The first leg of the Cape 31 class’s Mediterranean circuit – the opening event of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s racing season - drew to a close today in Porto Cervo. Fourteen teams took part aboard the one-design yachts designed by Mark Mills together with YCCS member Lord Irvine Laidlaw, and, at the conclusion of three days of racing, it was Italian team Stig, owned by Alessandro Rombelli, who claimed overall victory. Michael Wilson’s Shotgunn took second place, with Kalantis rounding out the podium in third.
Windward-leeward racing got underway on Friday, 24 April on the regatta course just off Porto Cervo, in predominantly light winds that reached peaks of just 10 knots in the final two races of day two. Django, helmed by Vittorio Lombardi Stronati and flying the YCCS colours, set the pace on day one, posting a win, a third and a second-place finish to take the lead in the provisional standings. It was all change on day two, as Stig, with a crew including Olympic medallist Sime Fantela, nailed the tactical decisions to claim three wins out of four races held and seize the overall lead, trailed, just 5 points behind, by Shotgunn.
The battle for first place was still wide open as the teams headed into the final day of competition. Tactics and a laser focus on each and every manoeuvre proved decisive for the teams on the water, again put to the test by challengingly light winds.
Racing was delayed this morning while the fleet waited for the breeze to fill in, but two further races were then completed to reach the nine-race maximum. Victory went to La Pericolosa in the first race of the day, ahead of Eker Süzme in second and Shotgunn in third place. Stig finished ninth, but a fourth-place finish in the final race of the event was sufficient to edge Shotgunn, the reigning champion from the previous season, into second. In the ninth and final race, Django led the fleet throughout to claim the win, but failed to displace Kalantis from third place overall.
Alessandro Rombelli, owner of Stig, commented: “We are very pleased to have secured victory in the first round of the season for the class. It has been a positive week for our team and an equally demanding one, with challenging weather conditions that nevertheless allowed us to complete the scheduled racing programme. I love racing in Porto Cervo. Everything came down to the final race today, which shows just how competitive this class is.”
Team Chocolate claimed top honours among the Corinthian boats.
“We are delighted to have kicked off the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s racing season with the Cape 31 class. These have been three intense and hard-fought days, during which the Race Committee did an excellent job, ensuring the full programme was completed despite particularly light wind conditions. I would like to thank the class, all the owners, the crews and their guests for coming to Porto Cervo. We hope they enjoyed their stay, both on the water and ashore, and we look forward to welcoming them back in the future." Said YCCS Secretary General and Sports Director Giorgio Benussi.
May promises to be a busy month for the YCCS, with Vela & Golf (15–17 May) scheduled, followed by the Grand Soleil Cup (21-23 May) the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta (26–30 May) and the Range Rover Sardinia Cup from 31 May to 7 June. The Cape 31 circuit continues with the next rounds scheduled for Puntaldia and Bonifacio.