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The Queen takes the cane
A slightly habitual image and that repeated itself three years ago in the Nautical Club of Palm. Dona Sofía took yesterday during a few minutes the cane of the Bribon demonstrating her great interest for the sport of the wind. Don Juan Carlos wanted to be grateful this way for the unconditional support of his wife in the competition. With this nice instantaneous one it started yesterday the twelfth edition of the ditch Breitling in Port Portals. For the first time in the Majorcan summer, the Kings and the Prince of Asturias embarked in their sailboats to furrow the waters of the Mediterranean.
Some minutes of the ten were passing and average of the morning when Their Majesties were raising, not without any small skid, the Bribón. Before they had enjoyed a calm breakfast in the Flanigan, place where on night, after their arrival to the island, also they had dinner. After the regards with the crewmen, don Juan Carlos offered a warm embrace to his outfitter, Josep Cusí, with whom he conversed some minutes before departing course to the bay palmesana. Dona Sofía, who illuminated a white trousers to stripes, a blue shirt and a few enormous sunglasses, recognized before the presents the heat of the day. " It is hot truth? ", she was asking. " Though more or less like other years ", she added. The King added to the conversation assuring "contentments" that are for having begun already the vacations.
Next to them, the king Harald of Norway who from the Fram was following attentivly everything what was happening around it, foreign to the expectation that was provoking his presence and his notable physical improvement after the last problems of health that kept him removed from his official activities.
With the shot of exit that was giving beginning to the first test of the morning, the Queen changed the Bribón into the Somni, launch from where she was still attentive to develop of the ditch that finished, in its first day, with Mutual Of Madrid in the first position, followed by the Siemens and the Warpath. The fortune did not accompany in this occasion the King and don felipe that they had to conform to the eighth one and the nineteenth position, respectively, in the provisional classification.
The 'Aifos' from Portopí
It was necessary to wait until the evening to see the Prince of Asturias. His craft, the Aifos, did not divide from the base established in Port Portals but from Portopí's wharf, and only one saw him at his arrival after the first and hard day.
Don Felipe completely combined with shorts and vest in tones ocres that were showing his sensitive loss of kilos, greeted his father taking the cap from him in an enterteining grimace. The King returned the gesture before tackling course to Marivent.
Though there was waited the presence of dona Letizia and the small Leonor, it will not be up to today in the night when they come to the island. Don Felipe has gone forward to his family in the beginning of his vacations to take part in the competition of wind and next Monday, the 24th of July he will receive together with his wife Sa Pobla's Golden medal. Besides, the close one 27 and 28 will travel to Peru to be present at the Ceremony of Transmission of the Presidential Control Alan García.
For the next week the arrival is waited besides of other two daughters of don Juan Carlos and dona Sofía. The infanta Cristina accompanied by her husband, Iñaki Urdangarín and her four children, Juan Valentín, Pablo Nicolás, Miguel and Irene - who has just expired one year - and the infanta Elena together with don Jaime de Marichalar and her little Felipe Juan Froilán and Victoria Federica, will establish themselves also in Marivent's palace after passing a few days of rest in Lanzarote in company of their cousin, Alexia of Greece.
Not everything was happy and positive in the yesterday day. The world of the candle dawned with the sad news of the death of Margarita Picardo Bertrán, wife of the admiral Marcial Sanchez-Barcaiztegui Aznar, president of the National Commission of Ditches of the Navy and great friend of the Royal Family. To the funeral, which took place at seven o'clock in the afternoon in Sant Jaume's church of Palm, numerous friends came and regatistas that wanted to share the pain with the family.
The Queen and don Felipe, very joined always the family Barcáiztegui, also were present at the mass for the soul of his wife.