Race 4: Line honors for Caol Ila R (USA)

Torrential rain and gale force winds off Capri have made sailing conditions especially challenging for the long-distance Rolex Volcano Race, which took the Maxi fleet on a 220-nm course, Capri-Santa Maria di Castellabate-Capri-Ponza-Capri. Line honours went to Caol Ila R  (USA), which crossed the finish line off Capri at 05:07 this morning.

The final race of the Rolex Capri Sailing Week / Volcano Race 2013 started yesterday at 11 AM off Capri. The Race Committee opted for a modified course intended to minimize hardship for the fleet in the heavy sea and thunderstorm conditions that were expected around the Aeolian Islands yesterday and today.

Alexander Schaerer’s Caol Ila R (USA) crossed the finish line in early morning light at 05:07, having spent a little more than 18 hours racing. After making a good break on the competition in the first leg from Capri to mark Delta, Caol Ila R managed to maintain their lead into the evening despite the intense conditions, which included gusts of 35-40 knots at Ponza. After getting through the storm cell at Ponza, the crew knew they could win the race if they maintained their distance on Jethou, and admitted shifting their primary concern to bringing the boat home safely.

“We had an eventful night at sea!” said Brett Ellis, navigator on Caol Ila R. “The many thunderstorms and squalls played havoc with our electronics and forced us to make many sail changes. We broke off the end of our bowsprit near the island of Ventetone and were forced to reduce sail back to a mainsail and jib only. Full credit to our crew who worked hard all night in very difficult conditions,” Ellis added.

Sir Peter Ogden’s Jethou completed the race in about 20 hours, with an arrival time of 07:00, followed by Marton Jozsa’s Hungarian entry Wild Joe at 07:13. Next to arrive in Capri was Plis Play (ESP) at 09:53 and, the first Italian boats to finish, Maximilian Gorziglia’s Good Job Guys at 10:14 and Grande Orazio at 12:53. The remaining boat at sea, Shirlaf (ITA), is expected late this evening, while Y3K, Hagar II and North Star have withdrawn from racing. The overall results on handicap are still provisional, but Caol Ila R is in command of the current standings, followed by Jethou (GBR) and Wild Joe (HUN).

The final award ceremony will take place tomorrow at noon, 24 May, at the docks of the Marina Grande.

Further information on the Rolex Capri Sailing Week/Volcano Race 2013 may be found on the IMA homepage: www.internationalmaxiassociation.com

High-resolution photos available for editorial use are available daily on www.regattanews.com.

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