Mixing it up at Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

Porto Cervo, Italy (September 3, 2019) – The second day of racing took place today in Porto Cervo in the 30th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. The north-west wind moving round to north was light, at approximately 8 to 10 knots with heavier patches of up to 13 knots.

A light breeze, but enough for the 50 boats taking part in the regatta to complete their scheduled races: two windward-leewards of approximately 8 miles each for the Mini Maxi Racer/Cruiser and Mini Maxi Cruiser/Racer, classes while all other yachts completed coastal courses of between 27 and 35.5 miles based on their respective division.

From the starting line the fleet headed towards the islet of Monaci and left it to port before descending into the Gulf of Le Saline, leaving the Secca di Tre Monti rock to port, passing through the strait off Bisce island and down to round the islands of Mortorio and Soffi before returning to Porto Cervo.

The winners of the day in their individual classes were: Cannonball, owned by YCCS member Dario Ferrari (Mini Maxi R1); SuperNikka, owned by Roberto Lacorte (Mini Maxi R2); Stephen Cucchiaro’s Flow (Mini Maxi RC); H2O, owned by Riccardo De Michele, and Lunz am Meer (Mini Maxi CR); the R/P 82 Highland Fling XI (Maxi Racing); the Cookson 85 Vera (Maxi RC); the J Class Topaz (Supermaxi); and Lyra, owned by Terry Hui (Wally Class).

Some of the day’s protagonists commented on the second day of racing. Dario Ferrari, owner and helmsman of Cannonball, said, “Sailing in Porto Cervo has always been one of the greatest joys for me, it’s difficult to find another place as beautiful as this! Today’s race was won in the first quarter of an hour, when we managed to break away from the group.

“When you are ahead, especially in a coastal race, everything is easier, you are free to make your tactical choices and stretch away from the boats behind. There was only one phase when the air dropped out when Bella Mente got closer, but then we got going again. We raced well and the boat has great speed, the improvements made are giving the results we expected, after winning in Palma we are now at the top of the provisional ranking but here we have more opponents and very impressive ones too.

“Vesper (formerly Momo) seems to me perfectly managed, Jethou is very fast with strong wind, Sorcha is good and is performing well, the new Bella Mente is debuting and hasn’t yet demonstrated its potential, but it won’t be long.”

Cameron Appleton, tactician on Highland Fling XI, commented, “This day was more suited to our boat than to others that are larger and wider. We had a good start and a good first half of the race, which was crucial to hold our time, this was key to today’s victory. The guys did a great job with the choices of sails and the changes which are necessary on these splendid coastal courses, where I’ve been lucky enough to race in many different classes, including maxi yachts.”

Owner and helmsman of SuperNikka,, Roberto Lacorte said, “We’ve gotten off on the right foot, two days with two victories. For five years now we have been racing with the same crew and we have set the boat up perfectly. Each year at the Maxi event we discover that we have improved in terms of performance.

“With the boat being fast we are free to choose the best tactics and to defend ourselves when needed, thanks to the crew which is doing a fantastic job. Our direct opponents are impressive, Wild Joe and Spectre have great professionals on board, in fact the races are always very hard fought and close between us, no mistakes can be allowed. Of course, with a boat like this it is easier to race.”

After the second day of racing ,the overall provisional classification sees the following yachts lead in their respective classes: Cannonball (Mini Maxi R1), SuperNikka (Mini Maxi R2), Flow (Mini Maxi RC), Lunz Am Meer (Mini Maxi CR), Highland Fling XI and Rambler 88 on equal points (Maxi Racer), Vera (Maxi RC), Topaz (Super Maxi), Magic Carpet Cubed and Y3K on equal points (Wally Class).

Tomorrow, September 4, racing will resume at 12 noon CEST with northerly wind of between 12 and 15 knots forecast. The Wally Class will be set windward-leeward races, while the other classes will race on a coastal course. At 9.30 a.m. the usual weather briefing will take place.

Racing at the 30th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is scheduled for September 2-7, with a lay day on Thursday, September 5, 2019.

Event Details – Results – Entry List

Source: YCCS Press Office