Tight battles at the top after second day of IMA Maxi Europeans inshore racing

Considering it is a fleet of very different maxi yachts, the playing field levelled by the IRC rating rule, competition remains ultra-tight at the IMA Maxi European Championship in Sorrento. In Maxi 1, typically contested by 80-100 footers, and the Maxi Grand Prix class for the former Maxi 72s, four boats are within one point in the former and three within one point in the latter. And this is despite teams having sailed four different types of race so far: an overnighter; a long coastal course around Capri followed by today’s two windward-leewards.

The forecast indicated racing would be unlikely, but the race committee, led by PRO Stuart Childerley, pulled the rabbit out of the hat. The start of the first race was delayed until the southwest wind filled in, building to 10 knots for the second race and dying as that concluded.

While in most Maxi 1 events the powerful 100 footers prevail, here the 80 footers have come their own with Alessandro Del Bono’s J/V Capricorno winning yesterday and today’s second race, while overall Maxi 1 leader, albeit tied on points with Karel Komárek’s 100ft V, is IMA board member Pier Luigi Loro Piana and his 80ft My Song, sailing their best regatta to date after three seasons campaigning.

Today the navy blue My Song won the opening race, despite the light conditions that previously would not have suited to her. “We're fighting,” commented Loro Piana. “Now we are a little more confident. We made some changes over the winter and the boat is more balanced and works well. In light winds we're satisfied with the results. Today my tactician [Manu Weiller, new to My Song] did a super job, especially in the first race when we stayed up with the 100 footers. The technical level of the other crews is very high, so the tinniest mistake you pay for.”

As event sponsor Loro Piana is pleased with Sorrento and how the Europeans, organised by the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia (CRVI) and the International Maxi Association and supported by Rolex and Loro Piana, has matured, now in its fifth year. “It continues to be important with more boats wanting to attend. The area is fantastic – you could spend a lifetime exploring between here and Naples and it’s the reason why it was selected for the America’s Cup. I hope Sorrento continues to be the base for this important IMA maxi championship.”

A new face led the second Maxi 1 race in Pascale Decaux’s Tilakkhana II sailed by a mixed crew including several of Alexia Barrier’s round the world record sailors such as Dee Caffari and Annemieke Bes. The 100 footer led on the water for the first three quarters of the second race before being overhauled by the mighty V.

“It was super exciting,” commented Caffari. “Due to the forecast, everyone went right, thinking it was going to shift but it didn't. The first beat was glamour for us. As we did the first bear away, I said to Pascale, ‘there's no one to point at because you're in front’, which was quite nice! We were really pleased to be second on the water and to still be on the podium in that race.”

Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente won the second windward-leeward in Maxi Grand Prix, pulling her up to second overall, one point astern of overall leader Peter Dubens’ North Star, while Sir Peter Ogden’s Jethou had a good day posting a 1-4; the bullet in the first race marking a strong start for her owners’ birthday celebrations. “These boats - everything's so close, if you don't pop out at the start, you just join the procession,” commented Ogden. “It is all down to seconds. If you get one second ahead, you win; one second behind, you lose.” In the first race Jethou was sandwiched between George Sakellaris’ Proteus and Peter Harrison’s Jolt at the start which culminated in Proteus infringing and carrying out a penalty turn. From there Jethou found some good lanes on the first beat to lead around the top mark.

Of the second race Joca Signorini, who serves in Jethou’s afterguard alongside America’s Cup legend Brad Butterworth, commented: “We got a little bit more stuck on the start. Then on the last downwind, thanks to some of the bigger boats, we ended up doing more gybes than we should have and left some points there.”

In Maxi 3 there are two run-away leaders in Guido Paolo Gamucci's canting keel Mylius 60 Cippa Lippa X on six points and Franz Baruffaldi Preis/Silvia De' Longhi's JV62 Manticore on nine. Both scored a 1-2 today.

“The second one we lost by 10 seconds, but that's the fun of the sport, no?” commented Manticore tactician Andrea Casale. “Provided we get the chance to start well and sail our race, the boat is helping us, rating-wise.” While Manticore, a racing Mini Maxi that was once Sir Peter Ogden’s Jethou, is the highest rated, there are a number of bigger boats in Maxi 3 to get in her way. They include two Wally 94s, Marcos Vivian’s Astra 1 and Jean-Sebastian Decaux’s Sensei. As Casale warned: “You always have to keep well clear of the bigger ones, because if your positioning is wrong and they roll you, it can be a 30 second loss…”

Also dwarfing Manticore is new-comer to the maxi fleet Simon Turner’s Swan 90 Hummingbird. Tactician Andy Beadsworth commented: “It was fun today. We enjoyed the racing - it was nice, tight starts and a lot of interaction. I think Simon really enjoyed the closeness of the racing, dodging boats and almost rubbing paint a couple of times! It was a good day considering the forecast.”

At present the largest lead across the IMA Maxi Europeans fleet is Vincenzo Addessi’s Mylius 18E35 Fra' Diavolo in Maxi 4-5, on seven points, four ahead of Riccardo De Michele’s Vallicelli 78 H20. Of their 1-2 today (H2O won the second race), Fra' Diavolo’s Spanish tactician Diego Frustoso commented: “For us it was two completely different races. In the first we had a really good start and were leading - which is difficult because we started with Maxi 3, including 94 footers… The second race was the opposite: we had a plan and although we had some problems in the first half, we made a nice comeback to finish second. It was a good day for us.”

In the Tre Golfi Sailing Week’s Multihull Trophy (part of the IMA’s 2026 Mediterranean Maxi Multihull Challenge), today’s coastal race between the three catamarans was won by Adrian Keller’s Irens 82 Allegra by four and a half minutes from the Nisbet family’s Gunboat 72 Layla. Allegra tactician Paul Larsen explained: “It was very good today: We were just hoping to have a clean fight. We saw 14 knots and no big holes, but lots of shifts to make it interesting. Layla got a shift wrong on the last beat and got murdered there, but I think when we factored everything in, we thought it was pretty close.”