Rally through the La Maddalena Archipelago
On Tuesday, the race organisers had to send the Maxi fleet out in search of wind. A large area of calm was looming off Porto Cervo. As a result, the courses were set to the north-west, rounding the islands of the La Maddalena archipelago. The six classes were given different distances, tailored to their respective speeds.
The eight Maxi-1 crews sailed the longest course, covering 34.5 nautical miles. The route took them round Santa Maria, Budelli and Razzoli, amongst other places. In the north-west of the archipelago, the mistral picked up to around 15 knots. Due to a shift in the wind, the finish line was moved to the Gulf of Saline.
This created an unusual scene in the La Maddalena channel: teams from all six classes came together almost simultaneously. The large Maxis, with their colourful gennakers, passed each other between the islands. Traffic became particularly heavy in the Bomb Alley section.
‘Leopard 3’ is making its way to the top
In the Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Championship, ‘Leopard 3’ prevailed after 34.5 nautical miles, finishing 46 seconds ahead of ‘V’. ‘Galateia’ crossed the finish line a further one minute and four seconds later. Based on calculated times, the three fastest yachts were separated by just 1 minute and 50 seconds.
For ‘Leopard 3’, it marked a return to the top. After the second race, Joost Schuijff’s Farr 100 and Karel Komárek’s ‘V’ lead the overall standings with four points each. ‘Capricorno’ follows on five points. “Galateia” is in fourth place after two races.
“Leopard 3” didn’t get off to the best start initially. However, the crew fought their way back section by section. On upwind legs, the heavily modified offshore racer was able to keep up; on reaching legs, according to tactician Chris Nicholson, she was slightly faster. The reason for repeatedly making up a few boat lengths was that the bow crew employed a wide variety of sail configurations, switching from the genoa and staysail to the masthead zero, then to the jibtop, and back again to the genoa and staysail.
‘Northstar III’ remain unbeaten
In the Rolex IMA Maxi Grand Prix, the ‘Northstar III’ crew, led by owner-skipper Peter Dubens, continued their winning streak. The new 76-foot Judel/Vrolijk design also won the third race. On the water, she was 7 minutes and 10 seconds ahead of ‘Jolt’; on a corrected time basis, the lead was 3 minutes and 48 seconds.
“Northstar III” thus leads the overall standings with three points. “Jolt” and Bella Mente follow, level on points with eleven each. The new yacht’s impressive speed is also partly down to its IRC rating: its TCC is 1,681, which is close to the ratings of the larger Maxi-1 yachts. “Northstar III” navigator Miles Seddon designed much of the electronic systems on the new boat, including a LiDAR system for real-time, 3D laser measurement of the sails – the latest technology in the field of sail trim.
Seddon commented: “It was lovely – and a really clever decision to sail at the tip [of La Maddalena] on calm water to get into the building breeze, where we recorded 14 to 16 knots. Then we tried to work our way forward carefully, avoiding the current and finding wind shifts off the headlands. Behind us, rock management was our main concern. But at 16 to 19 knots, everything happens in quick succession …”
Close finishes at the Maxi Yacht Cup
In the Maxi 3 class, ‘Twin Soul B’ won ahead of ‘Astra I’ and ‘Manticore’. The Mylius 80 FD, helmed by Italian America’s Cup helmsman Francesco Bruni, moved to the top of the provisional overall standings. In the Maxi 4 group, “Fra Diavolo” came out on top for the second time, whilst “H2O” also secured its second victory of the day in the Maxi 5 class.
The closest finish of the day came in the six-boat multihull class. “Highland Fling XVIII” beat “Allegra” by a mere 36 seconds on corrected time. “Sophia”, a 63-foot trimaran, came third. In the overall standings, the three boats are level on four points each after two races. The Gunboat 72 After a promising start, “Layla” was ultimately ranked fifth.
A day’s rest before the next chance of wind
The rest day scheduled for Thursday has been brought forward due to the weather forecast. Consequently, there will be no race on Wednesday, 9 September 2026. Racing will resume on Thursday, 10 September, at 12 noon CEST.
For the Maxi-1 class, the next day of racing could prove decisive. “Leopard 3” and “V” are tied at the top of the standings, whilst “Capricorno” remains within striking distance, just one point behind. In the Maxi Grand Prix, however, the results so far clearly favour “Northstar III”. Three wins from three races mean they have a comfortable lead.
Book recommendations
Malte Philipp’s book covers the preparation, execution and analysis of regattas. This includes tactical fundamentals, strategic decisions and the assessment of wind conditions.
Ivar Dedekam’s book explains the trimming of headsails, mainsails, spinnakers, gennakers and the rig. The book offers readers a practical guide to the technical decisions that determine a yacht’s performance as wind angles change and speed increases.
Sören Gehlhaus
Stellvertretender Chefredakteur BOOTE EXCLUSIV