There was drama at the J Class start when the massive genoa on Topaz exploded requiring her army of crew to scrabble to recover the broken sail and plug in a replacement before they got going.
For the three other classic 1930s designs, the competition was close with Velsheda claiming line honours but Svea winning under the J Class Rule.
With the 10-20 knot wind from the southeast, the race committee sent the 46 competing yachts in seven classes on an upwind leg and then on an anti-clockwise lap of the La Maddalena archipelago, with a long run up the seaward side of the picturesque islands before a beat up ‘Bomb Alley’.
The courses were 31nm for the faster maxis (Super Maxi; Maxi; J Class; Mini Maxi 0 and 1) 23.5 for the slower ones (Mini Maxi 2 and 3-4).
Another Swedish-owned yacht prevailed in the Super Maxi class with the Swan 115 Shamanna scoring her first ever race win.
Similarly in the Mini Maxi 2 class, it was not Spirit of Lorina or other regular winners, such as Capricorno or Twin Soul B, that prevailed but German Sven Wackerhagen’s new team on the Wally 80 Rose.
Among the former Maxi 72s in Mini Maxi 1, it was not the highest rated – Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente, nor reigning champion Dario Ferrari’s Cannonball that won today but Jim Swartz’s Vesper; one of the least tampered-with Maxi 72s.
There was much smiling for Roberto Lacorte and the crew of the 60ft foiling maxi FlyingNikka, which also sailed her first ever race today.
The extreme boat got off the start line well and demonstrated exceptional ability, comfortably foiling upwind in just 10-12 knots.
In the Maxi class it was Lord Irvine Laidlaw’s Reichel-Pugh 82 Highland Fling XI that came out on top, while David M. Leuschen’s Wallycento proved that her clean sweep at PalmaVela wasn’t a fluke: first on the water, second on corrected time and winning the unofficial fight of the 100 footers over Leopard 3 (4th overall today) and last year’s winner, Magic Carpet 3 (7th).
In the combined Mini Maxi 3 and 4 it was the familiar silver form of repeat class victor here – the Vallicelli 78 H20 – that was today’s run-away winner, finishing more than seven minutes ahead of Luca Scoppa’s Dehler 60 Blue Oyster and the Swan 65 Shirlaf.
Tuesday Mini Maxi 1 and the J Class will race windward-leewards and the rest will continue on coastal courses with a first start at 1200. Moderate southeasterlies are again forecast.
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