whole fleet for drinks onboard as the sun went down,” Porter shares. “It was a beautiful evening and a wonderful opportunity to bring together owners, crew and guests onboard such a unique yacht.” Other gatherings included a candlelit dinner on the terrace at the RCNP and a dinner at the Mar i Luz restaurant at Es Baluard, Palma’s Museum of Contemporary Art – a stunning location in the heart of the city, overlooking the bay.
As the regatta wound down, David Grylls reflected on how the event has become a ‘final flourish’ for the summer season, rounding it off in style. “Now we are left with mixed emotions: both the joy of the regatta, greatly organised by Spirit Yachts, and the slight sadness that comes with packing up and going back to England’s winter. Coming together is just a joy,” he continued. “And that’s what I love about it, not just sailing these beautiful yachts. It’s great to see the passion and enthusiasm amongst the owners. It has been just another fabulous chapter in owning a Spirit Yacht.”
