With gale force winds forecast from lunchtime on, it was a relatively early start to proceedings for day three of the RC44 Valletta Cup, yesterday.
Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio got racing underway two hours ahead of schedule, at 9.30am, before finally pulling the plug at midday after two races had been held.
Over this period the conditions were ‘changeable’, starting in around 10-12 knots, but with a sizeable swell left over from the day before, oddly running with the boats on the upwind legs.
Despite the changing weather, yesterday’s stand out performer was Katusha, which won both races.
Tactician Andy Horton said: “We made no big mistakes – the guys did a great job. We are going well upwind and downwind and making pretty decent starts.”
In both races Katusha benefited from heading out to the right, offshore side of the race course on the upwind legs.
However, the Russian team didn’t have it all their own way.
In race one, Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis Racing led at the top mark while Katusha was mid-fleet. Coming into the leeward gate, the Swedish team was penalised for gybing too close to Nico Poons’s Charisma, allowing Katusha to edge into the lead.
Charisma overhauled Katusha on the second upwind with the Russian team eventually only winning by a nose on the line.
Charisma also had a solid day posting a 3-2 to their score, elevating them from seventh to second overall.
While Katusha finished the day on 13 points, Charisma are now up to 21, but breathing down her neck, and within three points, are Nika, Anywayanyday and CEEREF.
Currently seventh but still within easy striking distance of the podium are reigning RC44 champions Team Aqua, racing in Malta with new helmsman and charterer Richard Goransson.
“We found a bit more pace and it felt good,” Sweden’s Goransson said.
“Downwind was difficult with these chutes because there is a small window you can sail in. Mainly our performance is down to my steering, as I get used to the boat. This is a big boat for me – but when the breeze is up they seem to shrink a bit! Today was much more manageable, but it was very strange – dropping off waves upwind.”
Fleet racing at the Valletta Cup resumes this morning with another ‘changeable’ day forecast.