Anticipation was high for the second day of racing at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup after the cancellation of day one of the world's premier maxi yacht regatta, organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, in conjunction with the International Maxi Association.
Unfortunately, for a second day, Mother Nature gained the upper hand with the westerly Mistral once again preventing racing on the immaculate waters of the Costa Smeralda.
While on Monday there was no chance of racing with the Mistral gusting to 50+ knots, today the forecast indicated that the wind conditions might abate adequately to allow racing to get underway. While Ariane Mainemare, PRO for the windward-leeward courses, kept the former Maxi 72s in the Maxi 2 class from leaving the harbour, Stuart Childerley, PRO for the coastal courses, invited the remaining five classes out on the water in case a lull might permit racing. In the event, with the wind typically blowing 20-26 knots and gusting to 29, conditions were considered excessive and at 12:47 the dreaded AP over A flag combination was hoisted, sending all boats home for the day.
“Already in the marina we were seeing up to 28 knots and it was very gusty,” commented triple Olympic Gold medallist and America’s Cup winner Jochen Schümann, who here is calling tactics on Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones’ 100ft Magic Carpet Cubed. “On the water the average was close to 24 knots and the gusts were more, so I think the race committee made the right call. Unfortunately it is a very bad week because the next days won’t be much better, but we’ll start tomorrow early to make up the races.”
Schümann is relishing the opportunity to compete in this first ever Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Championship. In this the 10 boat fleet spans, in IRC rating, Seng Huang Lee's 100ft SHK Scallywag down to the 82ft Django HF and includes the trio of former Wallycentos – Magic Carpet Cubed, plus David M Leuschen and Chris Flowers’ defending champion Galateia (with an Irish crew) and Karel Komarek’s V. “It is important to have this as the World Championship because it is the right title for it and I think it is a title that everyone understands: it means it is an outstanding event, at a good venue with the best boats,” continued Schümann, who also counts many World Championship titles among his past victories.
On the J Svea, at 43.6m the longest yacht competing at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the wind at the top of her towering mast was even stronger. Tactician Bouwe Bekking recounted: “It peaked at 33 knots and averaged 30. It was the right call not to race – they gave it a good try.” By chance here last year they had briefly attempted to race in 30 knots on board Svea. “Upwind it is all okay, but downwind you have to gybe which is difficult with the full main. On other boats they’re faster, but here we do 12 knots and that’s it…”
Tomorrow, Wednesday 11 September, the race committee has confirmed that they intend to get racing underway earlier than scheduled to make the most of the available conditions. Maxi 1 and Maxi 2 will both be on windward-leewards, with three races scheduled apiece, while the remaining classes will sail coastal courses with a first warning signal for both at 1000.
Andrew McIrvine, Secretary General of the International Maxi Association, was on the race committee boat today: "We tried hard to get racing in. Having got the fleet out, we hoped that the forecast of a slight moderation in the wind would occur, but in the end it was clearly not possible.
"Tomorrow the prospect looks much more hopeful, with 12 knots to begin with. We are starting early because the wind is forecast to fill in to a similar strength to today by around 1500."
