Lartista claims overall honours at PVIES double handed round Malta race
Lartista, skippered by Anton Calleja and Renato Camilleri, once again won the testing PVIES double handed round Malta race organised by the Royal Malta Yacht Club and supported by Island Engineering Services.
With double handed racing it is all about creating the perfect synergy between the two people on board. Calleja and Camilleri have notched up quite a few wins since they teamed up, proving that they were capable of crafting a well-oiled machine.
Kicking off the event with the first warning signal, the nine participating boats were breezed out from the Marsamxett Harbour, sailing down towards the South of Malta. The good wind conditions experienced in Marsamxett were short lived by the time crews reached the southern part of Malta and had to wait patiently for the wind.
Following the retirement of Xpedite, the remaining eight boats of the fleet ultimately regained the necessary speed upon reaching Cirkewwa having been pushed by South / South West wind.
From then on it was a sail down the straits to the finish line in Marsamxett Harbour between the old Lazaretto on Manoel Island and the Royal Malta Yacht Club.
The first boat on corrected time was Lartista, whilst the last boat to cross the finish line was Maltese Falcon.
A visibly satisfied Anton Calleja shared his thoughts after the race: “We had a very good start, our decision to use the code 0 helped us to sail close to Munxar buoy. On leaving the buoy to starboard, we dropped our code 0 and with the help of the wonderful dolphins we sailed close - hauled to Benghajsa leaving it to starboard.
After sailing for about three miles around the south of Malta, the wind dropped and left all the boats stranded.
“For about two and a half hours, we struggled the swell and the currents, trying to keep the boats away from rocks. Fortunately, the wind picked up to between 12 and 16 knots. Hoisting our spinnakers, we sailed smoothly to Cirkewwa, dropping them shortly after leaving Comino, where we then sailed close-hauled to the finishing line”.
A special thank you went to the Island Engineering Services for sponsoring the event.
The Royal Malta Yacht Club also thanked the Race Management team made up of Luca Lacitignola (Race Officer), Dennis Flores, Nadya Flores, Anna Rossi, Alex Denisuc and Alana Meadows for their work in making this event possible.
A Prize Giving was later hosted by Island Engineering Services at the Royal Malta Yacht Club for crews, members and their friends.
PV-IES are suppliers of Residential and Marine solar panels which can be purchased under the residential solar power grant scheme.
The Royal Malta Yacht Club’s next race on the calendar is the Citadel Marzamemi Weekend Regatta which will take place between 28 April and 1 May.
Registration is open and more information can be obtained by visiting the Club’s website on www.rmyc.org or by calling the club secretariat on +356 21 333 109.