At his third attempt, Dario Ferrari and his Maxi 72 Cannonball, deservedly won the Mini Maxi Racer 1 class at the 30th Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo, Sardinia.
The slippery Cannonball won two races and her consistent scoreline, with no finish off the podium, resulted in her winning the title by three points.
“I am very happy for the team,” said Ferrari, who has been racing in Sardinia since 1985. “Winning was definitely a challenge, so you can only be happy. We have been training a lot. The boat is important as we have made many changes to her.”
It was the Wallys turn to sail windward-leewards. Going into today it was very close between Lyra and David M. Leuschen’s Wallycento Galateia. Ultimately Lyra won both today’s races, successfully defending her title by three points.
With her arch-rival Topaz not racing due to technical issues, Velsheda was left to win the Super Maxi class comfortably.
There was a surprise victory in the Maxi Racers when a third race win for Irvine Laidlaw’s Reichel/Pugh 82 Highland Fling XI, caused them to draw level with George David’s Rambler 88 and win on countback.
Another surprise winner was Argentinean Juan Ball’s Swan 90 Nefertiti in the Maxi Cruiser-Racers.
This came after the favourite for the class win, Vera, belonging to another Argentinean owner, Miguel Galuccio, was unable to sail due to a broken rudder.
Across the eight classes Roberto Lacorte’s SuperNikka in Mini Maxi Racer 2 came closest to a perfect scoreline, dropping just one race to Peter Dubens’ Frers 60 Spectre on Wednesday.
Lacorte will race SuperNikka next year but is part of a consortium of owners set to build a series of 77-78ft race boats.
Hanging onto the Mini Maxi Racer-Cruiser class win – just – was Bostonian Stephen Cucchiaro’s Swan 601 Flow.
A sixth place left them winning on countback, tied with Vincenzo Addessi’s Fra’ Diavolo, in turn just a point ahead of IMA President Benoît de Froidmont’s Wallyño, winner of Saturday’s final race.
There was further upset Saturday among the Mini Maxi Cruiser-Racers where Riccardo de Michele’s Vallicelli 80 H20 won her second consecutive race to draw level on points with Marietta Strasoldo’s Swan 651 Lunz Am Meer.
With three wins this week to Lunz am Meer’s one, H20 won on countback, to claim her third successive victory in the Cruiser-Racer class at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup.
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