The Sailing Season was on again last weekend with Royal Malta Yacht Club conducting the first event of their racing Calendar as a new initiative to sailing racers.

The Redbull Spring Gozo Weekend was more than satisfactory, taking into account that there are still a lot of sailing boats on the hard.

Divided in two classes, the 12-boat racing fleet kicked off early in the afternoon. It was the normal passage race from Marsamxett to Mgarr Harbour in Gozo. As predicted, it was a fresh and steadily increasing wind that pushed the boats towards the North Comino Channel, the course of the day.

Favourite Strait Dealer led the fleet in typical fashion, in just 2 hrs 12 minutes beating Class B Aziza with just 20 minutes plus.

Corrected Time gave short-crewed Moondance a merited second place in Class A with Maltese Falcon enjoying same position in the other Class.

The big race of the weekend was the second one rounding the Island of Calypso with a rather 3 to 4 knots of westerly wind blowing nicely for a lively and enthusiastic tussle.

In search of some early season race practice, this ten o’clock start set all the crews to sharpen their witts and skills, enough TO cope with the ideal sailing conditions confronting them.

It was a good beat up to half way round the honey island with a fast downwind dash to the finish.

Again hot-boat Strait Dealer ruled the waves with the young lads on board Mad Max making their mark with a creditable second in the top class.

Once again Maltese Falcon picked up second spot with O2 having the best of the other class for its first win of the season.

More or less this was a two to three and a half hour race before all boats crossed the finishing line just outside the Mgarr Breakwater.

Final day and third one on the trot was the passage race home with a Chambray Point start. The westerly wind gave a spectacular spinnaker start for a straight run to the finish with the big coloured shoots dominating the scene.

Though the smart boys on board Strait Dealer had a rather unusual soft start, yet it was yet again this sophisticated and sensuous boat that covered the whole course in just over a 90 minute run to the finish.

Blue Fin surprised the rest of fleet B with its winning finishing power. A tie break ensued with all three boats Aziza, Maltese Falcon and Blue Fin picking equal points. The application of the one who wins the last race gave Blue Fin its first trophy of the season whilst unbeatable Strait Dealer also made its presence felt rather heavily on those boats that have to deal with her this year in the upper class.

I would like to think that this was a grand sailing opening event with the next BOV Spring Series in the offing on 31 March.