Lartista, skippered by Anton Calleja and Renato Camilleri, won the testing PV-IES Double Handed Round Malta Race organised by the Royal Malta Yacht Club and supported by Island Engineering Services.
With double handed racing it is all about creating the perfect synergy between the two people on board. Calleja and Camilleri have notched up quite a few wins since they teamed up, proving that they were capable of crafting a well-oiled machine.
Kicking off the event with the first warning signal at 08.55, the nine participating boats were breezed out from the Marsamxett Harbour, sailing down towards the South of Malta.
The good conditions experienced in Marsamxett were shortlived by the time crews reached the southern part of Malta and had to wait patiently for the wind.
Following the retirement of Xpedite, the remaining eight boats of the fleet ultimately regained the necessary speed upon reaching Ċirkewwa having been pushed by south/south west wind.
From then on it was a sail down the straits to the finish line in Marsamxett Harbour between the old Lazaretto at Manoel Island and the Royal Malta Yacht Club.
The first boat on corrected time was Lartista, whilst the last boat to cross the finish line was Maltese Falcon.
A visibly satisfied Anton Calleja shared his thoughts after the race.
“We had a very good start, our decision to use the code 0 helped us to sail close to Munxar buoy.
“On leaving the buoy to starboard, we dropped our code 0 and with the help of the wonderful dolphins we sailed close – hauled to Bengħajsa leaving it to starboard.
“After sailing for about three miles around the south of Malta, the wind dropped and left all the boats stranded.
“For about two and a half hours, we struggled against the swell and the currents, trying to keep the boats away from rocks. Fortunately, the wind picked up to between 12 and 16 knots.
“Hoisting our spinnakers, we sailed smoothly to Ċirkewwa, dropping them shortly after leaving Comino, where we then sailed close-hauled to the finishing line”.
In a statement the RMYC showed their appreciation towards main sponsors Island Engineering Services and thanked the Race Management Team formed by Luca Lacitignola (Race Officer), Dennis Flores, Nadya Flores, Anna Rossi, Alex Denisuc and Alana Meadows for their sterling work.
The Royal Malta Yacht Club’s next race on the calendar is the Citadel Marzamemi Weekend Regatta that will take place between April 28 and May 1. Registration is open and more information can be obtained by visiting the club’s website www.rmyc.org.
Results
IRC Class 1: 1. Lartista (Anton Calleja/ Renato Camilleri); 2. Seawolf of Southampton (David Latham/Tobias Toth); 3. Aziza (Dmitry Kondratyev/Alexander Grudnin).
IRC Class 2: 1. Xpresso (Sean Borg/Paul Borg Cardona); 2. Xp-Act (Barry Hurley/Josef Schulteis); 3. Otra Vez (Aaron Gatt Floridia/Edward Gatt Floridia).