The final day of inshore and coastal racing at the IMA Maxi European Championship in Sorrento saw the winners confirmed in the smaller classes while in Maxi 1 and Maxi Grand Prix Thursday’s final race proved the decider.
Joost Schuijff’s 100ft Leopard 3 enjoyed the bigger conditions to lead Maxi 1 around the race track taking the corrected time win under IRC.
However the IMA Maxi European Championship title for Maxi 1went to Karel Komárek’s V ahead of Leopard 3 and Galateia.
“We needed to beat Galateia, because if they got ahead of us, they could have made life very difficult.” explained tactician Ken Read. “It wasn’t easy to keep them back, but as long as we stayed to plan, we felt comfortable.”
“Karel is hugely excited. This is the first real big regatta we have ever won with this team,” concluded Read, who now will step down from V to focus on running Komárek’s American Racing Challenger Team USA America’s Cup challenge.
In the Maxi Grand Prix class, Peter Harrison’s Jolt left the best to last, winning today ahead of Giovanni Lombardi Stronati’s Django 7X and Peter Dubens’ North Star.
This propelled the British team to the top of the leaderboard, finishing a point ahead of North Star, in turn one ahead of Django 7X.
In both smaller classes, there were stand-out victors, winning their IMA Maxi European Championship titles with a day to spare.
In Maxi 3 it was finally victory for Guido Paolo Gamucci’s canting keel Mylius 60 Cippa Lippa X. Cippa Lippa X won on 6 points ahead of Franz Baruffaldi Preis and Silvia de’ Longhi’s JV62 Manticore. Overall Manticore was second on 11 with defending champion Paul Berger’s Swan 80 Kallima on 13.70.
In the combined Maxi 4-5 class, Giuseppe Puttini’s 50-year-old Swan 65 Shirlaf enjoyed today’s brisker conditions to win by just three seconds, but Yacht Club Gaeta President Vincenzo Addessi’s Mylius 18E35 Fra’ Diavolo was second, comfortably winning overall and defending his title.
Tre Golfi Sailing Week’s Multihull Trophy victory went to Adrian Keller’s Irens 84 Allegra across the series.
