68e Rolex Giraglia – 13-19 June 2021

 

Friday 18th June 2021. It took 26 hours 8 minutes 10 seconds for Guido Miani’s Maxi Arca SGR to complete the 243-nautical mile Rolex Giraglia course. Racing with his son, the Yacht Club de Monaco member took line honours by being first across the line in Genoa in real time. “To win was our goal,” he said on arrival, “but it was not a done deal until those last few miles thanks to Magic Carpet 3. We sailed well, even though we were slowed down a bit in the first part of the race with the rather light winds. Once round the Giraglia, we topped speeds up to 20-22 knots. The boat showed all her potential against some tough opponents”. The competition was indeed stiff in this fourth event of the International Maxi Association’s Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge. 

 

Two podium places for YCM 

After a start given Wednesday 16th June at 12 noon from San Remo, the fleet set sail for the first mark in the Rade d’Agay off Cannes, before heading to the famous Giraglia Rock off the north-eastern tip of Corsica. The Maxi Arca SGR rounded the legendary rock at 07:01 precisely, 15 minutes ahead of archrival Magic Carpet 3. Leopard 3, led by YCM member Joost Schuijff, was hot on the heels of the leaders to the end, finishing 3rd in real time. In corrected time Valter Pizzoli, also from the YCM on his Ange Transparent 3, clinched 10th place ahead of Benoît de Froidmont (Wallyno) in 12th. The weather was true to forecast, with a south-westerly picking up a few hours after the start, giving the lead yachts a boost, before dropping away in the night to the west of Corsica. 

 

 

 

New version for 68th edition

The organisers had decided to review the programme for this 68th edition which attracted 138 boats. As a one-off for this year, the traditional three days of coastal races in Saint-Tropez before the main race did not take place, replaced by two 60nm races (Genoa-San Remo and Saint-Tropez-San Remo) so all teams could get to San Remo for the start of the official race. It proved an ideal warm-up for Guido Miani and his crew who came 3rd in the IRC category on the Genoa-San Remo course. Yacht Club de Monaco goes back a long way with the Rolex Giraglia, as a result of the number of members who participate every year as well the close ties it has with Yacht Club Italiano, one of the race organisers which is twinned with YCM. In 2014, a couple of days before its new building was inaugurated, YCM hosted the finish of a Giraglia won by Club Vice-President Pierre Casiraghi (Esimit Europa 2). Later in 2019, more than 300 boats headed again for the Principality for the finish of the 67th edition.  Guido Miani and his crew on Arca SGR will be taking part in the 16th Palermo-Montecarlo offshore race 21-26 August 2021.