DK46 and the Copa del Rey: four wins for one yacht

The Copa del Rey — the King's Cup of Spain — is one of the most prestigious regattas in the Mediterranean, held every year by Real Club Náutico de Palma in Mallorca. And one DK46 has won it four times.

One of twelve

The DK46 was designed by Mark Mills (Mills Design) and built by DK Yachts. The partnership began in 2002, and the first hull, "Erivale", was launched in late 2003. According to the designer, 12 yachts were built in total (Mills Design).

Garmin, Maserati, Estrella Damm — one boat

The most successful hull of the class was launched in 2004. It won the Copa del Rey in 2009 (racing as Garmin), 2016 (as Maserati), 2018 (as Estrella Damm) and 2019 (Expansión, Racing-Yachts). The name on the hull changed with the sponsor — the results did not.

A fifteen-year-old yacht beating newer boats in one of Europe's strongest fleets is what a good design looks like.

Winning on six continents

Mills Design says the DK46 "brought performance and comfort together by winning on 6 continents" — hull 4 "Zephyra", for example, won the Rolex Big Boat Series in San Francisco (Mills Design).

What it means for you

Guts & Glory is a DK46 too, one of those twelve. Racing in her crew, you race a yacht from a class with a proven winning pedigree. More about the boat on Yacht & crew; how to get aboard with no experience in Racing charter on a DK46 in Turkey.

Sources

• Mills Design — DK 46 IRC Cruiser/Racer
• Expansión — Copa del Rey wins (2009, 2016, 2018)
• Racing-Yachts — DK 46 Maserati, Copa del Rey 2009, 2016, 2018, 2019