Elusive 2 wins BOV Gozo Autumn Regatta for sixth time

Elusive 2, the Beneteau First 45 skippered by Aaron, Christoph, and Maya Podesta, is the winner of the BOV Gozo Autumn Regatta 2023.

Organised by the Royal Malta Yacht Club and held between November 10 and 12, the race featured a fleet of 24 boats racing from Marsamxett Harbour to Mġarr Harbour on Friday, followed by a series of round-the-cans races in the Gozo-Comino Channel on Saturday and finishing off with a race back to Malta on Sunday.

In IRC1, Elusive 2 took the early lead taking line honours and first place on corrected time in the race from Malta to Gozo with Stefan Debattista’s Geisha placing second, followed by Jonathan Gambin’s TonTon Laferla.

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Strong winds on Saturday saw race director Martin Azzopardi setting a course to the east of Comino where Elusive 2 kept a firm grip on their first place.

Some impressive sailing from Sean Borg’s Jubatus saw them pip Geisha to second place. The three boats also placed first, second, and third in the overall category.

In IRC2, Andrew Agius Delicata and Matthew Gabriele’s Vivace had the better of John Cachia West’s Ottovolante with third place going to the Ripard Family’s Calypso.

The Cruiser’s division saw Kevin Zammit Pisani’s Dimm and Mario Debono’s Janissah trading line honours throughout the weekend with Dimm edging Janissah by just one point in the final run. Francesca Corsetti’s Ages of Gaia took third place.

Stefan Abela, from Bank of Valletta’s CSR Department. and Royal Malta Yacht Club Commodore David Cremona presented the BOV Gozo Autumn Regatta Trophy to Elusive 2’s skipper Maya Podesta along with mementoes and gifts for all the podium placing boats in each category.

This is the sixth time that Elusive 2 has won this race since its inception in 2012.

In a statement, BOV said: “BOV’s sponsorship of the BOV Gozo Autumn Regatta forms part of the Bank’s commitment towards being a responsible citizen of the community in which it operates while promoting a healthy lifestyle through sport.”