Two days in: Liberty on top, Kalantis celebrates an impressive third place
If the day began with some doubts about whether the wind would hold long enough to carry the fleet along the a 33 nautical mile course through the Maddalena Archipelago, those doubts were quickly dispelled as a near 20 knot breeze, with gusts up to 22, proved steady well into the afternoon.
In Racing Division SY Blue Class, SW108 Kalantis, secured a well deserved third place after a strong start to the regatta.
Kalantis tactician Cameron Appleton had this to say: “We were lucky because we got to start at the front of our group, which made things easier as we had fewer boats to pass, and we were able to do that before the narrow section. We are learning, we’ve just started, but our growth is exponential, and everyone is working super hard to sail the boat at the level she’s asking of us. It was a phenomenal race, a lovely racecourse in beautiful conditions!”
SW96 Liberty took first place today, a precious result that puts her in the lead in both in SY White Class and the SW Division Class.
Bouwe Bekking, Tactitian of the Liberty team, commented: “Of course winners are grinners, and today we won our class, which is quite nice. It’s always good to end the day like that! There was a lot of ‘traffic’ going through the small channels near La Maddalena, and positioning is crucial. That is the biggest challenge: how to get through the traffic without losing time.”
Notable performance today also for SW94 Magic Blue, who scored second place in the SY White Class, just a few minutes behind SW96 Liberty.
Silvio Scopel, part of the Magic Blue tightly knit team, describes the renewed satisfaction onboard: “Target achieved! We finished second, just a few seconds behind the winner. There is still plenty of room for improvement, but we’re satisfied. It was fantastic crossing between the islands, making the most of both the wind pressure and the currents, and choosing the right angles to maximise speed. Our owner is always fully on it, not letting up for a second. Great manoeuvres, very solid trimming, and clear communication throughout.”
In the overall Southern Wind standings, SW96 Liberty holds on to first place, followed by Morgana, Gelliceaux and Kalantis.
The SW Rendezvous fleet followed a slightly shorter course than the racing “armada,” yet found themselves continuously criss-crossing paths and sailing in tight, hull-to-hull situations as the fleet worked up the narrow channel upwind, an amazing moment to be a witness to in the thick of it, as it was from aboard SW100 Starfall.
Captain Sean Furney, “We had a lot of fun. The course was fantastic, with legs offering different wind angles and strengths. We are operating only with white sails at the moment, no gennaker, no spinnaker. Today there were several pinch points, including a passage through the tight straits at the top, which was phenomenal. We had a good start in our class, and then all the ‘big boys’ came piling through behind us, overtaking all around us. It was mind-blowing, and the owner was so happy!”
