Leopard 3 Wins the Inaugural Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Championship
by James Boyd/International Maxi Association 14 Sep 14:26 PDT
8-14 September 2024
Leopard 3 has become the first Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Champion – Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Championship © IMA / Studio Borlenghi
Though a lengthy Mistral limited racing during the week at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Costa Smeralda concluded the event dramatically with a thrilling final day that saw winds hitting the mid-20s. After a windward leg heading west, Maxi 1 and 2 boats proceeded south to navigate around Mortorio and Soffi islands on a 42.5-mile course, before heading north to join the other classes sailing a 34.5-mile clockwise loop of La Maddalena.
Organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda along with the International Maxi Association, the highlight of the maxi calendar this year introduced the Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Championship for yachts with an IRC rating of 1.700-2.200 and a length of <30.51m (100ft).
Wednesday’s two windward-leeward races saw wins for Karel Komarek’s 100ft V and Alessandro Del Bono’s new 82ft Capricorno, leaving Wendy Schmidt’s 85ft Deep Blue as the overnight leader. However, on this day, Deep Blue’s chances faded due to batten pocket damage. They managed to repair and finish but were unfortunately out of contention.
A standout today was Joost Schuijff’s Leopard 3. The Farr 100’s victory today secured the Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Championship by a decisive three points over the 82ft Django HF, while V finished third, tied on points with Deep Blue and YCCS Commodore Andrea Recordati’s 93ft Bullitt.
“This is a dream come true,” said a jubilant Schuijff. “We’ve dedicated years to the boat, the team, and improving my helming skills. Consistent training, including a focused training week in July, has helped us resolve prior issues. Last year we faced challenges with several major sails, but this season our gear proved reliable and strong…”
Under former owner Mike Slade, Leopard 3 secured the Maxi Racing class title here in 2016. Significant upgrades were made to this 2007 Farr design last year, reducing its weight by about 10 tonnes. Notably, America’s Cup champion Ed Baird and Volvo Ocean Race victor Mike Sanderson joined her afterguard, optimizing Leopard 3 for both inshore and offshore competition. Schuijff concluded, “Windward-leeward isn’t where we excel. We hoped for enhanced weather conditions today, which we got, favoring reaching.”
Mike Sanderson remarked, “Today was excellent—the wind funneled down Bomb Alley, so we opted for the right. We kicked off by the race committee boat, and Ed executed a superb start. After a mishap with a furler that made it difficult to deploy at the top mark, our knowledgeable crew and Joost’s skilled driving kept us in the race.”
In Maxi 2, the former Maxi 72s, George and Christina Sakellaris’ Proteus clinched first place today, finishing just 20 seconds ahead of Peter Harrison’s Jolt under IRC corrected time, leading to a countback win. “We had a fantastic race in outstanding conditions. This boat enjoys wind and heavy weather, as long as it doesn’t exceed 30 knots,” said Sakellaris, who shared steering duties with his daughter. Ironically, while Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente won this title last year, Proteus has remained in its Maxi 72 configuration. This win marks the Sakellarises’ first after years of close competition.
Strategist and round-the-world veteran Stu Bannatyne added, “Many are relieved and thrilled! The day was challenging yet enjoyable. We made it tougher for ourselves with some early mistakes, but everyone rallied and recovered well…”
After leading the Supermaxi class on Wednesday, Juan Ball’s Swan 115 Moat lost to Niklas Zennström and Filip Engelbert’s 43.6m Svea, which won today and took the Super Maxi Class title on countback. This marks Svea’s third consecutive win here and Zennström’s seventh overall, including four previous Mini Maxi victories. Watching these giants navigate in over 20 winds and significant chop from the Strait of Bonifacio was awe-inspiring.
“It was thrilling—great fun,” commented Bouwe Bekking, Svea’s tactician. “Today was fantastic. We experienced 18 knots in Bomb Alley and around 22-23 knots reaching—it wasn’t overwhelming.” This year, the race was tighter against Moat. “A proper run works to our advantage, but reaching against newer boats is quite challenging,” Bekking concluded.
Similar to Proteus, Oscar 3 in Maxi 3 has often been a ‘bridesmaid but never the bride.’ Aldo and Elena Parisotto changed that narrative today. Although 2023 champion Jean-Pierre Barjon’s 65ft Spirit of Lorina won the breezy race, Oscar 3’s second-place finish granted the Mylius 65FD its first win here after two previous second places.
“I can’t believe it,” Parisotto expressed. “It was highly stressful, but I’m very pleased with the boat’s performance. Today wasn’t easy; I preferred the last race because I felt I drove better. The wind was quite strong today.” Oscar 3 also earned the award for the best IMA member.
Oscar 3’s tactician, former America’s Cup helmsman Paolo Cian added, “Winning here is a significant accomplishment. Today’s race tested our limits as we were at the top of the wind range. The crew did an incredible job managing speed and maneuvers. We optimized our strategy to edge ahead of others, which was crucial in our second-place finish today.”
Riccardo de Michele achieved his sixth Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup class win in Maxi 4, having participated every year since 2007. “It was truly wonderful,” he remarked. “The wind was at the upper limit for our boat. We had a gennaker mishap, but we had a backup…”
The Multihull class competed for the second time here after its debut in 2023. On both days, Lord Irvine Laidlaw’s Gunboat 80 Highland Fling 18 crossed the line first against Adrian Keller’s 82ft Allegra, yet Riccardo Pavoncelli’s Gunboat 66 Gaetana claimed race wins under ORCmh corrected time this week.
“This was my first attempt, and I’m very satisfied,” Pavoncelli shared. “We were unfamiliar with the boat and proceeded cautiously, but it performed exceptionally well. Designed for racing, I had an outstanding crew.” This included British multihull veteran and round-the-world race winner Brian Thompson. “We encountered some breakages, which happens to everyone; we had never sailed in such strong winds before. We reached 25 knots—I was pretty anxious!” The Multihull class expects further growth for next year’s edition, aiming for five catamarans.
The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup served as the second-to-last event in the IMA’s 2024 Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge, set to conclude next month with Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez.
