No Record, But….
Update: The Mills 68′ Alegre was first to finish in the Giraglia offshore ahead of Bella Mente, Ran, Luna Rossa, Container etc. which will also be a corrected time win as they all owe her time. That combined with her win in the inshore series will make her the overall Giraglia event winner by a wide margin. Nice win…
After the start of the 243 nautical mile Giraglia race from St Tropez to Genoa, the breeze built and a north easterly of 8 – 10 knots backed enough to let the boats enjoy a close reach, heading straight for the Giraglia rock. Unfortunately, just before sunrise the wind died and several front runners came to a halt. It was the Open 60 Group Bel skippered by Kito de Pavant that eventually rounded La Giraglia first, followed by Andres Soriano’s Mills 68 Alegre – the first of the Mini Maxis – then came the rest in what looked more like a parade than a race. In the current conditions, an estimated finishing time is anyone’s guess for, as Steve Hayles, navigator on Ran, said “We’ve probably got less than 5 knots most of the time. We may be there around day break Friday, but it’s a small boat race so far and the little guys will be close behind us.” One thing is for sure, the elapsed time race record of 18 hours, 3 minutes, 15 seconds, set last year by Neville Crichton on his super-maxi Alfa Romeo, remains safe. Pic of Group Bel rounding the rock from Carlo Borlenghi and more here.
