Sean Borg’s Jubatus wins RMYC Licata race

Sean Borg’s Jubatus claimed another victory on the Licata course, repeating his success from the previous year when he debuted his Cape 31.

The Royal Malta Yacht Club hosted the 172 nautical mile race on Friday evening, starting from Marsamxett.

The race, the last opportunity for an offshore race for crews planning on competing in the Rolex Middle Sea Race next month, was challenging in that forecast for the weekend being quite light. 

Jubatus secured an early advantage with a strong downwind start, sticking to the west side of the course and building a solid lead by the time they rounded the first mark at Licata.

As the rest of the fleet approached Licata, they were met with steadier breeze, allowing for smoother progress.

However, the forecasted light winds turned the race into a tactical challenge, forcing crews to execute constant sail changes to maximize performance.

As the fleet neared Ragusa, the breeze completely disappeared, leaving many boats becalmed for hours, desperately drifting in search of any pockets of wind to regain momentum, whilst having to contend with fatigue after hours of racing.

Being the first to cross the line after 33 hours of racing, and bagging another win, Jubatus’ skipper Sean Borg said: “So much has evolved since our debut last year. 

“Once again we are applied for a very long offshore race now knowing full well that it’s going to be though, especially since our crew was 2 men shorter than we normally are. 

The light winds, particularly in the last stretch when we were all exhausted was frustrating but we are very happy with how things went”.

Second place on corrected time went to the J92 Juniper, sailed double-handed by Brian Flahive and Aaron Gatt Floridia. With years of offshore racing experience between them, the duo faced a demanding night as the shifty conditions called for multiple sail changes to keep the boat in motion.

The final leg from Ragusa saw them briefly run out of wind, giving them a rare opportunity for some much-needed rest.

Once the breeze filled in, they enjoyed what Flahive described as “a nice Code Zero blast to Malta,” making for a strong finish to the race.

Kevin Pisani Zammit’s longest offshore race to date was a memorable one, as he skippered his First 45, Dimm, to third place.

Despite the challenge of Dimm being the heaviest boat in the fleet and not performing as well as the rest of the fleet in winds under 6 knots, they fell slightly behind before rounding Prezioso.

However, on Sunday morning, a much-needed breeze filled in from the south, and the exhausted crew powered their way straight to the finish line, securing third place in the race.

The next race on the club’s sailing calendar is the fully crewed figure of eight taking place on Saturday September 21.