RBI diary. Day THIRD

Monday's Russian Business Regatta was evident in the number of calls to participants' mobile phones. Many of them are executives or business owners, and business at home kept the yachtsmen busy. These businesses, however, had to content themselves with short conversations between starts, as no business could prevent three full races in very good winds.

On the second day of competitions the crews got accustomed to each other and started to work more effectively. The fight at the start, rounding marks and distance between them was very fierce, sometimes the boats diverged literally in millimeters.

The results of the day brought many surprises. The standings were shaken up considerably and in some places, naturally, the latter came out on top. In the division «Ibiza», the yacht #4 managed by Nikolay Kovalenko moved to second place after the unbeaten Evgeny Nikiforov. On the previous day this crew was in last place. Nikiforov himself is still above competition, due to the lightest boat with the most comfortable handicap, as well as his own unique flair for the wind.

In the division «Menorca» its legitimate top line was taken by the crew of sailing legend Andrey Arbuzov, who by some misunderstanding on the previous day came second.

But the biggest surprise was brought by the division «Majorca».

Timofey Zhbankov's #10 team - the same one that tore the sail the day before and weaved its way to the bottom of the table - took first place by the results of three races!

The team's spokesman, head of Clarus Capital Vladimir Kozlov, explained this by the fact that the skipper made them twist a dozen training turns in a row before going to the start, as well as by the trust the team members began to feel for each other on the second day of racing and communication. Here it is, «the life-giving power of sailing», in action!

However, among the less fortunate competitors there was some grumbling that instead of the torn jib, Zhbankov's team was given a new large-area jib, which made «tenths» un-catchable on a full course (that is, with a tailwind).

Some jokingly threatened to tear their sails to improve their results.

Other events of the day included the 33rd birthday of Dmitry Lugansky, vice-president of OJSC Nordea Bank (the skipper is Evgeny Nikiforov, mentioned above). Teammates marked him by wearing matching polo-shirts with the coat of arms of Mallorca and a large number 3 on the chest and back. When the guys stood in a row to pose for photos, they ended up with the number 333333333 - which was apparently meant to signify Dmitry's wish for longevity (and the millionth order of the number also hinted at financial well-being).

In the evening the participants gathered for dinner on the familiar Royal Yacht Club Palma de Mallorca(RCNP) «This time, however, for a change, the tables were set on the upper deck».

As promised, we will tell about this wonderful place in more detail.

The word «royal» in the name of RCNP is not accidental. Mallorca is home to the summer residence(in our words, just a summer house) of King Juan Carlos of Spain. His majesty is one of the few monarchs active in sailing (besides him, Prince Albert II of Monaco, who races «Dragons»), is also an equally advanced yachtsman.

The Spanish monarch is honorary president of the club and his yacht Bribón is based here, which means «Zababiaka».

The team «of the bully» races very well and is consistently on the podium in its class.

Despite his high status, Juan Carlos has a great ease of communication. He can easily stand in a common line for sausages and banter with other regular competitors at post-race buffets.

The RCNP Yacht Club hosts two major international regattas. «The King's Cup (Copa Del Rey), held since 1982, belongs to the Grand Slam Sailing League» and is one of the world's five most prestigious regattas for cruising yachts. Each year during the CC, more than 100 boats in eight divisions take to the course of the Bay of Palma de Mallorca. In addition, the race is also held here Princess Sofia Cup in the Olympic boat classes, which is very important for the «licenses» (i.e. «vouchers» yachtsmen) for the Olympics.

On these days the RCNP in Mallorca becomes the premier sailing venue on the planet - almost as big as when the Russian Business Regatta takes place. Stay tuned!