Fortuna back in the water

The Spanish royal yacht Fortuna slipped back out of her Porto Pi hangar in Palma yesterday morning into the water after a week in dry dock. The new luxury yacht has only recently come into service and the engineers capitalised on the King's absence while racing in last week's Copa del Rey regatta and a week of official engagements in Palma and Madrid to carry out the first routine revisions of the yacht's mechanical and technical equipment. Prior to the regatta the King of Spain has taken the yacht on four cruises in Balearic waters, the longest being to Cabrera, from where the royal party on board did not return until 10.30 at night. The Fortuna which is the fastest yacht in the Mediterranean was paid for by a consortium of Balearic business tycoons who felt that the previous Fortuna, which was having an increasing number of mechanical problems, was due for retirement after 20 years in royal service. The King, a keen sailor, will be pleased the new Fortuna is back in the water. The day before yesterday King Juan Carlos and a small party of guests spent the day on board the Italian designer Valentino's super luxury yacht Blue One.