maxi yacht lucky

Black Jack Shatters Record in Thrilling Palermo-Montecarlo Yacht Race

Aug 23, 2024

Black Jack Breaks Record in Exciting Palermo-Montecarlo Race

The 19th installment of the Palermo-Montecarlo race, renowned for its difficulty and competitive nature in the yachting world, has wrapped up with a remarkable showing by Remon Vos’ 100ft maxi yacht, Black Jack. This vessel not only took line honours but also obliterated the prior race record by over three hours, finishing with a remarkable elapsed time of 44 hours, 34 minutes, and 14 seconds.

The competition, coordinated by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia (CVS) in partnership with the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS), marked the concluding event of the International Maxi Association’s 2023-24 Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge (MMOC). The series kicked off last autumn with the Rolex Middle Sea Race and culminated in this distinguished event.

Five Maxis Charge Ahead in a Close Contest

Out of the 50-plus yachts that departed on 20 August from Mondello, five maxis particularly shone in the competition. The course led the fleet through a required scoring gate off Porto Cervo before advancing past Corsica to the finish in Montecarlo. Louis Balcaen’s formerly known Maxi 72 Balthasar achieved a respectable third place both on the water and in IRC corrected time. Nevertheless, the focus was on the fierce struggle for line honors between Black Jack and Bryon Ehrhart’s 88ft Lucky.

Black Jack, with new owner Remon Vos at the helm for the first time, displayed a crew comprising French, Dutch, and Australian members, including former skipper Mark Bradford. Meanwhile, Lucky, which had recently participated in the Aegean 600, was reappearing with an entirely new rig after experiencing a dismasting problem during last year’s Rolex Middle Sea Race.

Diverse Designs and Approaches

Even though both yachts feature canting keels, their constructions are significantly dissimilar. Lucky, launched in 2015 as Rambler 88, exhibits a wide, robust hull inspired by VO70s, positioning her as a formidable competitor in upwind and reaching scenarios. On the other hand, Black Jack, which debuted in 2005 as Alfa Romeo II, is longer and more slender, excelling in gentler winds thanks to her compact dense tungsten bulb.

The racing conditions favored both yachts at various points. Lucky thrived in the initial phases, especially upwind and reaching when the winds were stronger. However, as the wind diminished and shifted to a rear position later on, Black Jack capitalized on her design benefits and took the lead.

A Strategic Contest Around Sardinia and Corsica

With a mistral blowing west of Sardinia, the fleet decided to remain east of the rhumb line on the initial night to avoid being caught in the island’s wind shadow. Lucky initially took the lead, crossing the Porto Cervo gate a full seven minutes ahead of Black Jack. The two yachts then traversed Bomb Alley, nestled between the Maddalena archipelago and the Sardinian coast, before making their way up Corsica’s southwest coast. It was during this stretch that Black Jack managed to surpass her competitor.

As the race carried on, the conditions between Corsica and Monaco improved for the front runners, with winds reaching 25-28 knots and a choppy sea state. Despite Lucky’s attempts to reclaim the lead, Black Jack successfully increased her margin in the final transition zone and ultimately clinched the victory, setting a new race record.

Lucky Wins Under IRC Adjusted Time

Although finishing 43 minutes and 11 seconds after Black Jack, Lucky triumphed in the Maxi Class under IRC corrected time, achieving victory by a margin of 46 minutes. This race highlighted the expertise and perseverance of both crews, who navigated through tough conditions and engaged in an exciting contest from beginning to end.

The Palermo-Montecarlo race, characterized by its strategic challenges and fluctuating weather, offered a deserving finale to the MMOC series. The winner of the IMA’s MMOC will be revealed shortly, with the award presentation scheduled during the IMA Members’ Dinner at the upcoming Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in September.

This article has been sourced from press releases and cross-referenced with multiple trusted websites. Facts originally seen at Source along with other Sources . Images are credited to Source . While efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, readers are encouraged to verify details independently.

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Black Jack 100 breaks Palermo-Montecarlo record, secures victory for Yacht Club de Monaco

Posted by Jack Brodie, Editor-in-Chief | Aug 23, 2024 | Sport

After nine years, the Palermo-Montecarlo record has finally been broken. The new record was set by the maxi yacht Black Jack 100, helmed by Yacht Club de Monaco member Tristan Le Brun, who completed the 500-nautical-mile journey from Palermo, Sicily, to Monaco in 1 day, 20 hours, 34 minutes, and 22 seconds. This achievement shatters the previous record set in 2015 by Esimit Europa 2, which is in fact the former name of Black Jack 100.

The Palermo-Montecarlo race, organised by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia in collaboration with the Yacht Club de Monaco and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, saw participation from around 50 international teams this year, including notable entries like Andrea Statari’s Comet 45s Gorilla Gang XL and Paul Basson’s Swan46 Foreign Affair, both representing the Yacht Club de Monaco.

The race began on Tuesday, August 20, under windy conditions that saw competitors racing up the coasts of Sardinia and Corsica at full speed. The battle between Black Jack 100 and the American yacht Lucky, helmed by Bryon Ehrhart, kept spectators on edge as the two crews sailed neck and neck for much of the race. Ultimately, Black Jack 100 pulled ahead midway through the course, securing a 44-minute lead by the finish.

This victory not only makes Black Jack 100 the real-time winner but also crowns it the new record holder of the Palermo-Montecarlo race. The crew will receive the Giuseppe Tasca D’Almerita Trophy for their achievement.

Featured image courtesy of Studio Borlenghi – Circolo della Vela Sicilia

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Palermo-Montecarlo line honours and record for Black Jack; maxi prize for Lucky

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Published on September 11th, 2021 | by Editor

No wind for Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup finale

Published on September 11th, 2021 by Editor -->

Porto Cervo, Italy (September 11, 2021) – The wind never filled in on the final day of the 2021 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, thus, following yesterday’s layday, the results stand after four days of racing.

For the third time, the stand-out performance across the maxi fleets was that of Canadian Terry Hui’s Lyra. The 2000 vintage Wally 77, once raced by the Murdoch family, was first campaigned by Hui in 2018 and won the Wally class that year and in 2019, when she scored firsts and seconds in all but one race.

This year, with the Wallys incorporated into the main IRC fleets, Lyra won Mini Maxi 3 with four straight bullets. Often this was by a significant margin, although Riccardo de Michele’s Vallicelli 78 H20, which has previously dominated the Mini Maxi class, was second to Lyra by two minutes under IRC corrected time on day three.

In fact, Lyra is a well optimized boat with a top professional crew led by Kiwi tactician Hamish Pepper and including round the world sailor Phil Harmer, former Team Shosholoza America’s Cup navigator Marc Lagesse, and skipper Mark Sadler.

“That definitely helps,” says Pepper. “We have a lot of sailors from the TP52s and RC44s and every maneuver we do with grand prix style and we push the boat to get every inch out of it. Terry got us a new main and new jib and the boat had a few improvements like new rigging and the mast is a lot better balanced so we can get the right tension out of it.”

Hui added, “I have been lucky to have a good boat and a good crew, but most importantly lucky to be back. It makes me feel that whatever we take for granted, that is normal, is actually so precious and it makes you appreciate that what we have been doing is very special.”

In the 100+ft Super Maxi class, Ronald de Waal’s magnificent J Velsheda enjoyed a near perfect scoreline, dropping just the final race to Topaz. The two Js have dominated the Super Maxi class with Christian Oldendorff’s Spirit Yachts 111 Geist finishing the regatta tied on points with the Swan 115 Shamanna, but winning on countback.

British America’s Cup and Olympic sailor Andy Beadsworth, sharing tactical duties with American Mike Toppa on board Velsheda, was experiencing his first week J Class sailing. “I thoroughly enjoyed sailing on the boat and with the team. We had a couple of phenomenal races against Topez when we were never more than three boat lengths apart.”

Beadsworth, who has previously raced here and won aboard boats like Michael Cotter’s Whisper and Windfall, the late Sir Peter Harrison’s Sojana, continued: “They have differences upwind and downwind, but overall they are very evenly matched. They are less maneuverable than a lot of boats and you really need to steer them with the sails. So it is team effort to get the boat around the track, but a team like this makes it look deceptively easy.”

The closest racing was between the former Maxi 72s, which ran away with the top five spots in Mini Maxi 1. Ultimately Dario Ferrari’s Botin-designed Cannonball, finished two points clear of Jim Swartz’s Vesper in turn one ahead of both George Sakellaris’ Proteus and Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente.

Cannonball was the defending champion here and racing with the same equipment as in 2019. “The crew was very good, the tactician was very good – so we won,” explained Ferrari. “I believe that this is the best class and between everybody the racing is close.”

Victory has inspired Ferrari to compete with Cannonball again in 2022. “The boat is fast enough. We haven’t done anything this year to make it faster. With new sails and changing a few things we could be more competitive, so why not? The nice thing about this class is that you improve every year.”

Sharing tactical duties this week on Cannonball were both Michele Ivaldi and Vasco Vascotto. Of their victory. “For sure it is surprising because we know how strong the other guys are, but this week we did everything nice and smooth,” said Vascotto. “We made some mistakes but not many and this is still a very good boat.”

This was Vascotto’s first win in the class having previously come second three times.

Some of the closest racing has been in the Maxi class for 80-100 footers where an unprecedented six 100 footers were competing plus the new Swan 98 BeCool. Ultimately, the 100ft Wallys tied up the podium with Sir Lindsay Owen Jones’s Magic Carpet Cubed coming out on top, two points ahead of Claus-Peter Offen’s older Y3K, in turn two ahead of David M. Leuschen’s Galateia.

For Owen Jones, one of the longest term supporters of both the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the International Maxi Association, this was the seventh time he has won this event in his various Magic Carpets, the last being in 2016.

“I am very happy,” he said. “None of us had the faintest idea how it would work out against all these incredible boats that have won the Rolex Fastnet Race or Sydney Hobart, etc [ie Rambler 88, Comanche and ARCA SGR] but Magic Carpet is a well rounded boat that does most things pretty well. The other boats do some things extremely well. That is reflected by how we didn’t win any races but were always up there which you can only do if you sail the boat well.”

On the final race day, Irvine Laidlaw’s Highland Fling XI was enjoying a commanding lead in the Maxi class until her forestay broke.

Impressively, the team moved heaven and earth to get a new carbon fiber forestay sent out from Carbolink in Switerland aboard Laidlaw’s private jet. Once arrived last night, the stay was tensioned on the dock using hydraulic rams and then cured by running electric current through it – a process taking just five hours, before it was reinstalled.

Highland Fling XI ended the regatta in fourth, designers Reichel/Pugh having drawn three of the top four in the Maxi class.

For Wendy Schmidt, owner of Deep Blue, this Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup was a great relief. Although her Botin 85 was launched in February 2020, due to the pandemic this was the first race for her ‘Maxi 72 on steroids’. Deep Blue finished fifth in the 12 boat fleet.

“This was our maiden voyage, finding out about the boat and its modes. We had great competition to do that with, so we have nowhere to go but up,” said Schmidt, who raced here previously with her Swan 80 Selene. “It was a great event, wonderful for our crew to get back together and to tune the boat up.”

There was also great diversity in the boats at the top of Mini Maxi 2, where Jean-Pierre Barjon’s Swan 601 Lorina 1895 claimed Tuesday’s race, IMA President Benoît de Froidmont’s Wallyño ended up fourth while the two overall leaders were longer – Luciano Gandini’s Mylius 80 Twin Soul B taking second to Alessandro Del Bono’s immaculate Reichel/Pugh 78 Maxi Capricorno, originally built in 1995 as Morning Glory.

Del Bono’s Capricorno is a family affair, his father (with a young Alessandro on board) having raced in Admiral’s Cups, while today Alessandro’s own son Rinaldo races on board.

Del Bono last competed at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in the early 2000s and despite Capricorno being old, it has been thoroughly modernised, reducing draft from 4.5 to 4m with optimised rig and sails. “We knew we were competitive and in the end we achieved the result we fought for,” del Bono explained. “The races were very good.”

Racing took place from September 6 to 11 for the fleet of 44 yachts competing in three maxi classes (Mini Maxi 60-80ft; Maxi 80-100ft; Super Maxi 100+ft) with all three divisions further subdivided based on their performance characteristics.

Event information – Results – Photos

Source: IMA

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Many owners – Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, Pier Luigi Loro Piana, Lord Irvine Laidlaw, Claus Peter Offen, Carlo A. Puri Negri, Riccardo De Michele to name a few – have raced the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup for years.

But on the opening day of the 2022 edition of the International Maxi Association’s pinnacle event, organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, it was generally not the old hands but the new that enjoyed the best results.

With the 10-20 knot wind from the southeast, the race committee sent the 46 competing yachts in seven classes on an upwind leg and then on an anti-clockwise lap of the La Maddalena archipelago, with a long run up the seaward side of the picturesque islands before a beat up ‘Bomb Alley’. The courses were 31nm for the faster maxis (Super Maxi; Maxi; J Class; Mini Maxi 0 and 1) 23.5 for the slower ones (Mini Maxi 2 and 3-4).

There was drama at the J Class start when the massive genoa on Topaz exploded requiring her army of crew to scrabble to recover the broken sail and plug in a replacement before they got going. For the three other classic 1930s designs, the competition was close with Velsheda claiming line honours but Svea winning under the J Class Rule.

On Velsheda they got off to a good start and led up the first beat. “We had a good tussle with Svea – we are probably a similar speed upwind and they have a little edge downwind,” said tactician Tom Dodson, paying tribute to owner/helmsman Ronald de Waal. “He had a brilliant day, even though it was tricky – we weren’t that far in front and a couple of times in Bomb Alley we only just scraped in front of Svea.” Ultimately Velsheda finished third on corrected time behind Ranger.

Another Swedish-owned yacht prevailed in the Super Maxi class with the Swan 115 Shamanna scoring her first ever race win. The crew comprises a mix of the owner’s friends and seasoned pros like Guy Barron, Jens Christensen, David Gilmour and Andrew Taylor. “It is exciting to have won our first race,” said Barron. “It is nothing special apart from people working to get better and better as a team…”

Shamanna’s owner added: “It felt good! It was a nice race, but unremarkable – we are trying to avoid making any mistakes, but you can always improve. It is our first day here and we have been going through what we can do better.”

Similarly in the Mini Maxi 2 class, it was not Spirit of Lorina or other regular winners, such as Capricorno or Twin Soul B, that prevailed but German Sven Wackerhagen’s new team on the Wally 80 Rose.

Danish former World Match Racing Tour winner Jesper Radich is calling tactics on board: “I think we stayed cool. The race course was fairly straightforward, but the devil was in the detail and a trade-off between making too many sail changes and optimising what you have flying. We made a massive gain on the reaching leg by just keeping our A2. The owner is thrilled.”

Among the former Maxi 72s in Mini Maxi 1, it was not the highest rated – Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente, nor reigning champion Dario Ferrari’s Cannonball that won today but Jim Swartz’s Vesper; one of the least tampered-with Maxi 72s.

Jim Swartz’s Vesper won Mini Maxi 1 today. The boat knows this race course well having previously been the two-time Rolex Maxi 72 World Champion Momo. Photo: IMA / Studio Borlenghi

“We just had a good day,” said Swartz, who won Les Voiles de Saint Barths earlier this year. “The boys really sailed the boat well. We had a couple of passing opportunities and that was pretty much the race.” Swartz acknowledged that some of the usual heavy hitters are having to relearn their boats following extensive modifications made to them.

One of their passing moves was what tactician Gavin Brady described as a ‘power set’: “We came around the top mark third and just left the jib up and started hiking immediately, while Cannonball went into more of traditional jib down/staysail-up bear away. We got up into the passing lane before they realised we were up inside them and there was nothing they could do because they had five guys on the bow while all our guys were hiking. We had talking about that move last night over some red wine..!”

Ultimately Sir Peter Ogden’s 77ft Jethou beat them on the water to claim second under IRC corrected time with Proteus third.

In the Maxi class it was Lord Irvine Laidlaw’s Reichel-Pugh 82 Highland Fling XI that came out on top, while David M. Leuschen’s Wallycento proved that her clean sweep at PalmaVela wasn’t a fluke: first on the water, second on corrected time and winning the unofficial fight of the 100 footers over Leopard 3 (4th overall today) and last year’s winner, Magic Carpet 3 (7th).

Meanwhile Highland Fling XI’s crew are keeping their fingers crossed. They won the first two races here last year but then a broken forestay caused them to plummet from the podium. According to the boat’s captain Xavier Mecoy: “It was a nice surprise for us today. We had a shocking start because we had a problem with the runner winch hydraulics getting off the line, so we were buried. By the offset mark we had got ahead of Y3K and then stretched out nicely from there. I was surprised how well we held on to the 100s – we sailed a great race.”

This was also the very first race for Pier Luigi Loro Piana’s brand new canting keel ClubSwan 80 My Song, which finished an encouraging third in the 13-strong Maxi class.

In the combined Mini Maxi 3 and 4 it was the familiar silver form of repeat class victor here – the Vallicelli 78 H20 – that was today’s run-away winner, finishing more than seven minutes ahead of Luca Scoppa’s Dehler 60 Blue Oyster and the Swan 65 Shirlaf. H2O’s owner Riccardo De Michele said they enjoyed today’s conditions. “With this wind I can say that H20 has no rivals in her class. Shirlaf worries us because she has a lower rating, but she arrived 40 minutes later, so no problem in the end for us.” H20 also has had much the same crew for the last five season including Lorenzo Bodini calling tactics.

There was much smiling for Roberto Lacorte and the crew of the 60ft foiling maxi FlyingNikka, which also sailed her first ever race today. The extreme boat got off the start line well and demonstrated exceptional ability, comfortably foiling upwind in just 10-12 knots. “It was the day we have been waiting for to demonstrate our project. We are happy and doing a very good job from the performance point of view,” said Lacorte.

Tomorrow Mini Maxi 1 and the J Class will race windward-leewards and the rest will continue on coastal courses with a first start at 1200. Moderate southeasterlies are again forecast.

Results here  and  J Class results here .

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62nd ANNIVERSARY OFFICIAL SITE OF THE  ROLEX CHINA SEA RACE Starts Wednesday 27 March 2024 2024年3月27日星期三开赛  

BRYON EHRHART

NEW YORK YACHT CLUB

J/V MAXI 72

News Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2022. Strongest ever fleet

Maxi yacht rolex cup 2022. strongest ever fleet.

One of the largest, most competitive and innovative maxi yacht fleets ever assembled will tomorrow start five days of racing at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo, Sardinia. First held in 1980, this event will, as usual, will run from Monday until Saturday with Thursday a layday/reserve day. 50 yachts have gathered for this annual pinnacle of the maxi racing calendar, organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the International Maxi Association (IMA). This is the event’s second largest fleet ever since 2016’s 53. The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is also the penultimate event of the IMA’s Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge (MMIC). Defending champion, IMA President Benoît de Froidmont and his Wally 60 Wallyño , currently leads the 2022 MMIC by just one point from Alessandro Del Bono’s ILC maxi Capricorno , with Peter Dubens’ North Star and Sir Peter Ogden’s Jethou close behind. “I will try and focus on this regatta and there is another inshore after this. We have a good chance of success here - the crew knows the boat very well now,” said de Froidmont. As President of the International Maxi Association he added of this year’s fleet: “I am extremely impressed by the quality, the number and the level of the competition. We have reached a level we have never seen before.”  

Wallyño will be racing in the ten boat Mini Maxi 3 + 4 class against Riccardo de Michele's Vallicelli 78 H20 , a repeated past class winner here, although beaten by one point last year to Luca Scoppa's Dehler 60 Blue Oyster. Also back this year are Luigi Sala's Vismara Mills 62 Yoru and Aldo Parisotto's Mylius 65FD Oscar3. This class’ other half comprises Swans including two original 65s, Anthony Ball's Six Jaguar and Giuseppe Puttini's past class winner here Shirlaf, plus the 651 Lunz am Meer, campaigned by Marietta Strasoldo and the more modern 601s, regular competitor Gerard Logel's @robas and Les Amis of Valter Pizzoli.

From the old to the brand new: Stealing the show this year will be Roberto Lacorte’s new FlyingNikka racing alone in Mini Maxi 0. This will be the first event for the world’s first fully foiling maxi with AC75-style flip-up T-foils, but the price is a stratosphere IRC TCC of 3.866.

Also new is Pier Luigi Loro Piana's My Song , the first example of Nautor’s ClubSwan 80. Loro Piana has been racing at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup since the early 1990s. “The event is getting better and better,” he says. “Happening at the end of the season is perfect. Rolex does an incredible job and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is the best place to race out of.”

Of his new My Song , he adds: “I feel very good - it is exciting. This boat has more things to adjust and the canting keel and daggerboard are new for me. It is important the boat is competitive against other boats of the same size although it would be fantastic to start a one design class.”

Longest here are the Js, whose fleet has doubled in size with Velsheda and Topaz joined by the ‘Super-J’ Ranger, now with a new American owner, for whom this is his first yacht. Following a substantial refit she raced for the first time at this year’s St Barths Bucket and won. Similarly Svea , now campaigned by a trio of Swedes, also won the Superyacht Cup on her first outing with her new team.

Calling tactics on board is round the world race veteran Bouwe Bekking, who previously raced in the J aboard Lionheart and whose last J Class event was winning the IMA-backed World Championship in Newport, RI in 2017.  “Js are always a challenge to sail,” says Bekking. “On Svea there is a nice mix of pros and guys with normal jobs who are good sailors and enjoying their Swedish heritage.” Svea was originally designed by Swede Tore Holm in 1937, but back then was never built. Around 80% of the crew are Swedish. “This has a really nice layout. The Js are all so similar and they are all sailed very well, so you need a good start.”

Among the Super Maxis (LH = 30.51+m) is once again the modern classic Spirit 111 AC Geist of Christian Oldendorff, which will be up against the Wally 107 Spirit of Malouen X (ex-Hamilton/Open Season), now belonging to TP52 campaigner Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, plus two Swan 115s: Shamanna, while Juan Ball has exchanged his Swan 90 Nefertiti for Moat 1 (ex- Highland Fling XV ).

As in 2021, the competition in the Maxi class (LH: 24.09-30.50m) will be fierce. It is also the biggest class with 13 entries. For the first time the Wallys joined the Maxi class last year and their 100 footers filled the podium: Sir Lindsay Owen Jones' Magic Carpet 3 , Claus-Peter Offen's Y3K and David M. Leuschen's Galateia . After winning the first two races, victory had came close for Lord Irvine Laidlaw's Reichel/Pugh 82 Highland Fling XI until her forestay broke. All four return along with the Dutch-owned Farr 100 Leopard 3, Charif Souki’s WallyCento Tango and Andrea Recordati's newly acquired Wally 93 Bullitt.

Offen has been competing at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup since 2000. Today, he says “it is more professional and the boats, are much faster, but the quality of both the boats and the crew has increased significantly.” As to whether he can repeat his second place... “that was amazing given that we have a comparatively old boat. It was a combination of doing a good job and a little bit of luck.”

This year they will line up against the pure maxi racers, including Rambler 88, now in the hand of former Lucky Maxi 72 owner Bryon Ehrhart and Wendy Schmidt’s ever improving Botin Partners 85 Deep Blue. Some of the best looking yachts here are the Southern Winds, including the 90 All Smoke, Canadian Will Apold’s 96 Sorceress, which debuted here in 2017, and Massimiliano Florio’s 82 Grande Orazio, the 2018 winner.

As usual, the toughest here will be the six out of class former Maxi 72s, still racing together under IRC in Mini Maxi 1. Favourite is Cannonball, winner of the last two editions but gunning for her is Hap Fauth's Bella Mente now 74ft long. However Cannonball too has stepped up and she is now 75ft, with a deeper keel and also water ballast. Rating-wise Cannonball and Bella Mente are the same, but two points ahead of the 77ft Jethou. American regulars Jim Swartz's Vesper and George Sakellaris' Proteus, which finished second and third respectively last year, have a similar rating with Peter Dubens' North Star lowest of this group.

“The level is getting higher and higher,” says Cannonball strategist Michele Ivaldi. “We know that Bella Mente has improved a lot. Cannonball is a brand new boat now and we are learning her again - it is like having a new toy.”

Returning is last year’s complete Mini Maxi 2 podium: Alessandro Del Bono’s Capricorno, Luciano Gandini’s Mylius 80 Twin Soul B and Jean-Pierre Barjon, with his newly acquired Botin Partners 65, Spirit of Lorina. They are joined by Carlo A. Puri Negri and his Farr/Felci 70 Atalanta II, winner of last year’s Aegean 600 and the two Wally 80s, Rose of Sven Wackerhagen and Jean Philippe Blanpain’s Ryokan II, and the Vismara 80 MoMi of Angelomario Moratti and Nicola Minardi de Michetti.

Racing gets under way at 1200 tomorrow with a light forecast, conditions expected to build later in the week potentially to Mistral level.

(by James Boyd / International Maxi Association)

International Maxi Association Legal Headquarters: c/o BfB Société Fiduciaire Bourquin frères et Béran SA - 26, Rue de la Corraterie - 1204 Genève - Switzerland

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‘Below Deck’ Sailing Yacht Shares Chilling Link To Sunken Morgan Stanley Billionaire’s Boat ‘Bayesian’

The plot thickens...

Much has been made of the tragic events that unfolded earlier this week off the Sicilian coast, with the Morgan Stanley international chairman initially missing before being found dead alongside tech founder Mike Lynch. Adding more intrigue to the tale, a strange link between the sunk Bayesian yacht and hit show Below Deck has been uncovered…

The Italian shipyard Perini Navi, which built the PARSIFAL III — the yacht featured in the popular reality show Below Deck that rammed a pier due to an engine malfunction — is also the maker of the Bayesian , which tragically sank on August 19.

PARSIFAL III Misadventure

Below Deck is an American reality TV series that made its debut in 2013 on Bravo TV . The show, to date, is running on season 11, with a new cast of crews on every luxury superyacht during its chartering season. Their challenges while catering to wealthy guests are depicted on the show. The PARSIFAL III , a 177-foot yacht, suffered a big mishap during an episode of the show’s second Sailing Yacht season which first aired on May 17, 2021.

While trying to maneuver in bad weather, the yacht hit a dock because its engine broke down. In an explanation, Yacht’s Captain Glenn Shephard said:

“I was using a different maneuver mode. And there’s a computer in between the throttles and the propeller that adjusts the load on the engine. Maybe my inputs were too much for the computer and it kind of, I don’t know, froze or didn’t react in the right way. I’m not really 100 percent sure. But I was pushing ahead and it was still moving backwards, which is not normal.”

Some of the wreckage was visible floating in the sea after the accident. Luckily, no serious damage was caused in this crash. Launched in 2005, PARSIFAL III can accommodate up to 12 charter guests in a master suite, two double cabins, and two twin cabins. The yacht also has a Jacuzzi and two Open Bic sailboats for guests to play with.

Not So Lucky

The Bayesian , also created by Perini Navi, was not as lucky. Sailing in a sudden and strong squall that created too much wind and conditions for the yacht to handle, the vessel sank after its mast broke in half off the coast of Sicily near the fishing village of Porticello   in the early hours of Monday.

Of the 22 people on board at the time of the tragedy, 15 were rescued, while six others lost their lives, among them being the chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer, and tech tycoon Mike Lynch.

His daughter Hannah Lynch, 18, is still missing, and rescuers are frantically searching for her. Lynch was a British technology entrepreneur who achieved fame through his software company, Autonomy Corporation, which Hewlett-Packard bought for over $11 billion USD in 2011.

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September 13, 2017 · Posted by kate

Also winning in class was Irvine Laidlaw’s 82′ Highland Fling XI which was the victor in the Maxi Division. Highland Fling XI took monohull line honors at the 2017 Round the Island Race at the Isle of Wight this past July. Highland Fling XI was built by Goetz and launched in 2009.

Earlier this summer Filip Balcaen’s Reichel/Pugh and Nauta-designed Baltic 112’ Nilaya won first place in Class A, 1st Overall and the Boat International Media Trophy for overall victory at the 2017 Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta in Virgin Gorda, B.V.I. for the third time in the past four years. At the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup this year she finished a close 3 rd in the Supermaxi Class.

Two weeks ago Bryon Ehrhart’s RP63 LUCKY took line honors and the ORC Division at the 500nm Palermo-Montecarlo Race and showed her versatility by switching to buoy racing for the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. The team (lost a tie-breaker and) earned a 3 rd overall in the Mini Maxi Division. LUCKY , formerly LOKI, was designed and engineered by Reichel/Pugh, constructed by McConaghy Boats and won overall in the grueling Sydney-Hobart in 2011 and Transatlantic Race in 2015 .

Event Link with Photos and Results

Visit the builder’s websites at: Green Marine Baltic Yachts McConaghy Boats Goetz Composites Reichel/Pugh has now had 36 Maxi Rolex Cup Division Winners since 1997:

2017 – 100’ Galateia – Wally Class 2017 – 82′ Highland Fling XI – Maxi Class 2016 – 85’ My Song – Maxi RC Division 2015 – 94’ Windfall – Maxi RC Division – M. Cotter 2014 – 100’ Magic Carpet 3 – WallyCento – Wally Class – Sir L.O. Jones 2014 – 78’ Lupa of London – Mini Maxi Racer/Cruiser Division – J. Pilkington 2014 – 82’ Highland Fling XI – Maxi Racing & Maxi Racing/Cruising Division – Lord I. Laidlaw 2013 – 112’ Nilaya – SuperMaxi ORCi Division – F. Balcaen 2013 – 78’ Lupa of London – Mini Maxi Cruising Division – J. Pilkington 2012 – 100’ Esimit Europa 2 – Racing Division – I.Simcic 2012 – 112’ Nilaya – SuperMaxi Division – F. Balcaen 2011 – 112’ Nilaya – SuperMaxi Division – F. Balcaen 2011 – 78’ AllSmoke – Mini Maxi Racing/Cruising Division – G. Herz 2010 – 100’ Esimit Europa 2 – Racing/Racing Cruising Division – I.Simcic 2010 – 220’ Hetairos – Supermaxi Division – O. Happel 2009 – 72’ Mini Maxi Bella Mente – Mini Maxi Overall Season Champion – H. Fauth 2009 – 72’ Alfa Romeo 3 – Mini Maxi Racing Division – N.Crichton 2009 – 78 ’ Whisper – 1st Place Mini-Maxi Cruising Class – M. Cotter 2009 – 147’ Visione – Cruising Division – H. Plattner 2008 – 72’ Alfa Romeo 3 – Mini Maxi Racing Division – N.Crichton 2008 – 220’ Hetairos – Cruising Division – O. Happel 2008 – 90’ Rambler – Racing Division – G. David 2007 – J Class Ranger – Cruising Division – J. Williams 2007 – 86’ Morning Glory – Racing Division – H. Plattner 2007 – 78’ AllSmoke – Mini Maxi Division – G. Herz 2006 – 100’ Alfa Romeo – Racing Division – N.Crichton 2006 – 220’ Hetairos – Spirit of Tradition Division – O. Happel 2005 – 77’ Black Dragon – Racing Division – O. Happel 2004 – 86’ Pyewacket – Racing Division – R. Disney 2004 – 78’ Idea – IMS Division – R. Raiola 2003 – 78’ Idea SAI – IMS Division – R. Raiola 2003 – 85’ Alfa Romeo – IRC Division – N. Crichton 2002 – 79’ Alexia – Racing Division – A. Roemmers 2001 – 79’ Alexia – Racing Division – A. Roemmers 2000 – 79’ Alexia – Racing Division – A. Roemmers 1997 – 80’ Morning Glory – H. Plattner

Images of  Galateia and Nilaya © Rolex / StudioBorlenghi

Tags: Galateia , Highland Fling XI , Lucky , Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup , Nilaya

August 29, 2017 · Posted by kate

Montecarlo (August 26, 2017) – Bryon Ehrhart’s RP63 LUCKY took line honors and the ORC Division win with a time of 66h 46m 3s over 500nm at the XIII Palermo-Montecarlo Race for the Giuseppe Tasca d’Almerita Trophy. LUCKY, formerly LOKI, was designed and engineered by Reichel/Pugh, constructed by McConaghy Boats and won overall in the grueling Sydney-Hobart in 2011 and Transatlantic Race in 2015 . Next up for Lucky will be the 28th edition of the Maxi World Championship beginning September 3, 2017. Read More …

Tags: Ehrhart , Lucky , Palermo-Montecarlo Race

July 16, 2015 · Posted by kate

photo courtesy of Lloyd images ltd (July 16, 2015 / Day 18) – Congratulations to Reichel/Pugh 63 LUCKY owner Bryon Ehrhart, navigator Ian Moore and the rest of the crew as they have been confirmed winners of the Transatlantic Race 2015 by the event’s four organizers: the Royal Yacht Squadron, the New York Yacht Club, the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Storm Trysail Club. LUCKY, formerly LOKI, was designed and engineered by Reichel/Pugh, constructed by McConaghy Boats and has won overall in the grueling Sydney-Hobart (2011) and now the 2015 Transatlantic Race. Read More …

Tags: Ehrhart , Lucky , Moore , Transatlantic Race

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Monte-Carlo (August 24, 2019) – The 15th edition of the Palermo-Montecarlo marked the fifth and final event of the International Maxi Association’s Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge 2018-2019 and fielded fifty-one boats this year.

Miguel Galuccio’s Reichel/Pugh 84’ maxi Vera (formerly My Song ) was first to cross the finish line winning one of the Giuseppe Tasca d’Almerita Trophy . Vera’s crew, including Dutch Volvo Ocean Race legend Bouwe Bekking and Olympic champion Michele Regolo, completed nearly 500 miles of racecourse (on the direct route) in two days, 17 hours and 13 minutes — smashing the record set by Esimit Europa 2 in 2015. Esimit Europa 2 is a Reichel/Pugh-designed 100’ canting keel supermaxi, first launched as Alfa Romeo and is now the Australia-based Black Jack . (more…)

Sheldon, who began his sailing career as a student, commissioned Reichel/Pugh Design No. 96 Zaraffa as a dual-purpose racer-cruiser, built by New England Boatworks and launched in 1999. A rugged design, Sheldon never wanted the boat to be the cause of not finishing a race. Zaraffa competed in the 2001 Fastnet race winning class and taking 2 nd overall. She raced the Newport-Bermuda four times, claiming the 2002 Lighthouse Trophy win on the crew’s second attempt. She was also first-to-finish with overall honors on the 2003 North Atlantic Challenge from Newport to Cuxhaven, Germany, and in 2011 Zaraffa was 1st Corrected IRC 3 in the Transatlantic Race.  She has also raced the Sydney Hobart, Miami to Montego Bay, Round Gotland Race and the Middle Sea Race. In 2018, after a retrofit for the Transatlantic Race, the Sheldon family bestowed the USNA Sailing Team with the gift of Zaraffa for offshore training. (more…)

Reichel/Pugh racers to watch: Alive – Design 162 – 66’ CBTF Racer (formerly Black Jack & Stark Raving Mad ) Grand Illusion (featuring Reichel/Pugh-designed keel and rudder appendages) Lady Kanon – Design 177 – 45’ IRC Racer Shadow II – Design 122 – TP52 Taxi Dancer – Design 39 – 70’ ULDB Vitesse – Design 199.2 – Southern Cross 52’

Race Tracking Event News Photography

Phillip Turner’s Australian-based Alive Yachting team most notably won the 2018 Sydney-Hobart overall, and recently swept 2019 California Offshore races with back-to-back line honor wins in the SoCal 300 (Santa Barbara to San Diego), Coastal Cup (Monterey to Santa Barbara), Spinnaker Cup (San Francisco Bay to Monterey), and Newport-Ensenada Race.

HIGHLIGHTS OF REICHEL/PUGH TRANSPAC HISTORY

Reichel Pugh Maxi’s have held the Transpac Course Record for nearly two decades, from 1999 (Roy Disney’s 75’ Pyewacket Maxi Sled) until 2017 (broken by Comanche – setting the new Merlin trophy elapsed time record at 5 days 01:55:26). Until 2017, the record had been broken 4 times since 1999 – always by Reichel/Pugh designed yachts. R/P yachts have won the Barn Door Trophy 7 out of 10 editions of the race since 1999.

Reichel/Pugh’s original sled design, the 70’ Taxi Dancer took 1st place in Class A in the 1989 Transpac and second overall, this was during the heyday of the California Sleds when Class A of the 1989 race featured 19 Sleds. Thirty years later, Taxi Dancer is still racing!

2015 – WILD OATS XI – Roy Pat Disney’s and Bob Oatley’s 100’ Canting Keel SuperMaxi Wild Oats XI had the fastest elapsed time of 6d 10h 37m 2s to win the 2015 Merlin Trophy and take first in Division 1 at the Transpac’s Diamond Head finish line. Wild Oats XI is a 100-foot custom design famous for its record nine elapsed time victories in thirteen years (2005-2008, 2018) and three overall fleet wins (2014, 2012 & 2005) in the Sydney-Hobart race.

2015 – GRAND ILLUSION – Ed & James McDowell’s Santa Cruz 70 Grand Illusion was the overall winner. She was designed by Bill Lee and features Reichel/Pugh-designed keel and rudder appendages. Grand Illusion has now equaled the record for most overall Transpac wins, joining the 88′ Lurline which won the first two races in 1906 and 1908, and again in 1912. However, Grand Illusion holds the status alone for winning overall three times under the same Owner/Skipper, Ed & James McDowell.

2013 – RP74 WIZARD – David and Peter Askew’s 74’ Reichel/Pugh-designed and New England Boatworks-built Mini-Maxi WIZARD (formerly Bella Mente) finished ‘first’ in the 2013 Transpac Race winning the unique Transpacific Yacht Club’s Perpetual Trophy – a 3.5’ x 4’ plaque of hand carved Hawaiian Koa Wood – better known as the ‘Barn Door.’ This trophy is traditionally awarded to the fixed keel mono-hull employing no stored energy with the fastest elapsed time. Wizard’s elapsed time was 7 days, 7 hours, 53 minutes, 46 seconds, which was 12 hours and 13 minutes slower than Bella Mente’s Barn Door record run of 6 days 19 hours 39 minutes 28 seconds set in 2011.

2011 – RP74 BELLA MENTE – Hap Fauth’s 74’ Mini Maxi BELLA MENTE set a new fixed keel course record of 6 days 19 hours 39 minutes 28 seconds with an average speed of 13.6 knots.

2011 – RPTP52 PATCHES – Jorge Ripsteins R/P-designed TP52 PATCHES won Division 2 followed by R/P designs CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 45’ and VINCITORE 52’.

2011 – GRAND ILLUSION – Ed and James McDowell’s Santa Cruz 70 featuring R/P-designed appendages took first in division and first in fleet overall on corrected time.

2009 – RP100 ALFA ROMEO II – 1st to Finish (Lending Tree got a DNS!) 5 days 14 hours 36m 20s) (Moveable Ballast & Powered Winches Course Record). N. Crichton’s Alfa Romeo II, sailing in the “unlimited” class, was not eligible for the traditional “Barn Door” trophy, but instead was the inaugural winner of a new trophy dedicated by Trisha Steele, called the “Merlin Trophy”. On July 7, 2009, ALFA ROMEO II beat the MORNING GLORY record for best day’s run set in the 2005 race, by sailing 399nm in 24 hours. The next two days she broke her own best-day record by sailing 420nm and 431nm.

2005 – RP86 MORNING GLORY – 1st to Finish (SET NEW RECORD 6 days, 16 hours, 4 minutes, and 11 seconds to win “the Barn Door” trophy) (Moveable Ballast Course Record) – H. Plattner

2005 – RP52 ROSEBUD – 1st Class & 1st Fleet Corrected Overall – R. Sturgeon

2003 – RP77 PEGASUS – 1st to Finish Barn Door Trophy Winner – P. Kahn

2001 – RP75 PEGASUS – 1st to Finish Barn Door Trophy Winner, 2nd Fleet Overall Corrected – P. Kahn

1999 – RP73 PYEWACKET – 1st to Finish Barn Door Trophy Winner (SET NEW RECORD 7 days, 11 hours, 41 minutes, and 27 seconds Ending Merlin’s 20-year record) (Fixed Ballast Course Record) 2nd Fleet Overall Corrected – R. Disney

1995 – RP66 EXILE – 1st Place Class Winner – J. Warwick Miller

1989 – RP70 TAXI DANCER – 1st Place Class Winner (19 Sleds competing), 2nd Place Fleet Overall – M. Rousse

For more information on the yachts contact: [email protected]

ABOUT THE TRANSPAC First organized by the Transpacific Yacht Club in 1906, the Transpacific Yacht Race or Transpac is an offshore sailing race from Point Fermin in Los Angeles to Diamond Head, just east of Honolulu, a distance of 2,225 nm. This is among the world’s great ocean races, and biennially attracts some of the world’s fastest sailing yachts, some of its most talented offshore racing sailors, and a wide variety of offshore sailing adventurers.

photography courtesy of Sharon Green/Ultimate Sailing

San Diego, California (June 2, 2019) – Reichel/Pugh 66’ Canting Keel Mini Maxi ALIVE (formerly Black Jack & Stark Raving Mad) was first to finish (correcting to 7th) in the 5th annual SoCal 300 (300nm), following back-to-back line honor wins in the Spinnaker Cup (San Francisco Bay to Monterey), Coastal Cup (Monterey to Santa Barbara) and Newport-Ensenada. Alive also set a new course record for the 200nm Coastal Cup of 13h 48m 28s. Congratulations to owner Phillip Turner, skipper Duncan Hine and the entire Australian-based Alive Yachting team, who most notably won the 2018 Sydney-Hobart overall. The three-part CA Offshore Race Week now complete, the Alive team is taking on the competitive 17-boat Division 1 in the Transpac Race starting July 10th. (more…)

Queensland, Australia (April 20, 2019) – 100’ SuperMaxi Black Jack took line honors in the 71st Brisbane to Gladstone with a time of 16 hours, 56 minutes and 33 seconds—just 2 minutes and 36 seconds outside the 14-year record it broke last year. It was the sixth consecutive Brisbane to Gladstone line-honors victory for last year’s runner-up in the Sydney to Hobart and it marked eight wins for Black Jack’s owner Peter Harburg since 2009. (more…)

Dominating the Maxi Class 2 for the third year was Windfall’s Michael “Mick” Cotter, who humbly attributes much of their success to luck, however this was Mick’s seventh Les Voiles. The Reichel/Pugh-designed production 94’ Windfall was built by Southern Wind, with interiors by Nauta Yachts, Milan and launched in 2013. Results (more…)

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