Surprise Spirit of Lorina double win as lumpy conditions challenge Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup fleet.
After a near perfect opening to the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, day two was more challenging. Conditions had dropped to a 20 knot northerly come start time, but there had been big onshore breeze overnight and a left-over sea state remained, made more lumpy by waves bouncing back off the rocky shoreline.
In Maxi C, Jean-Pierre Barjon’s 65ft Spirit of Lorina won her second consecutive race and by no small margin – 13 minutes 28 second ahead of Riccardo De Michele’s 78 footer H20, which won straight bullets last year.
Astern, H20 scored two seconds and in third is Aldo Parisotto’s Oscar 3.
Tuesday former IMA President Thomas Bscher didn’t compete on his Baltic 68 Café Racer Open Season, nor did Tara Getty’s S&S classic Baruna of 1938.
Maxi C was already two light after Dario Castiglia’s Baltic 65 Re/Max One 2 was put out of the regatta Monday after she struck a rock by La Maddalena at around 12 knots.
Sadly Luigi Sala’s Yoru was close behind at the time and, despite taking avoiding action, was unable to avoid ramming her stern, which holed her low down on the port side of her bow.
Enjoying an even better scoreline is the Swedish-owned Svea in the J Class which won both Monday’s windward-leewards and Tuesday’s coastal.
Topaz retired after blowing up two kites leaving Svea and Velsheda to match race.
There was delight for Pier Luigi Loro Piana on his Club Swan 80 My Song which won Maxi A.
Fastest around the course for a second day was Roberto Lacorte’s Flying Nikka in 2 hours 55 minutes 56 seconds while first non-flying maxi home was Peter Harburg’s 100ft Black Jack in 3 hours 21 minutes and 40 seconds.
Monday’s Maxi A IRC corrected time winner Leopard 3 was second after David M Leuschen and Chris Flowers’ Galateia and Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones’ Magic Carpet Cubed both blew up kites. EWOL Way of Life retired after she broke her mainsail headboard.
In the Super Maxi class there is now a three way tie at the top between Juan Ball’s Swan 115 Moat, Claus-Peter Offen’s 101ft y3k and Marco Vogele’s 108ft Inoui after Moat won Mondays by 1 minutes 48 seconds and Vittorio Moretti’s 118ft Viriella retired.
One of the closest finishes was between the former Maxi 72s in Maxi 2 where George Sakellaris’ Proteus won by just 19 seconds from Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente after Peter Dubens’ North Star retired with bowsprit issues and Cannonball blew up a spinnaker.
The biggest win by far Tuesday was in the Maxi Multihull class where Adrian Keller’s 84ft Allegra won by 1h 37m 38s on ORCmh corrected time from Don Wilson and Suna Said’s Gunboat 68 Convexity2. Lord Irvine Laidlaw’s Gunboat 80 Highland Fling 18 did not compete.
Tactician Paul Larsen said of Allegra’s race: “These were our conditions. It was properly lumpy so we started with one reef which we shook out later – we have an owner-driver and on this course we are sailing in close quarters with two other hot boats.”
Wednesday the wind forecast to lighten.
