Irish sailors Justin Slattery, Nin O’Leary and Edwin O’Connor were among the winning crew as superyacht Galateia claimed the Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Championship in Sardinia.
They joined Simon Johnson, Rory Harrap and Kelvin Harrap aboard the 100ft yacht, skippered by David M Leuschen, with Chris Flowers, in a dramatic finale at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup.
A win in the opening race put Galateia ahead, but a slow start in the second left her last on corrected time at the first mark. The crew regrouped and climbed to fifth, enough to seal the crown on countback.
The Galateia crew celebrate Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Championship victory in Sardinia with Cork's Justin Slattery on champagne duty (left) and Nin O'Leary (right) Photo: James Tomlinson
“We were further behind than I’ve ever been,” said Leuschen. “But we got in the groove and caught the shifts.”
Joost Schuijff’s Leopard 3 finished second after winning the last race, just one point clear of Andrea Recordati’s Bullitt.
Elsewhere, Giovanni Lombardi Stronati’s Django 7X took the Maxi Grand Prix title, while Moat, H2O and Oscar 3 won their respective classes.
The event, organised by the International Maxi Association and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, marked 40 years of Rolex sponsorship.
Full results here
