Irish sailors are in the thick of the action at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo, where Peter Dubens’ Northstar III has clinched the Rolex IMA Maxi Grand Prix World Championship with a race to spare.
The title success includes Irish sailors Shane Diviney and Frank O'Leary aboard the new JV76, while Leopard 3, carrying Irish crew Will Byrne, Tom McWilliam and Mark Petticrew, swept both of Friday’s races to take the lead in the Maxi 1 World Championship ahead of Saturday’s finale.
Northstar III Seals World Championship
Strong mistral conditions again dominated the fourth and penultimate day in Sardinia, with winds of 18 to 23 knots and gusts reaching 28 knots.
Northstar III went into the day with four consecutive victories from the opening four races. Fifth and fourth places on Friday proved enough to make Dubens’ team mathematically unbeatable.
Jolt won both Maxi Grand Prix races but remains second overall on 21 points, eight behind Northstar III on 13, with Balthasar third on 23.
“I think this is the 11th year in a row I’ve been competing in this event with Peter and it’s the culmination of a lot of work,” Northstar III tactician Nick Rogers said.
“I think the team have been mega and this project has seen a lot of people working a lot of hours to get here. It's an amazing boat and there's still plenty to come.”
Fleet Focus: The Maxi Grand Prix fleet powers upwind off Porto Cervo, with the Maxi 3 coastal racers visible under spinnaker in the background during the penultimate day of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. Photo: Rolex/Studio Borlenghi
Leopard 3 Takes Maxi 1 Lead
There was also a significant Irish interest in the Maxi 1 division, where Leopard 3 produced a perfect two-race scoreline.
The Farr 100 won the opening race ahead of V and Galateia, before taking a second victory from Galateia and My Song.
The double puts Leopard 3 into the final day on 12 points, four clear of V, with Galateia another point behind in third.
The Maxi 1 fleet also contains several more Irish sailors. Nin O’Leary, Justin Slattery and Simon Johnson are aboard Galateia, while James O’Mahony is sailing on V.
Django 7x Scores Double Third
Irish interest extends into the Maxi Grand Prix fleet, where Gratt Roberts is aboard the wallyrocket71 Django 7x.
Django 7x took third place in both of Friday’s windward-leeward races, behind Jolt and Proteus in the opener and Jolt and Balthasar in the second.
Elsewhere, Artemis Bleu won the Maxi 3 coastal race to strengthen her overall lead, while Yoru took a second consecutive Maxi 4 victory.
Lunz am Meer ended H2O’s winning sequence in Maxi 5, edging the class leader by 23 seconds on corrected time, while Highland Fling XVIII completed a hat-trick of victories in the Multihull division.
Final Day in Porto Cervo
Saturday brings the final day of the 36th Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, with the Maxi 1 world title still to be decided and Leopard 3 carrying a four-point advantage into the finale.
The first warning signal is scheduled for noon CEST, with north-north-easterly winds of seven to 12 knots forecast. No start will be given after 3pm.
The prize-giving ceremony is scheduled for 5.30pm in Piazza Azzurra.
