The 30th Superyacht Cup Palma Opens in Four Days With a Record Fleet — Here Is the Complete Guide

On 24 June 2026, 24 sailing superyachts will line up in the Bay of Palma for the start of the 30th Superyacht Cup Palma Richard Mille — the largest entry count the event has seen in nearly two decades. The four-day regatta, which runs through to 27 June at Club de Mar-Mallorca, is sold out. It marks a milestone for what organisers bill as Europe’s longest-running superyacht regatta, and 2026’s edition carries several firsts: a new Multihull division, a J-Class head-to-head between two of the most-raced vessels on the Mediterranean circuit, and a fleet spread across five divisions that spans more than 25 metres in size range.

What follows is a factual account of the fleet, the divisions, and the six named superyachts that BOAT International has highlighted for the 2026 edition.

The 2026 Fleet: 24 Entries Across Five Divisions

The 30th edition features five racing divisions. Four are returning fixtures: Superyacht, J Class, Café Racer, and Corinthian. The fifth — Multihull — is new for 2026, introduced to mark the anniversary and reflecting the growing presence of high-performance sailing catamarans in the superyacht sector. Four entries have been confirmed for the new Multihull class.

Division	Status
Superyacht	Returning
J Class	Returning
Café Racer	Returning
Corinthian	Returning
Multihull	New for 2026 — 4 entries confirmed

With 24 entries across these five divisions, the 2026 Superyacht Cup Palma represents the largest fleet in nearly two decades, according to reporting by BOAT International and afloat.ie. The event is fully subscribed — no further entries are being accepted.

Six Standout Yachts to Watch

BOAT International has published a guide to six notable yachts competing in 2026. The following profiles draw directly from that reporting.

Burrasca — 55.7m Perini Navi (2003)

Burrasca is a 55.7-metre Perini Navi ketch launched in 2003 and designed by Ron Holland. She is one of the largest entries in the 2026 fleet and features 1,560 square metres of sail area. According to BOAT International, she was the first 56M Perini Navi model to include a fully equipped gym, sauna, and steam room. She won the Apollo class at the 2025 Cyclades Cup.

Svea — 43.6m Vitters (2017)

Svea is a 43.6-metre J-Class sloop built by Vitters in 2017. She is among the most-raced J-Class yachts on the Mediterranean circuit, with wins including the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the St Barths Bucket, and the Ibiza JoySail. She has competed at the Superyacht Cup Palma in 2018, 2022, and 2024, winning her class in 2022 and again in 2024 according to BOAT International.

Rainbow — 40m Holland Jachtbouw (2012)

Rainbow is a 40-metre J-Class yacht built by Holland Jachtbouw in 2012. According to Wikipedia, Rainbow is a replica of the 1934 J-Class America’s Cup defender of the same name, which was designed by William Starling Burgess and sailed by Harold Vanderbilt before being scrapped in 1940. The 2012 vessel is a modern reconstruction built to J-Class Association rules. BOAT International reports that Rainbow competed at the Superyacht Cup Palma in 2014 and 2024, received the Spirit of the Event award in 2024, and completed an extensive refit in the period leading up to 2024 that included a new rig and sails.

Cervo — 39m Vitters (2009)

Cervo is a 39-metre carbon composite sloop built by Vitters in 2009 to a design by Bill Tripp. She underwent a 2017–18 refit at Pendennis and, according to BOAT International, was runner-up in Class A at both the 2024 and 2025 Superyacht Cup Palma.

Archelon — 37.5m Pendennis (2019)

Archelon is a 37.5-metre sloop built by Pendennis in 2019. She was designed by Oyster Design with naval architecture by Humphreys Yacht Design. According to BOAT International, she is the only Oyster 1225 model built. She debuted at the Superyacht Cup Palma in 2022.

Inco — 30.5m Wally (2009)

Inco is a 30.5-metre Wally racer-cruiser launched in 2009, with naval architecture by German Frers. Her 4.9-metre draft and fixed keel make her a performance-oriented entry at the smaller end of the 2026 fleet range. The 2026 Superyacht Cup Palma is her debut at the event, according to BOAT International.

The J-Class Rivalry: Svea vs Rainbow

The J-Class division at the 2026 Superyacht Cup Palma pits two of the most actively raced vessels in their class against each other. Svea (Vitters, 2017) and Rainbow (Holland Jachtbouw, 2012) have both competed at previous editions of the Cup, and the 2026 encounter marks their first head-to-head at this event.

J-Class yachts are built to the original J-Class rule, which corresponds to a waterline length of approximately 22.9 to 26.5 metres. The class experienced a revival from the late 1980s onwards, with several new-build J-Class yachts constructed to modern materials and engineering standards while adhering to the historical rule. Svea and Rainbow are both modern-era constructions rather than restorations of pre-war originals.

The Cup in Context: What the 2026 Med Season Looks Like

The Superyacht Cup Palma is one of several anchor events that structure the western Mediterranean sailing season. Vessels competing in Palma in late June typically move east along the Med circuit in July and August — towards Sardinia, Sicily, the Aeolian Islands, and Malta — before the season winds down in September ahead of the Monaco Yacht Show.

For owners and operators on this circuit, the logistical requirements are consistent regardless of which port a vessel is in: port clearance, provisioning, crew change logistics, and berth coordination. Malta sits naturally on the eastern Med leg of this circuit, with Grand Harbour offering deepwater berths for vessels of all sizes and EU customs clearance infrastructure for yachts arriving from outside the EU or transiting from non-Schengen ports.

Mercer Yachting’s Malta Desk provides agency and provisioning support for superyachts on this circuit. For planning enquiries ahead of the summer season, contact us directly.

Frequently Asked Questions