The Marsamxett harbour offered a spectacular scene on Saturday when boats taking part in the Royal Malta Yacht Club’s (RMYC) first event for 2015 hoisted spinnakers for what has been described as an almost perfect race due to the relatively constant wind.
Fourteen boats raced in three classes as they headed towards the Valletta Harbour Fairway Buoy, proceeding towards St Paul’s Bay and around Comino before heading back to Marsamxett.
“We are very pleased that our first race of the year took place in excellent weather especially since we encountered some challenging conditions in the last races of 2014,” Godwin Zammit, RMYC Commodore, said.
“Naturally we are grateful to Medcomms Malta who have been supporting the club for a number of years now.”
The three classes contested were IRC Racer 1, IRC Racer 2 and IRC Cruiser.
While weather conditions were generally good, a few boats broached on the downwind leg and although no serious damage was reported, four yachts were forced to retire.
IRC Racer 1
1. Elusive BOV (Arthur Podesta); 2. TonTon (Jonathan Gambin/Matthew Scicluna).
Overall and IRC Racer 1 winners Elusive BOV faced stiff competition from a good number of seasoned crews.
“With a reasonable good wind varying between 14-22 knots, it was upwind all the way to Comino with a lot of tacking up along the coast of Malta,” a report from Elusive said.
“Most boats took advantage of the wind shifts. Tacking away from the coast meant that boats experienced higher waves which tend to slow the pace so many opted to stay close to land, tackling smaller waves.
“However, higher waves were inevitable upon reaching the St Paul’s Bay fish farms.
“Spinnakers were once again hoisted close to the Cominotto Cardinal Buoy and kept up all the way down to the Fairway Buoy, where it was a close reach to the finish.”
IRC Racer 2
1. Lightning (Alfie Manduca/Matthew Farrugia); 2. Sailaway (Ray Schembri); 3. Time Out (Mario Sant).
“Conditions for Saturday’s race were almost perfect – sunny, not too cold, a strong breeze, and manageable waves,” skipper Matthew Farrugia said.
“The wind was a little unsettled at the start, but once the crew rounded the Fairway Buoy and started heading to Comino, the breeze steadied out at 15 to 18 knots but by the time we reached l-Ahrax point, off Mellieha, the wind had increased to 20-22 knots.”
An exhilarating run to the finish, surfing down the waves and regularly reaching speeds in excess of 12 knots, saw Lightning and its crew secure first place in their class.
IRC Cruiser
1. Xplane (Sean Borg); 2. Puddleduck (Chris Selvagi); 3. Aziza (Sandro Musu).
For Sean Borg, the young but experienced Xplane skipper, racing is all about fun.
His crew, made up of a group of friends, were in super party mood with music blaring throughout the race and a few practical jokes thrown in for good measure.
“Reaching a maximum 12.9 knots, this was extremely fast speed for a boat that weighs 14 tonnes,” Borg reckoned.
“Safety being a priority we decided to put the kite down five minutes before rounding the Fairway Buoy, losing a few minutes. However, this tactic was adopted by all boats, which enabled us to maintain the lead.”
Borg thanked his team, with special mention going to Chris Fenech solving a problem on the A Sail in difficult conditions while hanging on to a rope outside the boat.
The prize-giving ceremony was held at the Royal Malta Yacht Club in Ta’ Xbiex.