Maxi Grand Prix class turns up the pressure as IMA Maxi Europeans go windward-leeward

Following an overnight offshore race and two days of coastal courses, the IMA Maxi European Championship, run by the International Maxi Association and Naples’ Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia out of Sorrento, for its penultimate day staged two windward-leeward races on the Gulf of Naples. These were held in a 10-15 knot southwesterly and a confused seastate under dramatic skies, with rain clouds obscuring Mount Vesuvius to the north and at times the off-lying islands of Capri and Ischia.

Both races were dominated by the five yachts competing in the Maxi Grand Prix class (former Maxi 72) with only one boat penetrating this elite group of grand prix racers: Karel Komárek’s 100ft V which displaced Peter Harrison’s Jolt to finish fifth overall in the first race. This was after a photo finish with Chris Flowers and David M Leuschen’s Galateia first home, but by just three seconds from V with Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones’ new Magic Carpet E a further five second back.

 

“We had a very fun day,” commented V’s tactician and North Sails President Ken Read. “Karel [Komárek] did a really nice job driving. In the first one was a ‘drag-em-out’, fun, really well-sailed boat race and we probably nipped them [Galateia] because they give us all a little time. A day like today just keeps reminding you how great sailing is. I think everybody really is enjoying the mix [of offshore and inshore]. It's a totally different kind of mentality.”

In the second race Galateia again won line honours, 43 seconds ahead of V, with Pascale Decaux and her mixed crew on Tilakkhana II (ex-Magic Carpet Cubed) third followed by Andrea Recordati’s Wally 93 Bullitt and Magic Carpet E. On this occasion it was Galateia that corrected out ahead of Bullitt and V. Galateia holds a commanding 10 point class lead going into the final day.

Stars of the day unquestionably were the Maxi Grand Prix five. In the opening race Hap Fauth’s defending IMA European Champion Bella Mente successfully managed to port tack the fleet at the start, crossing ahead of all the starboard tackers, a brave move in a dinghy, colossally so in a 74 footer. In fact the US team could only covert this normally race-winning move to a second, to Peter Dubens’ North Star. Tactician Nick Rogers explained: “There was heavy pin-end bias, probably 15˚  or ten boatlengths but Wouter [Verbraak, navigator] called a big right-hand bend up the track, so actually the line was square, maybe even starboard-biased v the top of the track, so we opted for a low-density start, came to the start line, then tacked and went right.”

Under IRC corrected time North Star was first ahead of Bella Mente and Sir Peter Ogden’s Jethou.

For the second race, the wind had dropped three knots. This time it was the turn of George Sakellaris’ Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup winner Proteus, newly fitted this season with water ballast, to finish ahead of Bella Mente and North Star – all five Maxi Grand Prix boats finishing within one minute under corrected time.

“It was a tricky day with the cloud influence,” commented Proteus’ strategist, double Olympic medallist Jonathan McKee. “The dominant tactical consideration for these boats is just dealing with the 100-footers and trying to find lanes upwind - if you're getting bad air from the big boats, it's devastating.

“In the second race the left actually did come in at the end, rather than the right, so we positioned ourselves to the left and that got us to the windward mark in good shape, but it was still tricky after that, especially on the second upwind when there was a cloud to the north of us. We decided to move in that direction, figuring there was probably some outflow from that and turned out to be correct.”

In the smaller classes, in the first race Luca Scoppa’s Dehler 60 Blue Oyster finished 8th overall to win the Maxi Beta class race, one place ahead of the Maxi Alpha class winner, Paul Berger’s Swan 80 Kallima, which also won the second race in her class, again coming 9th overall, with Vincenzo Addessi’s Mylius 60 Fra Diavolo winning Maxi Beta.

At present Kallima leads the Maxi Alpha class by just three points from Guido Paolo Gamucci’s Mylius 60 Cippa Lippa X and Jean-Pierre Barjon’s Botin 65 Spirit of Lorina third.

Former 49er Olympian Stephane Christidis tactician on Spirit of Lorina described their day: “It was great, fantastic, the conditions and racing were perfect for us. In the first race we had a really good start, but it was tough alongside all the larger Maxis. To do the job well you need to start with perfect timing and at a good distance to the line, with maximum speed, but it's difficult with so much traffic.” Spirit of Lorina preferred the pin “because I was sure we would have some shore effect on the left side. We did a pretty good job in the first one, and then the wind dropped for the second and we were struggled for speed.”

Of their eighth place and class win in today’s first race, the crew of Blue Oyster were delighted. They have competed in every edition of the IMA Maxi European Championship, having won their class in 2021. “It was a very tactical race, beautiful, with wind shifts to interpret and very aggressive opponents,” commented Michele de Giovanni, Blue Oyster’s captain and navigator. “Fortunately, our tactician, Roberto Ferrarese, was very good in reading the wind.” At present in the Maxi Beta class Blue Oyster trails leader Fra Diavolo by four points, so tomorrow’s coastal will be the decider.

Today the multihulls again sailed a course around Capri, which was won by Riccardo Pavoncelli’s Gunboat 68 Gaetana.

Racing concludes tomorrow at the IMA Maxi European Championship with another coastal course.

(Race report by James Boyd/International Maxi Association)

IMA Maxi Europeans results here