The Dragon Winter Series at Puerto Portals is heading for a thrilling finale after the second day of racing reshuffled the leaderboard and left the opening event wide open. Meteor Racing, helmed by Pete Cooke, has surged from fifth to first on 8 points, while EASY and CAPA sit tied on 13, ensuring every place will matter when the fleet contests the final day tomorrow.
Puerto Portals, 7 November 2026. Wind once again tested the competitors on day two of the X Puerto Portals Dragon Winter Series, but this time the Race Committee’s experience allowed it to read the conditions and mobilise the teams early. A revised schedule, brought forward from the times set out in the Sailing Instructions, was posted on the Official Notice Board. With all boats on the racecourse before 10:00, the fleet capitalised on a window of around six knots, exactly as forecast, and the decision paid off.
Two windward-leeward races were completed off Puerto Portals in the waters of Calvià. The first covered a course of almost four miles, the second approximately three and a half. Breeze in the opening race averaged seven knots with gusts reaching eight, while the second saw an average of six knots. Although conditions were sufficient to complete both contests, there was not enough wind for a third. The Race Committee had to stay alert to every opportunity to keep racing going, and the starts were marked by individual recalls for boats that crossed the line early and had to take a penalty before continuing.
The day’s results dramatically altered the standings. Meteor Racing climbed to the top after scoring a win and a second place in today’s races. EASY, which had led overnight following a victory in Friday’s opening race, slipped to second on 13 points. The team boasts two race wins from three starts, but an eleventh in the first race today proved costly. CAPA completes the provisional podium, also on 13 points. Helmed by Carlos Carbajal, President of the Spanish Dragon Class, the boat has competed in every edition of the event, and its skipper knows the waters of Palma Bay intimately.
With high-pressure conditions forecast and little prospect of steady breeze, the Race Committee has again brought tomorrow’s schedule forward for the day that will decide the winner of this opening event. Sailors are due at the hospitality area at 08:00 for breakfast together, with the warning signal set for 10:00. Meteor Racing holds only a five-point advantage over EASY and CAPA, who are tied in second, so the podium could still change.
The X Puerto Portals Dragon Winter Series is organised by Club de Regatas Puerto Portals, in collaboration with the Spanish Dragon Class Association, the Balearic Sailing Federation, Repsol and North Sails, and in coordination with the International Dragon Association. After racing, competitors and organisers gather on the Beewi terrace to share impressions and continue the fleet’s camaraderie ashore.
The fleet brings together more than 50 sailors from Germany, Australia, Austria, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Hungary and Portugal. They are racing Dragons, 8.90-metre one-design keelboats usually sailed by a crew of three. With identical rules applying to every boat, crew skill and tactical decisions are central to the competition.
