Elusive 2, skippered by Aaron Podesta and David Anastasi continued on their winning streak when they etched their name on the Raymarine Double Handed Figure of Eight trophy following their clear win in this gruelling race.

The Raymarine Double Handed Figure of Eight race, one of the long standing races of the Royal Malta Yacht Club racing calendar took place earlier on last week when Race Officer Peter Dimech sent the fleet on a 46 nautical mile course towards Comino, around Gozo and back to finish in Marsamxett Harbour.

The Race started with light winds.  Whilst the thick grey clouds that hovered above the fleet did not bode well, they soon cleared allowing the fleet to proceed without any downpours. As the race progress the wind gradually increased to approximately 25 knots.  Despite some tricky downwind conditions close to Paradise Bay, crews were able to push the boats and make the most of the race.

Elusive 2 took the lead from the start, being the first to exit the harbour mouth. They were followed by Xpresso (Sean Borg/Paul Borg Cardona) and Vivace (Andrew Agius Delicata / Matthew Gabriele).  The finish practically mirrored the start with Elusive 2 claiming line honours and overall win on corrected time. 

A Prize Giving evening, hosted by RLR Yachting, exclusive agents of Raymarine in Malta, took place at the Royal Malta Yacht Club.

"No sailing race can be considered as being easy, but when it comes to Double Handed Racing then the going gets though. There are little to no moments when one can take a breather and therefore makes racing far more challenging.  Credit goes to these crews for taking on the challenge. Of course, our gratitude goes to the volunteers who undertake race management duties and last but not least the team at RLR Yachting who have been supporting this race for the past decade" commented Godwin Zammit, Commodore, Royal Malta Yacht Club.

Raymarine Double Handed Figure of 8 Race Results

IRC Racers Overall

1st Place           Elusive 2 (Aaron Podesta/David Anastasi)

2nd Place          Xpresso (Sean Borg/ Paul Borg Cardona)

3rd Place          Vivace (Andrew Agius Delicata / Matthew Gabriele)

 

IRC Racer 1

1st Place           Elusive 2 (Aaron Podesta/David Anastasi)

 

IRC Racer 2

1st Place           Vivace (Andrew Agius Delicata / Matthew Gabriele)

2nd Place          JYS Jan (Daniel Fenech / Matthew Micallef)

3rd Place          JYS Jarhead (Zachary Zammit / Saul Vassallo)

 

IRC Cruisers Overall

1st Place           Kontiki (Joseph B. Muscat / Matthew Sultana)