The fourth edition of the International Maxi Association’s Maxi European Championship launched in dramatic fashion on 16 May with the start of its offshore leg—the iconic Regata dei Tre Golfi. Celebrating its 70th edition, the 156-nautical mile race, organised by the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia (CRVI), defied predictions of light Mediterranean winds, as robust north-easterlies propelled the maxi fleet from Naples past Ponza and Capri to a spirited finish off the Sorrento Peninsula.
The offshore leg kicked off under ideal conditions with a striking spinnaker start in 15 knots of breeze. Quickly asserting her dominance was Galateia, the 30.48-metre racer co-owned by Chris Flowers and David M. Leuschen. She reached the Ponza turning mark by 20:00, maintaining her lead over a stellar fleet featuring Highland Fling XVIII, Magic Carpet³, My Song, and V.
Galateia maintained her blistering pace through the night and crossed the finish line at 05:54:42 on Saturday morning, setting a new course record with an elapsed time of 13 hours, 19 minutes, and 42 seconds—shattering the previous record set in 2023 on a shorter course by Jethou.
“There was a northeasterly gradient wind coming from the land, but how it came off the valleys and hills was tricky—the devil was in the detail,” explained Galateia’s navigator, Simon Fisher. “Boats like Scallywag and ARCA SGR were expected to be faster on the reach, so this was a very satisfying result.”
Despite Galateia’s record-breaking performance, it was Bella Mente that emerged victorious in the IRC-corrected standings. Defending IMA Maxi European champion Hap Fauth and his American team overcame early setbacks south of Capri by catching the breeze first off the Amalfi coast. They powered through to finish third on the water, just over six minutes behind Magic Carpet³. On corrected time, Bella Mente clinched a commanding win in the Maxi Grand Prix class, finishing 43 minutes and 47 seconds ahead of her nearest rival.
“We reminded ourselves the race wasn’t about winning the first battle, but the last,” said Bella Mente’s Mike Sanderson. He described reaching in 24 knots of wind and clocking boat speeds of up to 26 knots under triple headsails. The team battled onboard flooding that compromised systems, but still managed to prevail.
Peter Harrison’s Jolt secured second place overall, with former champion Peter Dubens’ North Star taking third. “We sailed pretty well,” commented Jolt tactician Ian Walker. “We got stuck behind Bella Mente and then hit a patch of no wind—ended up head to wind with the Code Zero up going backwards. Still, it was an awesome race with a downwind start and hours of perfect reaching at 20-25 knots.”
In the Maxi Alpha class, Paul Berger’s Swan 80 Kallima claimed victory over Atalanta II and Cippa Lippa X, thanks to consistent early performance and tactical composure during a wind shutdown near Li Galli. “We are very happy with the end result,” said tactician Romain Mouchel.
The Maxi Beta class was won by Giuseppe Puttini’s Swan 65 ketch Shirlaf, ahead of Blue Oyster and Fra Diavolo.
With the offshore race complete, attention now shifts to the inshore and coastal races of the Maxi European Championship, set to take place out of Sorrento from 19 to 22 May.
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