Lord Laidlaw finished 3rd in the Multihull Cup on Highland Fling XVIII. In Port Adriano, the Yacht Club de Monaco member and his crew competed in four races against five very different multihulls, gathered to mark the 10th anniversary of an event dedicated to performance multihulls.
Highland Fling XVIII wasted no time making its mark. On Friday, the VPLP-design Gunboat 80 won the 18.5 nautical mile coastal race. In light airs that dogged the start, the crew wisely opted to stay offshore at Punta Figuera to find more pressure, a decision that paid off.
The action then moved to the Bay of Palma. After waiting for about an hour on Saturday, the thermal breeze finally kicked in, allowing the Race Committee to start two windward-leeward races.
The first race proved a particularly tight finish. In 8 to 9 knot breezes with shifts that required decisions on which side to take, Highland Fling XVIII remained in contention. On corrected time, just 14 seconds separated the boats finishing behind the leader, with Gaea beating Highland Fling XVIII by eight seconds, and Layla following six seconds later.
It was another scenario for Saturday’s second race that saw a steady 10-plus knot breeze. Allegra took advantage of the conditions to secure a second consecutive victory ahead of Layla and Gaea, with Highland Fling XVIII finishing in 4th place.
After three races, nothing had yet been decided behind the leader. Allegra had four points, while Highland Fling XVIII and Gaea were tied on eight points. The final day would still have to settle the rankings within the fleet.
Lord Laidlaw finished 3rd in the Multihull Cup at the end of four races contested at Port Adriano. It was another podium finish for Highland Fling XVIII, which had already won this event in 2024 and arrived in Mallorca just weeks after its victory in the Multihull division of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup.
This edition was also the 10th anniversary of the Multihull Cup which was launched at Port Adriano in 2016. It is an intimate event combining coastal races and windward-leeward courses with boats hailing from well-known designers like Gunboat, Nigel Irens, VPLP, Morelli & Melvin, and Frers.
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