Ultra-light winds and major tactical swings produced a dramatic opening day at the IMA Maxi European Championship off Capri.
The inshore and coastal series began with an anti-clockwise lap of the island as crews battled shifting breezes and sudden calm patches in the Gulf of Naples. The race formed part of the Tre Golfi Sailing Week, organised by the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia in partnership with the International Maxi Association.
One of the standout performances came from Manticore, the 62-footer recently acquired by Franz Baruffaldi Preis and Silvia De’ Longhi. The yacht finished fourth overall on the water despite competing in the smaller Maxi 3 division. “It was tough conditions, a very tactical race but things went in our favour,” said De’ Longhi. “We’re very pleased.”
Lucky Break: Franz Baruffaldi Preis and Silvia De’ Longhi’s newly acquired Manticore delivered a standout performance with a remarkable result around Capri. Photo: James Tomlinson
Baruffaldi Preis added, “The good thing was that the 80-100 footers showed us where not to go.”
The opening stages saw Karel Komárek’s 100ft V and Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones’ Magic Carpet e lead towards Capri before both fell into a prolonged wind hole off the island. George Sakellaris’ Proteus capitalised on the shift, cutting close to Capri’s south-west corner to move into contention.
Further drama unfolded on the return leg into Naples as several leading yachts became trapped in a fading breeze near the Sorrento shoreline.
Alessandro Del Bono’s 80ft Capricorno found pressure offshore and surged past Chris Flowers and David M Leuschen’s Galateia to secure overall line honours and victory on corrected time. “We were scared by the boats coming from the north that were really fast while there was no wind where we were,” said Del Bono. “The boat has really improved since last year. Torben Grael did an amazing job.”
In the Maxi Grand Prix class, Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente recovered from an early setback to claim victory after a strong offshore route to the finish. “It was a reactive day,” said tactician Terry Hutchinson. “We said, ‘let’s just go for it and see what happens.’”
Charge Back: Bella Mente staged a dramatic recovery to claim victory in the Maxi Grand Prix class after falling behind in the shifting breezes off Capri. Photo: James Tomlinson
The Maxi 4/5 division went to Vincenzo Addessi’s Fra Diavolo, while Lord Irvine Laidlaw’s Highland Fling 18 topped the multihull fleet. Racing continues this week off Capri and Naples, with further inshore and coastal contests scheduled.
Multi Magic: Highland Fling 18 leads the multihull fleet during Tre Golfi Sailing Week racing off Capri, where tactical sailing and light winds tested crews throughout the day. Photo: IMA
