The group of boats that arrived at the finish line in Marsamxett yesterday afternoon spent most of the 600 miles within reach of each other, and how they made some key tactical decisions along the way would make or break their results.
Vladimir Proshikin’s chartered Volvo 70 E1 (RUS) crossed the finish line at 12.35 p.m., in fourth place on elapsed time.
The Russian sailor, from St Petersburg, competed on his Shipman 72 last year, a performance cruiser/racer, quite the polar opposite of this five-year-old round-the-world ocean racer.
While the conditions were lighter this time, the crew had a workout with numerous sail changes, a net wrapped around the keel and a canting keel stuck off centre for the last ten miles.
Still, on the quay after the finish, Proshikin was clearly elated and quite animated in relating the trip.
“This race was a bit slower, but in light air it’s even more demanding,” he said.
“It was fun and it’s quite intriguing, but took a bit longer so we are a bit tired. It’s a very impressive race, difficult conditions... it’s not like running 600 miles from start to finish in a straight line, it’s tricky.
“We had some bad luck a couple of times, catching the net around the keel for several hours.
“We’re on the boat for the first time as a crew, with only a week of training, and it’s a very complex boat. Sometimes you are lucky, and sometimes not… overall, I’m happy.”
But it was Bryon Ehrhart’s TP52 Lucky, that crossed the finish line after three days, three hours and 16 minutes, which put the US boat on top of the leaderboard on corrected time, for now.
The Chicago-based skipper has had the Rolex MSR on his ‘to do’ list for a while and has methodically planned a race schedule that would give them some good practice and put them in the Mediterranean this year.
Ehrhart said: “What a great race and probably the best offshore race we’ve done in terms of the style of race. Getting up through Messina was a challenge on its own.
“But thankfully, Ian Moore is a fantastic navigator. We were very happy with the calls we made all the way around. We spent a lot of time next to Wild Joe, she was actually an additional motivator.
“Several times we were in and out with her. The Cookson 50 (Cantankerous), Wild Joe and Pace – we were on each other’s mind all the time.”
Ian Moore, a last-minute addition to the Lucky crew, seemed to have earned his keep with their impressive performance.
The Irish Volvo Ocean Race veteran and BMW Oracle America’s Cup crew member said: “It was a good race, pretty exciting, lots of lead changes. We were pleased every time we managed to pass Pace, and then their boat speed got up again, and then we got another opportunity. Lots of moments the race would restart and give us the option to use our abilities.”
Moore enjoyed the course.
“It is a spectacular course; it’s a circular course, start and finishing in Malta,” he said.
“Going up to the Strait of Messina and just running into that five knots of current, apparently from nowhere, and going around the smoking volcano of Stromboli and all the islands. They’re like an island in the middle of nowhere, but there are always people living there, no bigger than a few football pitches. It’s really a pretty amazing track... it’s lovely to come and do it again.”
Jonas Diamantino’s Comanche Raider II, from the Royal Malta Yacht Club, has been taking a pasting but spirits are high, he explained, as they passed Pantelleria yesterday.
“Pretty hectic, pretty scary. We got hit by a 45-knot squall, with very confused seas, and it was all on. But everybody is fine and so is the boat, but it was a tough few hours. We are now doing ten knots and heading for home,” he said.
“Tell the bar at the club to get the beer on ice.”
Local chances
Lucky are currently leading overall on corrected time in IRC, but they have to withstand challenges from at least two boats that are in contention for the overall win.
Sort of like history repeating itself, the two boats are the Lee Satariano and Christian Ripard’s J/122 Artie, and John Ripard and Andrew Calascione’s J/133 Jaru.
The last time a Maltese boat won the Rolex Middle Sea Race trophy was Market Wizard in 2002 with Ripard and Calascione, and in 2001 it was Christian Ripard’s Strait Dealer.
Meanwhile, the Maltese Bene-teau 411, Fekruna, retired just west of Stromboli, bringing the total number of retired boats to eight, with eight boats finished and 60 still racing.