An exhilarating day for most, but too much for a few, with a sad mast breakage for the brand new Grand Soleil 80 Essentia of Romanian Cătălin Trandafir.
Miguel Galuccio’s Vera, leader in the Maxi Racer-Cruiser class, had to retire with a broken rudder blade, sadly coinciding with original owner Pier Luigi Loro Piana sailing on board.
Jean-Charles Decaux’s Wally 77 J One was hit by a gust during a gybe and, even under main and jib, broached, resulting in a down speed collision with the Monaci islands, damaging her bow’s underside.
Despite having no Topaz to jockey with, Velsheda (image above) won the Super Maxi class, even in the big winds.
“We can’t remember the last time we had the J4 up,” recounted navigator Campbell Field adding that they were able to sail in the big wind thanks to the flat water. “It’s good to sail in these conditions because it reminds us of the respect that we have to have for the beast. The boat has a terminal velocity of hull speed and they just don’t go faster.”
“We got some puffs into the high 20s and it’s not like we just pop up and accelerate. The apparent wind speed goes up a lot and it loads up.”
With Vera out of action, scoring their first win in the Maxi Cruiser-Racer class was the Wally 100 Gibian, whose owner/driver Armando Grandi is 93.
The Wally competition is now a two horse race between defending champion Terry Hui’s Wally 78 Lyra and David M Leuschen’s Wallycento Galateia. For a second day it was the larger boat that scored the win, but winning only by 1:40 from Lyra.
The Mini Maxi Racer 1 class was back racing windward-leewards today but ultimately sailed just one, due to the conditions. In this waterline length prevailed with Sir Peter Ogden’s 77ft Jethou winning on corrected time in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup’s most competitive class.
In Mini Maxi Racer 2, Roberto Lacorte and his crew on SuperNikka scored their third race win, finishing ahead of Peter Dubens’ Spectre.
Among the Mini Maxi Racer-Cruisers Stephen Cucchiaro’s Swan 601 Flow scored her third win and leads overall by three points. But Vincenzo Addessi’s Mylius 18E35 Fra Diavolo is chasing hard and was second Friday.
In the Mini Maxi Cruiser-Racer class defending champion Riccardo de Michele’s H20 won ahead of the first of the five-strong fleet of CNB 76s, Carl-Gerrit Deilmann’s Tamina.
Saturday is the final day of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.
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