The King presided over an emotional tribute on Tuesday at the Real Club Náutico de Palma to the deceased sailors Manuel 'Noluco' Doreste and Javier Vallejo, with the presence of Olympic medallists.
The bay of Palma was the setting on Tuesday for the emotional start of the Copa del Rey Mapfre. King Felipe VI presided over the tribute to the recently deceased sailors Manuel 'Noluco' Doreste and Javier Vallejo, in an event held at the Real Club Náutico de Palma.
The monarch, skipper of the Hispania, arrived at the club at 10:30 am and was welcomed by its president, Rafael Gil. They both headed to the main terrace, where tribute was paid to two key figures in Spanish sailing: the Canarian Noluco Doreste, a member of the Doreste Blanco family, and the Andalusian Javier Vallejo.
The event brought together sailors, family members, and colleagues, including Olympic medallists Theresa Zabell, Luis Doreste, and Domingo Manrique, the latter being Noluco's brother. A video featuring moments of both in and out of the sea preceded a warm and prolonged applause that concluded the ceremony.
Javier Vallejo was part of the Spanish Olympic sailing team at the Barcelona 1992 Games, where Don Felipe was the Spanish flag bearer. He later joined the Spanish team for the America's Cup. Noluco Doreste, for his part, accumulated a career filled with world titles in both dinghy and cruising sailing, and represented Spain at the Sydney 2000 Games alongside Domingo Manrique and Juan Luis Wood, balancing sport with his work as an anaesthetist.
After the tribute, the King headed with his team to the Hispania to compete in the first day of the competition, which began at 1:00 pm in the bay of Palma. The Copa del Rey Mapfre runs until Saturday with the participation of over a hundred boats.
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