Persistence test

Overall victory of the 65th Giraglia Rolex Cup went to Freccia Rossa, a predominantly Russian-crewed TP52 owned by Vadim Yakimenko. Her success followed that of Momo; Dieter Schön’s Maxi 72 from Germany winning the race’s line honours crown as fastest finisher. Their fine exploits were rewarded with Rolex timepieces at the final prizegiving held at the Yacht Club Italiano’s base in Genoa.

The light conditions and changing weather patterns which defined the 2017 offshore race were a test on resources.

For the body of the fleet, the race was a slow, ‘stop and go’ affair, more hours at sea, constant sail changes and a need for crews to find the marginal, incremental gains to propel themselves forward. Finishing the race became an achievement in itself, a lesson in persistence and dedication. Many crews arrived in the hours shortly before the final prizegiving after over 60 hours at sea.

In the absence of a 100-foot Maxi on the start line in Saint-Tropez, the quest to win line honours at the 2017 Giraglia Rolex Cup was set up for the three competing Maxi 72s. Each had its own reasons to believe it could be their year. Alex Schärer’s Caol Ila R, as the fastest performer during the popular three-day inshore series in Saint-Tropez, was the form yacht; Sir Peter Ogden’s Jethou, a perennial race competitor, has amassed significant Giraglia mileage; Dieter Schön’s Momo arrived in single-minded fashion having exclusively focused her preparations and set-up specifically for the offshore race.

Although a relatively short offshore race, the constant changes in weather patterns ensure the Giraglia Rolex Cup is always a challenging, complex affair. Making gains in the prevailing light conditions and avoiding parking in the various potential wind traps became the focus for the international fleet.

This latter peril proved the downfall of Jethou’s ambitions, left motionless on the approach to the Giraglia rock, and dropping out of contention.

This left her rival Maxi 72s to engage in a fascinating head-to-head from the rock to Genoa, exchanging the lead on a few occasions before Momo assumed control of the race with some 30-nm to go.

Even at that late stage the crew remained vigilant, taking nothing for granted given the notorious reputation that the approach to Genoa has earned over time. Momo eventually crossed the finish line on Thursday at 21:39.04, in an elapsed time of 32 hours, 52 minutes and four seconds, a mere eight minutes ahead of Caol Ila R.

“It was only really won when we crossed the line,” explained crew member Chris McAsey. “We thought coming into Genoa we would park up. Luck went our way.”

Like McAsey, navigation specialist Francesco Mongelli was part of the crew onboard Giacomo during her recent Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race success. Mongelli pinpoints two crucial elements as key to success – crew work and preparation.

“We made some important decisions before the race related to the weather forecast, the sails and crew onboard. You never know with a Mediterranean forecast whether it will be accurate but our decisions proved to be right. We never lost faith even in the moments when we were losing ground.”

In the spirit of sportsmanship which has always defined the Giraglia Rolex Cup, Schön was magnanimous in victory.

“It was a long race, very interesting. The winds were very light. We had a great fight with Caol Ila. You need to be lucky at the end to cross the finish line first.”

Claiming the Rolex Challenge Trophy and a Rolex Submariner timepiece as overall race winner, Freccia Rossa, translating as red arrow, becomes the second TP52 in recent years to win the race – Franck Nöel’s Near Miss also won in 2012.

Arriving in Genoa in the early hours of Friday morning, as the fifth yacht to complete the race, Freccia Rossa soared to the summit of the corrected time leaderboard. As the lack of breeze on the tricky passage from the Giraglia rock to the finish line continued to thwart the ambitions of those yachts still in contention, Freccia Rossa’s status as race leader became race winner.

“The Giraglia Rolex Cup is a great event and to win here is a fantastic feeling,” explained Yakimenko ahead of the final prize giving.

“There are always lots of boats, crews from all over the world. It’s full of positive emotion and also challenging. We have sailed together for a very long time, as a mix of professionals and amateurs. I am very proud of my crew. To sail together is always a great pleasure.”

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