A sizeable fleet was on the starting line of the Royal Malta Yacht Club’s first offshore regatta which took crews up to nearby Sicily, in the popular Citadel Marzamemi Weekend Regatta.

The race up to Marzamemi had an uneventful start in Marsamxett Harbour, where a light easterly wind saw the fleet on a close reach on starboard heading for a steady and almost straight line to Capo Passero.

The Cruising Class boats were first to leave, single file over the line. Ace, skippered by Peter Ellul Vincenti, had a very good start, with Ellul Vincenti keeping this momentum until Marzamemi to make him the first cruiser to reach Sicily.

In Class 1, David Pizzuto’s Geisha had a good start but was not able to keep the momentum going and in the end it was the Podesta siblings with Elusive 2 that were the first to reach Marzamemi. They were closely followed by Sean Borg’s Xpresso and Jamie Sammut’s Unica.

As ratings came into play it was Unica that emerged winner of the class, repeating their performance of last year.

Class 2 was dominated by Mark Vassallo’s Fast Forward who aimed for a good start in order to position themselves away from the faster overtaking boats. The gamble payed off with Vassallo winning the class.

Following a good social programme in Marzamemi it was time to head back home. The forecast of little or no wind for Monday, saw a few boats deciding to forego the race and motor down to Malta.

For the remaining boats, a one start for all classes took place. A light start promised a slow race, however a southerly breeze started to pick up as the fleet were five miles away from Capo Passero.

Winds reaching up to approximately 14 knots were experienced around 20 miles off Malta to give a great finish to the racers.

Chris Selvagi’s Puddleduck, who took some risky tactical decisions, won his class and the overall race.

Mark Vassallo (Fast Forward) and Dave Latham (Seawolf of Southampton) came in second and third place respectively.

In IRC Class 1 top billing went to Jamie Sammut (Unica) once again, whilst Sean Borg (Xpresso) pipped the Podesta’s Elusive 2 to second place. Peter Ellul Vincenti, aced the cruiser class to take another first place in the events of the weekend.

“Marzamemi never disappoints. Crews enjoy the mix of competitive racing and socialising which is a great combination for the first offshore outing of the club,” commented Godwin Zammit, Commodore of the Royal Malta Yacht Club.

“We are grateful towards the volunteers who assist with Race Management and logistical duties as well as our sponsor Citadel Insurance plc, who have been offering their unwavering support for a long time”.

The race was made possible through the efforts and support of Peter Dimech, Cliff Renshaw, Richard Dennis, Anna Rossi, Alana Meadows and Maria Vella-Galea.

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