Birzebbuga Sailing Club’s Spring Regatta – the new addition to the sailing calendar, was held last weekend at Birzebbuga Bay.
A total of 35 Optimist and Laser Class dinghies gathered to vie for the precious points valid for the separate ranking lists issued by the Malta Laser Class Association (MLCA) and the newly-formed Malta Optimist Dinghy Association (MODA).
At the briefing on Saturday morning Principal Race Officer Peter Dimech stated his intention to attempt holding four races on day one as very strong winds were predicted for the following day.
The conditions on Saturday, however, were disappointing, in that light airs for long stretches of the course in spite of beautifully formed and promising waves, made for very slow and frustrating racing.
A triangular port course was laid from opposite San Lucian tower to Delimara point with a southerly windward beat. The southerly winds entering the bay curved round the Delimara headland and produced lifters as that drew the unwary sailors into the sheltered waters below Delimara fort from where they watched in resignation as those who initially bore with the headers that took them into fresher winds reaped the rewards of their better strategy and arrived at the windward mark ahead.
At the end of the day’s racing it was clean sweeps for Zak and Benji Borg on the Laser radials and 4.7s, but close results in the Optimists and Laser standards with Thomas Zammit Tabona, Karl Cremona and William Camilleri on equal points and one point separating Per Sahlberg, Peter Valentino and Neil Borg.
The weatherman was proved correct and Peter Dimech’s fears well founded, as the last two races on Sunday were lashed by vicious North Westerly winds that blew out of the valleys surrounding Birzebbuga Bay. As this wind kicked in, the race committee had no option either than that to abandon the last races for the Optimist fleet but not before Sarah Manduca had pipped Edward Fleri Soler for second place in the juniors.
On race 6, Neil Borg saw his last chance of stealing second place from Peter Valentino disappear with his broken top mast and it was topsy turvy in the 4.7’s with Benji Borg who had dominated in the light winds of the previous day being overtaken by Matthew Fleri Soler in the heavier conditions but Rachel D’Amato was unable to finish race 6 and wrest third place from Yasmin de Giorgio.
In the Radials Christoph Podesta did remarkably well in the final two races to take second place from Andrew Selvagi but Zak Borg was the sailor of the weekend as he continued to sail consistently and took all six races.
The event was not lacking in the usual protests which were ably heard by Head Jury, Jovin Rausi, assisted by Anton Valentino.
The final results were:
Laser Standard: Per Sahlberg 2. Peter Valentino 3. Neil Borg Laser Radial: 1. Zak Borg 2. Christoph Podesta 3. Andrew Selvagi Laser 4.7: 1. Matthew Fleri Soler 2. Benji Borg 3. Yasmin Degiorgio. Optimist Seniors: 1. William Camilleri 2. Karl Cremona 3. Gabriel Pace. Optimist Juniors: 1. Thomas Zammit Tabona 2. Sarah Manduca 3. Edward Fleri Soler