Two final coastal races were held on the third and concluding day of the RORC Nelson’s Cup Maxi Series with Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Commodore Andrea Recordati and his Wally 93 Bullitt coming out on top ahead of Karel Komárek's 100ft V and Filip Balcaen's 72ft Balthasar.
Today’s two races, again held off English and Falmouth Harbours on Antigua’s southern coast, took place in conditions that were at times more than 20 knots, as strong as the previous days, but at others substantially lighter, with bigger shifts as rain squalls passed close by or over the race track. The courses were once again set up by the RORC’s race team in association with the Antigua Yacht Club, but were shorter than the previous two days. The maxis alone were out on the race track today, with IRC Class One and Two preparing for tomorrow’s Antigua 360.
A second and a discardable sixth today enabled Bullitt to win the RORC Nelson’s Cup Maxi Series by three points from a charging V.
Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Commodore Andrea Recordati and International Maxi Association Secretary General Andrew McIrvine © Tim Wright/Photoaction.com
Recordati competed in Antigua as part of Antigua Sailing Week in the mid-2000 with his previous Wally Inti, when he recalls they won their class. “It's great to be back - it's fantastic,” commented Recordati. “Antigua is very special, there's a lot of sailing history here, and the conditions this week have been exceptional, very challenging, to say the least, in terms of the sea state and wind. The courses have been extremely well laid out, the fleet was fantastic, it's incredible how close the racing was. It's really been a lot of fun. This week of the Nelson Cup has been exceptional - I would definitely come back.”
Bullitt tactician, Joca Signorini added: “For us, it was all about trying to get a good start and put our elbows out on the first bit and from there, trying to control, because it was not easy: Our boat has a little deficit downwind, so we need to sail well to get a good result. You could see on this last race, we didn’t get a good start and then it was really hard to come back.” In the second race Bullitt had found herself to stuck in traffic down at the leeward end of the start line and forced to accept gas from the bigger boats for the first upwind leg. She ended up an uncharacteristic sixth which, fortunately, they were able to discard.
“We are very pleased with the way we sailed,” continued Signorini. “The crew work was amazing and Andrea did an amazing job steering in very difficult conditions.”
Karel Komárek's 100ft V © Tim Wright/Photoction.com
Karel Komárek's 100ft V claimed second overall on countback from Filip Balcaen's 72ft Balthasar “We've been very good at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory this week,” admitted V’s tactician, Ken Read. On the second race on the opening day, one of their ballast tanks sprung a leak, dumping its contents into the hull. This, according to the North Sails President, led to all manner of secondary problems. “The effort the permanent crew and the sailing team put in to get us sailing again was unbelievable.” Their results were compounded when they dropped their spinnaker into the water in yesterday’s first race, when they were leading. Aside from these incidents V looks fast and she today finally performed as expected, posting a 1-2, making her top scoring maxi of the day. “We continue to improve the boat,” said Read. “The owner gives us the opportunity to continually try to improve the boat. And it looks like we've made another nice little step. We're pleased. We're starting and getting to the first shift well.”
Andrew McIrvine, IMA Secretary General congratulates Balthasar's Filip Balcaen © Tim Wright/Photoaction.com
Filip Balcaen's 72ft Balthasar during the RORC Nelson's Cup Maxi Series © Arthur Daniel/RORC
Balthasar’s victory in today’s final race came after a scary start which found them at the leeward end of the line, forced to tack because of their proximity to the shore, while 100 footers thundered down the line towards them on starboard. Somehow the Balcaen’s 72 managed to thread her way through the on-coming traffic and ended up winning the race, perhaps preferring the shorter course, flatter water and slightly lighter wind.
Wendy Schmidt’s Deep Blue finished fifth, tied on points with Chris Flowers’ Galateia in fourth and although she never won a race she had the lowest discard across the maxi fleet. Deep Blue competed in the Nelson’s Cup in 2024 when she finished second to Joost Schuijff's 100ft Leopard 3. “The guys have been doing a great job - the boat's going well and everybody seems very pleased,” commented Deep Blue’s Project Manager, Terry Halpin. “We've got closer than we ever have historically to the 100s, so we're feeling pretty confident that we're going to have a good time against them at Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup.”
The impressive Maxi fleet racing was enjoyed by spectators from Fort Charlotte © Arthur Daniel/RORC
Bullitt and the rest of the maxi winners were presented with their prizes by International Maxi Association Secretary General Andrew McIrvine at the prize-giving and party this evening sponsored by the IMA at the Antigua Yacht Club.
Tomorrow the maxis will rejoin the rest of the RORC fleet to take part in the Antigua 360, an anti-clockwise lap of Antigua, prior to the start of the main event, the RORC Caribbean 600 itself on Monday. “The forecast is for slightly less breeze which will drop a bit, before it picks up again,” commented Bullitt’s Joca Signorini. “So it will be a tricky race, but going around an island is never easy.”
