Royal malta Yacht Club Youth Racing Team

ICOYC Regional
Conference
Familiar Names,
new faces
welcomes delegates from 10 European countries
for 37th Rolex Middle Sea Race
PAGE 6 >
PAGE 36 >
RMYC SAILING SCHOOL
making waves in the
International Circuit
PAGE 40 >
spinnaker
The official Royal Malta Yacht Club publication
issue 3
SUMMER 2016
NEWSPAPER POST
COVER STORY >
Royal Malta Yacht Club
Youth Racing Team
spinnaker
issue 3 SUMMER 2016
welcome to
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We have been very busy for the first six months of the year.
Our racing calendar has been jam packed, with racing happening
almost every weekend.
We have had some fun social events to bring as many members and
their friends together in a relaxed and fun environment, without the
added pressure that racing brings with it.
In May we said good bye to Alexandra Vella, who am sure needs no introduction
having been part of the Club Secretariat team for the past ten years. We wish
her good luck in her career move and thank her for the years of service and
commitment she gave to the Club. Claudia Villani has now joined the team - am
sure you will join me in welcoming Claudia to the Club and wishing her a long a
fruitful career here.
We are just a few months from the start of the 37th edition of the Rolex Middle
Sea Race – entries are coming in steadily and we look forward to welcome back
some familiar faces as well as introduce our famed hospitality to new crews
taking part in this ‘must do’ race for the first time. Our Sailing School is growing steadily, with the support of Yachting Malta, we
were able to invest in new boats and introduce the RS Feva Class to our Club.
We have seen some of our crews take part in international events such as the
Easter meet in Lake Garda and we are currently preparing our Youth Racing
Team for their participation in the World Championships to be held in July – we
will keep our fingers crossed to be able to write about, what will hopefully be, a
great experience for them, in our next edition.
As always, we welcome any interesting stories from our members - so if you
have anything that you would like to share, please drop me an email! Of course,
no good story is complete without some good photos so do keep that in mind!
I will wrap up with a few word of thanks to our sponsors for supporting our
initiatives – it is thanks to them that we are able to keep an active calendar
going on. Do keep these companies in mind when looking out for products and
services. I’d also like to thank our volunteers who help in any way they can –
do remember that Race Committees are made up of volunteers who brave the
heat, cold as well as early mornings and late nights to be able to get the Club’s
races going. A big round of applause and pat on the back for these people from
all of us!
That’s all for now, we do hope you enjoy reading about the Club, its members
and activities. We look forward to a lovely, relaxing summer with as much
sailing as is possible!
Maria Vella-Galea
Editor
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Commodore’s
message
The committee this year includes some welcome new young members which who will
surely be beneficial in maintaining the programme of activities the club organises.
The sailing programme is now well under way with the ever successful and enjoyable
Marzamemi and Ragusa weekends following on after the early season local races. We now
look towards the first international event the Malta-Syracuse in mid-July.
I take this opportunity to encourage boat owners to participate more in racing events most
of which are not too competitive and can be very enjoyable for even the less experienced
crews.
On the social side the popular quiz night was followed by a very entertaining evening held
on the occasion of the Queen’s official birthday celebrations featuring the Counterfeit
Beatles from the UK.
Mid-summer is time for cruising and some club members will be setting off together on the
club summer cruise. The programme for this is still being developed and anyone wishing to
join is still in time.
Cover photo: RMYC/Jon Borg
The Rolex Middle Sea Race in never far from our minds and preparations are already being
made for this most important event of the year which looks to be as good an event as in
recent years.
Particularly satisfying is the progress being made with the RMYC sailing school which is
seeing constant growth in its activities, introducing new people to the sport and producing
a new generation of club sailors. A team of young sailors who now form the RMYC Youth
Racing Team will be competing in the RS Feva World Championships in Santander this
summer and we wish them good fortune in their competition.
Godwin Zammit
Commodore
Editor
Maria Vella-Galea
[email protected]
Design & Art Direction
Nicholas Cutajar
Printing
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Distribution
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The editor is not responsible for material submitted for consideration. © 2016 Kite Group. All rights reserved.
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Club Secretary’s
message
Dear Members,
It is with pleasure that I am writing these few words in
our magazine. From the outset, this year promised to
be a challenging one and sure enough it has kept its
word.
effective vetting process. This will enable the
Committee to take more informed decisions when
approving new members. We have also introduced an
expedited application path, which may be applied for
only upon specific request by the applicant.
Committee:
The RMYC Committee has, in this term, increased its
meeting frequency. The Committee meets regularly
every fortnight in a bid to keep abreast with all the
required changes we embarked to implement. The
Committee itself has undergone some changes too.
Not only in the designations of roles but also in the
role format itself. One of the changes implemented
was to the role of Rear Commodore Sailing as this has
been divided into two divisions, racing and sailing.
The 2016 Committee is structured as follows:
Newsletter:
The RMYC Committee is committed to provide all the
Club news to our members, through our PR official
at the Club. We have taken steps so that the Club
Secretariat embarks on the production of a newsletter
which is to reach our members both electronically and
in print. This is something still in it’s initial stages but
we are confident that it will be well received by all.
Members’ contributions are more than welcome.
Godwin Zammit – Commodore
Mark Napier – Vice Commodore
Robert Ciantar – Hon. Secretary
Peter Dimech – Hon. Treasurer
Anna Rossi – Rear Commodore House
David Anastasi – Rear Commodore Racing
Maya Podesta – Rear Commodore Sailing
Matthew Farrugia – Member – Marine Operations
Jamie Sammut – Member
Changes in Staff:
I am sure that most of you have noticed some
changes in our Club staff too. Both Ms Alexandra
Vella and Mr Gigi Delipapazov have decided to move
on in their careers and pursue different paths. Allow
me to take this opportunity to thank them both for
all they have done for the Club during their time of
employment with us.
The Club administrative staff compliment has been
since adjusted and Ms Claudia Villani has been
engaged as our front office official. She started
employment with the RMYC as of Wednesday 25th
May and is currently employed on a probation period.
At the time of writing, we were also holding interviews
for the employment of a book keeper, whose
recruitment would alleviate the heavy accounting
workload in the office thus giving our office staff
more time to dedicate to events planning and client /
members’ relations.
Membership applications:
The membership application procedures have
been on the discussion table for some time and the
Committee resolved to introduce a new revamped
application form which should allow for a more
Volunteers:
As we all know, whilst the Club’s direction is the
responsibility of the Committee, and it is through
the commitment of this team that the Club operates,
it would be highly beneficial for the Club to have
more members become involved. We are convinced
that their input will enable the Club to thrive. The
Committee has recently issued a call for volunteers,
asking for assistance in various areas. The response
to our call has been very favourable, and we look
forward to the involvement of the many members who
have put forth their names to help out. It is with great
satisfaction that we welcome you aboard.
Committee News:
Last but not least, we regret to inform that Mr. John
Ripard Jr has relinquished his post as Committee
member.
I am sure that the rest of the Committee joins me
in thanking him for his contributions towards the
Club. The vacant post was then “filled” by Mr Jamie
Sammut, who was asked to step in since he was the
next in line in the voting process. We are positive
that Jamie promises to again be yet another valid
contributor to the Club.
Looking ahead:
The RMYC Committee looks to the future with
optimism in it’s endeavours to make our Club a
great place to be. This doesn’t mean that everything
is flawless, far from it. However we try to give our
best, simply because we are all convinced that our
members deserve nothing less.
Robert W. Ciantar
Hon. Secretary
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ICOYC
Regional
Conference
Malta 15 – 17 January 2016
words by
Gero Brugmann
ICOYC Vice President-Europe
More than just a conference – this became clear to the
ICOYC Delegates even before they touched down on the
history-soaked island and Republic of Malta. From the
air, Malta shows that it is a multi-century old fortress
in the Mediterranean, all made of the honey-yellowish
local limestone, and seafaring has always been its curse
and blessing. And the Royal Malta Yacht Club, nicely
situated in Ta’ Xbiex and overlooking Marsamxett
Harbour towards Valetta, made the best of the Island’s
history and qualities and created one of the most
renowned offshore races in European waters, The Rolex
Middle Sea Race.
6
T
he taxi driver who picked us up from the airport
unveiled the secret of the pronunciation of
“Ta`Xbiex” on the way to the club house. The
Royal Malta Yacht Club welcomed its guests with
a wonderful lunch buffet offering various local specialties.
The atmosphere of an island state with a historically mixed
culture between the Arab and the European World quickly
spread.
Attendance was extremely good given the difficult choice
of the date and the relatively short time to plan. Out of
the 11 European member clubs in 10 countries, Belgium,
Denmark, Norway, Germany, Malta (as host), Italy and the
UK were represented, and Seattle Yacht Club with their
representatives Jack and Marion Sullivan was warmly
welcomed. Seattle has a history of attendance at European
Regional meetings, mostly through its member Bob Miller,
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Ludovica Reggio (YCI) and Godwin Zammit (RMYC) discussing youth opportunities
the Council’s web administrator and IT mastermind. Royal
Malta Yacht Club was present with its Commodore Godwin
Zammit, Vice Commodore Mark Napier, Rear Commodore
Sailing David Anastasi, Honorary Treasurer Peter Dimech,
Honorary Secretary Anna Rossi and its sailing school head
Trevor Millar.
The Saturday session commenced with welcome notes
from Royal Malta Yacht Club’s Commodore and the
Council’s regional Vice President, followed by individual
introductions by the attendees. While well-known faces
safeguarded continuity, Pierre Bourgeois was welcomed
as the new Commodore of Bruxelles Royal Yacht Club,
accompanied by his predecessor and ICOYC veteran Alain
Radelet. Graham Nixon, Rear Commodore Sailing of the
Royal Southern, made his first appearance at an ICOYC
event, and with Ludovica Reggio, President of the Young
Members Group at Yacht Club Italiano, we had the voice
and vision of younger yacht club members in the room.
A report on the many and well chosen topics discussed
at the Commodores’ Forum in Auckland was followed by
Royal Danish Yacht Club’s Commodore Lars Ive on the
planning of the upcoming worldwide event in Copenhagen
in September 2016. The organisation of the conference is
well on track and in addition, the venues and opportunities
for first time visitors as well as returning ones look very
promising.
A report on global membership development of the Council
was followed by a discussion on expansion in Europe. The
Ludovica Reggio (YCI), Trevor Millar (RMYC Sailing School), David
Anastasi (RMYC) leading discussion on Sailing School
attendees warmly welcomed the application in process
by Clube Naval de Cascais in Lisbon, a primary club of
global standards which hosted many international events,
among others world championships and Volvo Ocean Race
stopover, and that of Gstaad Yacht Club in Switzerland, a
smaller but highly active club with a global network and a
substantial on-the-water program given that Gstaad is a
land-locked city in a land-locked country. Further possible
candidates were located and individual approaches
discussed.
The first session focused on the Council’s work,
organization and plans, as usual for this type of conference.
This conference also marked a change from a presentation
and Q & A format to panel discussions and extended room
for open discussions of both, topics on the program and
topics spontaneously developed from the floor.
The intense afternoon passed quickly and the delegates
retreated to the Radisson Blu in St. Julian’s with a stunning
seaside view. After some rest from travelling and the first
session, the group gathered at The Galley Restaurant at
the Royal Malta Yacht Club for dinner, drinks, and more
socializing together with a large delegation of RMYC
representatives.
The morning of day two was all about youth. Trevor
Millar (RMYC Sailing School), David Anastasi (RMYC Rear
Commodore Sailing) and Jan Rossi of the J70 Association
Malta reported on the various RMYC approaches at
engaging youth on the island. Moreover, Malta is marketed
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Carlo de Thierry (YCI) and Mark Napier (RMYC) chairing Club Management discussion panel
RMYC Commodore Godwin Zammit
moderated the session and firstly introduced
the Maltese case. Club fleet management
needs a tight focus on the limited numbers
in the sailing community drawn from a
population of approx. 425.000. The choice
of boats needs close consultation to produce
a critical mass in any class introduced. Also
logistics play an important role and become
more crucial with the growing interest in
joining the Sailing Champions League.
Introduction of the J70 surely was a helpful
step towards participation in the League,
while the organization of a national Maltese
league may need some individual approach.
one, it was generally seen as astonishing
that disabled sailing should not have a
worldwide reach. All clubs present were
able to report on their own disabled sailing
campaigns, equipment, budgets and other
substantial support. Moreover, from the past
nine Commodores’ Forums, there was ample
evidence of clubs worldwide that strongly
foster disabled sailing up the Paralympic
level. David Mead of the Royal Southern Yacht
Club introduced the Wetwheels project, which
provides disabled and disadvantaged people
access to the sea through fully accessible
powerboats. While not focused on sailing,
the project provides an intense experience
ashore for people that are usually blocked
from access to the water. Those present in
the room were unanimous in their view that
water sports provide extreme challenges to
the disabled that can unlikely be offered by
any sport entertained on dry land.
The session made an interesting emotional
detour when the discussion came to disabled
sailing and the recent decision by the
International Paralympic Committee to drop
sailing from the 2020 Tokyo Games. While
the decision itself was reportedly a technical
The discussion also revealed another view
on Paralympic and Olympic sailing. Sailing
is – positively and negatively – unique in its
division into numerous classes and events.
Every class has its own championships on a
national, regional and mostly also world-class
as a season and off-season training ground
with constant winds and mild climate for
teams from the more Northern parts of
Europe that have difficulties finding adequate
wind and climate conditions in winter.
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
level. Big boat sailing adds the factor of rating systems to
the mix. There is no world champion in sailing, and for most
classes, the Olympic sailing events do not help clarifying
the situation. Independently of sailing being Olympic or
Paralympic, the question was raised what added value
Olympic sailing has for our sport. Expectedly, a lively
discussion followed this spikey question and revealed
the inhomogeneity of ways to pursue the sport of sailing.
While some see the global visibility of Olympic sailing
as a decisive factor for the future of our sport, and the
campaigning for the Olympic Games as one of the most
deserving and challenging tasks in a sailor’s life, others see
the enormous cost and effort for an Olympic campaign in
no healthy relation to the impact a medal in the Olympic
Games may have to the sailing community outside the
individual classes that are chosen to be Olympic.
Ludovica Reggio and Carlo de Thierry from Yacht Club
Italiano joined the panel to report on “Gruppo Giovani”,
YCI’s young members’ group formed out of the need to
give younger members and prospective younger members
their own platform to organise social activities created for
their age and to better participate in the club’s activities.
Ludovica is the group’s president and reported on her
efforts to give the younger a voice in a club that pursues
long-standing traditions. There were many questions
asked and examples given how other clubs walk the line
between tradition and attractiveness to a young generation
that nowadays has more choices than it ever had and is
harder to catch for voluntary work. The success of Gruppo
Giovani showed that clubs need to address the younger
generations’ interest and approach at social activities
and sports to get them interested in a highly modern
sport that is largely fostered by yacht clubs, outspoken
traditional organisations with a rather high age average in
their membership. The floor applauded Ludovica for her
efforts and success and many spontaneously offered their
support.
As the session on youth crossed into many management
questions planned for the afternoon session, the
programme was quickly regrouped to allow for items being
discussed when they best fitted.
the same topic entered the agenda of a conference
some years ago, it had sparked more doubtful looks and
questions than it does today.
Exhausted but happy, the delegates returned to their hotel
to refresh for a breathtaking tour of Malta’s inland fortress,
the Mdina. It served as Malta’s capital from pre-Roman
times through Arab and Norman rule to the 15th century,
when the Nights of St. John decided to move the capital
to the coast. An outstanding storyteller and actor guided
the group through centuries of history to finish in the ageold limestone walls of the Medina Restaurant, where the
conference concluded with a dinner in great style.
The voyage into history continued on the Sunday morning
with a trip to Valetta and its magnificent secular buildings
and breathtaking churches.
This conference broke some records, and the one unseen
to most but most challenging to a few was the timeline
of organization. The date had only been fixed at the end
of November and with the Christmas break in between,
there were a few weeks for preparation. However, the club
staff crew and its Commodore, experienced from many
Rolex Middle Sea Races and other international events,
produced a full program, delegates’ information pack with
biographies, branded giveaways and other helpful items
in short time and seemingly no increase of blood pressure
along the way. A big thank you especially to Maria VellaGalea and Alana Muscat who took most of the load.
Royal Malta Yacht Club was a superb host and the
archipelago that lies closer to the African coast than to any
major European city showed that it can easily convert itself
to the capital of European yacht club life for a weekend as
it can host one of the major offshore events. The Council
extends its gratitude to RMYC, its Commodore Godwin
Zammit, the flag officers and staff for turning the fifth ICOYC
regional conference into a landmark event and for being so
welcoming and caring for the delegates.
Editor’s Note: The 2016 ICOYC Regional Conference was
also supported by Yachting Malta
On Club Management, Mark Napier
(RMYC Vice Commodore) chaired the
panel and started off with a report on
RMYC’s organization. A club with so
many herculean tasks had so far perfectly
worked with an enormous personal
effort by the flag officers and their staff,
but without a general manager. The
attendees had many examples to report
on. Voluntary vs Employed Management
quickly turned into a hot discussion.
Like some and unlike others, RMYC had
managed to keep a vivid and strong base
of volunteers and relies on non-paid
individuals in many key positions.
The discussion on modern means of
communications focused on the use by
yacht clubs of websites, Facebook, Twitter
and the likes. Their value especially for
reaching the younger generations was
embraced by most clubs nowadays,
and with rising professionalism. When
Delegates during the session
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COVER STORY >
Photos: Jon Borg
Royal Malta
Yacht Club Youth
Racing Team
This July the Royal Malta Yacht Club Youth Racing Team will be
representing Malta at the RS Feva World Championships, the regatta will
be held in Santander, Spain. The RMYC’s Youth Racing Team is made
up of crews aged between 13 and 15 years of age and will see three teams
fielded for this year’s Championships.
F
rom the 25th until the 28th
July, Santander will be hosting
approximately 200 boats,
three of which will be from
Malta. The Maltese team will be at the
race venue from the 18th of July which
should give them sufficient time to
familiarise themselves with the venue
which is very tidal, something new for
our sailors who are used to sailing in the
Mediterranean.
The team, which has been actively
sailing on the RS Feva boats for the past
nine months, will be made up of two
male teams - Kane Seychell/Harry Parnis
England and Alexander Bartoli/Nick
Bonello Ghio and one female team Megan Ferry/Emilie Gregory, all of which
are currently being coached by Miguel
Andrade, head coach at the Royal Malta
Yacht Club Sailing School.
Crews have since inception of this team
have shown a strong commitment and
ongoing dedication and have been
undergoing a strict training regime. The
teams have been undergoing coaching
at a training camp organised by the
Royal Malta Yacht Club and SailCoach
through the club’s Sailing School youth
programme. The Training Camp, which
has seven teams taking part – five from
the Royal Malta Yacht Club and two from
Birzebbugia Sailing Club, will see the
team undertake fifteen double sessions
consisting of race training days, fitness
sessions and sports psychology
sessions.
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
(L) to (R) – Abbie and Tom Sanders (United Kingdom),
Miguel Andrade (Portugal), Nathan Gillett (Ireland) and
Ruya Cakmakli (Turkey)
New instructors at the Royal Malta Yacht
Club Sailing School
The Royal Malta Yacht Club Sailing School has welcomed
three new seasonal instructors to further strengthen the
coaching compliment to meet the strong demand for
coaching throughout the summer months.
Abbie and Tom Sanders from the UK, Nathan Gillett from
Ireland and Ruya Cakmakli from Turkey have joined Miguel
Andrade’s team and are all looking forward to a great
summer teaching sailing in Malta…
Here’s a bit of information about the new instructors:
Youth Racing Team (L) to (R): Nick Bonello Ghio, Emilie Gregory, Harry Parnis England, Miguel Andrade,
Kane Seychell, Megan Ferry, Alex Bartoli, RMYC Rear Commodore (Sailing) David Anastasi, RMYC
Commodore Godwin Zammit
Entering the race psyche is
important and preparation
for this included a number of
races of which the team has
registered consistent results.
Maltese National
Championships –
1st Place
Maltese Ranking Races
(Birzebbugia,
St. Paul’s Bay and Royal
Malta Yacht Club) –
1st Place
Lake Garda, Italy Easter
Regatta –
Top 10 result
“Our goal is to have at least
one team in the Gold fleet and
the others in silver, meaning
that they will secure a place
in the top 25 teams to be in
Gold” commented Miguel
Andrade, Head Coach, at
the Royal Malta Yacht Club
Sailing School. “The World
Championships will not be an
easy ride for our teams but
we are confident that they
can achieve good results,
especially since they have
shown commitment and
improvement from the very
start of the teams formation”
The Royal Malta Yacht Club
Youth Racing Team is being
supported by Timberland,
Go Mobile, Malta Tourism
Authority and Gauci Borda.
Youth Racing Team (L) to (R): Nick Bonello Ghio, Alex Bartoli, Miguel Andrade, Harry Parnis England,
Kane Seychell, Megan Ferry, Emilie Gregory
Abbie and twin brother Tom Sanders
From West Kirby Sailing Club on the outskirts of Liverpool
they are both RYA Senior Dinghy Instructors with over 500
hours teaching experience to all abilities and ages under
their belt, bring this knowledge to the RMYC Sailing
School. This brother and sister team have been sailing for
12 years, after starting their sailing career in ‘Optimist’ and
taking part in the RYA Junior Traveller trophy. They then
moved to a Laser Radial and spend a lot of time racing
Radials and Dart Catamarans travelling to local open
events with modest success. After this summer they are
both going on to University and planning to follow careers
in the water sports industry.
Nathan Gillett
A first year student at the University of Lancashire studying
engineering, he joins our seasonal dinghy instructor team
at the RMYC Sailing School. A native of Dublin, he is
competent sailor, having competed at an international
level, representing his country (Ireland) in competitions
such as the European and World Laser Radial Men’s
Championships and Laser Europa Cup Regattas. Last
summer he worked for the his home club the Royal St
George Yacht Club, Dún Laoghaire, Dublin, a yacht club
with an international reputation which runs the largest
junior sailing programmes in Ireland. He is an Advanced
Dinghy Instructor certified through the Irish Sailing
Association.
How to book sailing lessons with RMYC
Sailing School
Step 1:
Visit www.rmycsailingschool.simplybook.it
Step 2:
Select the Location you wish to sail at – “Royal Malta Yacht
Club, Sailing School”
Step 3:
Select the Services button
Step 4:
Choose the service you require, duration and prices are
shown here
Step 5:
Using the calendar select the day you wish to sail. Times are
displayed for that day to the right of the page
Step 6:
Fill in your name, e-mail, phone number, etc.
To book another session click the “Add More Bookings”
Button located above Book Now. This will take you back to
the (Step 2)
Step 7:
Check the information is correct and then click Book Now
Step 8:
Select PayPal and you will be taken to your PayPal account
to complete the payment process.
Step 9:
Click Confirm Booking
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Tricky moments for crews at the
RMYC Citadel
Coastal Race
With safety being paramount, the Royal Malta Yacht Club took the decision to
postpone the Citadel Marzamemi Weekend Regatta, a decision which disappointed
quite a few of the crews who were geared up for the first offshore race of the year. To
make up for this disappointment the Royal Malta Yacht Club organised a one day
Coastal Race on the Saturday morning of the scheduled race start.
“
We enjoyed the race and the fine sailing
conditions. Otra Vez has just been put back
in the water for the new season and we were
looking forward to getting back to racing. The
wind was very light at the start and the swell
made it tricky to keep the boat moving but the
breeze improved as we went South and made
for a very enjoyable race.
”
Winner of IRC Class 1, Aaron Gatt Floridia
(Otra Vez)
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
“
Although a short race, it didn’t come without its fair share of tricky
moments particularly at the start, due to the fickle wind and steep NE swell.....
and at Marsascala, where in view of our overlapping genoa we were unable
to hold an angle high enough to avoid a non-making tack at the reef......which
cost us precious time....Once round Munxar, the breeze picked up slightly which
made for a very easy sail all the way to the finish!!
”
Mark Vassallo’s Fast Forward sailed into first place in IRC Class 2
W
hilst weather conditions were
slightly better in Malta, the
seventeen competing crews
encountered some tricky moments
during Saturday’s Citadel Coastal Race which
consisted of an approximately fifteen nautical
mile course starting from Marsamxett Harbour
and which took them south to Munxar before
turning back to finish at the Royal Malta Yacht
Club early in the afternoon.
Having had some time to wind down after the
excitement of the day, Crews were hosted to a
Prize Giving evening which was held at the Royal
Malta Yacht Club later on in the evening.
The Royal Malta Yacht Club is grateful to Citadel
Insurance plc for supporting this event as well
as all the volunteers – Peter Dimech, Alana
Meadows, Richard Dennis, Stephanie Jones,
Simone Dimech, Maria Vella-Galea and Anna
Rossi, who took care of Race Management on
the day.
“
A well organised race, which we thoroughly enjoyed, making up
for the disappointment of the Marzamemi postponement. We look
forward to hopefully racing to Marzamemi on the 13th.
”
Ian Pace sailing on his Oceanis 40 Mawimbi won IRC Class 4
Results of the 2016 Citadel
Coastal Race
IRC Class 1
1st Place - Otra Vez (Aaron Gatt Floridia)
2nd Place - Juno (Sonke Stein)
3rd Place - Xpresso (Sean Borg)
IRC Class 2
1st Place – Fast Forward (Mark Vassallo)
2nd Place – Time Out (Mario Sant)
3rd Place – Windriven (Per Sahlberg)
IRC Class 4
1st Place – Mawimbi (Ian Pace)
2nd Place – Inspiration (Godwin Zammit)
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St. Patrick’s
Weekend
Regatta
To celebrate the feast of St. Patrick’s, the Royal Malta Yacht Club together with the Irish Embassy
in Malta joined forces to organise the St. Patrick’s Weekend Regatta. A number of yachts prepared
their sails in order to take part in the weekend regatta.
words by
Sean W. Borg
Out winning the second, in as many races throughout the
weekend and making them overall winners.
The prize giving wrapped up what was a great weekend.
The Beaufort Trophy, was presented to Xpresso crew, by
the Irish Ambassador, Pádraig MacCoscair who gave a brief
introduction about the Trophy which was being presented
for the first time to crews in the history of the Club.
“Racing in the St. Patrick’s Weekend Regatta was a great
experience, we had some challenging sailing and take this
opportunity to thank all the Xpresso crew for their fantastic
performance” enthused Sean Borg, skipper Xpresso
On Saturday, the start, inside Marsamxett Harbour, sent all
the yachts North, tacking upwind to Comino. With the gusty
conditions inside the harbour, there was already some
action going on. Xpresso was first to get the clear winds
exiting the harbour, closely followed by Time Out, Lartista
then Inspiration. The fleet had the perfect 15 knot breeze
getting to Comino before being let down by the same wind
after it had become very light round Comino. This resulted
in Xpresso being the only boat to manage the time limit
on Saturday leaving them with a very strong position for
Sunday’s final race and overall prize.
Sunday was yet another beautiful day with Southerly winds
and flat calm water. Race Committee sent the fleet on a
course round the Munxar mark and back to the Yacht Club.
A hard fought battle between Xpresso and Time Out saw
them fight it out till the last second, leaving no room for
errors. Ultimately it was Xpresso that had the better of Time
Results
1st Place - Xpresso (Sean Borg)
2nd Place - Time Out (Mario Sant)
3rd Place - Inspiration (Godwin Zammit)
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
St. Patrick’s
Shamrock
&
Shenanigans
Everyone loves the traditional celebrations that make up
St. Patrick’s Day. We all know how this event is all about
celebrating fun, laughter, between dancing and guinness,
Jameson Whiskey and all things Irish.
T
he Royal Malta Yacht Club hosted a St.
Patrick’s themed evening on Saturday 19th
March, aptly named St. Patrick’s Shamrock &
Shenanigans Night.
Throughout the evening, members and their guests
were able to tuck into typical Irish fare, which
included Guinness beef stew, heart-warming pea and
bacon soup, Colcannon and finished off with warm
apple crumble. No Irish themed party can be called one without
ample supplies of Guinness, which was poured
with care, shots of smooth Jameson were downed
[responsibly] at the bar and those wanting a bit of
zing in their coffee opted for some Baileys Irish
Cream.
Of course, the Irish are ace at partying and no St.
Patrick’s celebration would have been complete
without Irish music and dancing. Celtic Connections
entertained the two hundred strong crowd with
popular Irish music into the early hours of the night
making it a delightfully spirited celebration which
enabled quite a few party goers to burn off the
calories consumed throughout the evening.
The St. Patrick’s Shamrock & Shenanigans Night was
also made possible through the assistance of the
Irish Embassy in Malta.
16
2016
Annual General Meeting
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
T
he Committee welcomed two new members - Matthew Farrugia and Maya Podesta,
who do not need much of an introduction especially when it comes to racing.
The 2016 Committee also saw two members swapping roles – last year’s Honorary
Secretary Anna Rossi has now taken over House duties whilst Robert Ciantar took over the
role of Honorary Secretary. Matthew Farrugia will be managing Marine Operations
With Racing being an integral and important part of the Club’s calendar and due to the ever
growing range of sailing activities at the Club it was agreed that this year, there should be
two Rear Commodores particularly assigned to Sailing – the roles were assigned to David
Anastasi, who retained this role from previous years and Maya Podesta.
Although Committee members might not really need much of an introduction, we thought
we would share a bit more of their background and connection with the Club and the world
of sailing!
Godwin Zammit – Commodore
Mark Napier - Vice Commodore
Godwin has been on the RMYC committee
since 2000, serving as Rear Commodore
Racing and as the Race Committee Chairman
of the Rolex Middle Sea Race. Godwin has
been responsible for racing and handicapping
and has attended a number of IRC / ORC
congresses. He races regularly in Club events
with his boat “Inspiration” and has in the past
taken part in the Rolex Middle Sea Race as a
crew member. He is an architect by profession
and took a very active role in the development
of the Club premises.
Mark Napier has been an active member of
the Royal Malta Yacht Club ever since being
introduced to the club at the age of 12. He
has participated in many Club races and
has assisted in race management on many
occasions. He has been continuously elected
to serve on committee since 1998 where he
has served the Club as Hon Secretary, Hon
Treasurer, Rear Commodore Cruising, Rear
Commodore House and in recent years as Vice
Commodore. He was one of the key members
involved in relocating and rebuilding the Club
house and was deeply involved in the setting
up and shaping the organisation of the Rolex
Middle Sea Race. Mark has worked in senior
management all his life, starting off in textiles,
then moving on to producing equestrian
and marine related products, and in recent
years has been managing a foreign owned
Pharmaceutical Company. He is married to
Nadine and has two children, John and Elena.
This is Godwin’s fourth year in the role of Club
Commodore.
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Robert W. Ciantar - Hon.
Secretary
Anna Rossi - Rear Commodore
House
Robert is an active sailor and has been a
member of the RMYC for over twenty years
having joined in 1996. Since then Robert has
also completed quite a few circuits round the
RMSR course both on local and foreign boats.
He has also had the opportunity to sail abroad,
around the Mediterranean as well as in the
Irish and English seas. Professionally, Robert
is trained as a Project Manager and promises
to make use of the acquired managerial skills
to better the Club’s performance. This is his
third time being elected to committee and this
year he shall be serving in the role of Honorary
Secretary. He previously held the role of Rear
Commodore - House.
Anna joined the committee of the RMYC in
2010 and currently occupies the role of Rear
Commodore – House having previously held
the post of Hon. Secretary. Anna is very active
in the Maltese sailing scene giving a particular
focus to the development of youth sailing
and the Optimist Class for the past twenty
years. Anna was instrumental in the growth
of, and is still very much involved in the Malta
Young Sailors Club particularly the annual
Euromed Regatta, which has seen increased
international participation over the past few
years. Anna is very much involved in the
setup and organisation of the Summer Sailing
Programme. Anna was also Team Leader for
the Maltese sailing delegation in the Games
of the Small States of Europe in Cyprus and
Monaco as well as the Island Games in Sicily
and Corsica. Anna has also been involved in
the Race Office team of the biggest optimist
events - Fraglia Vela Riva on Lake Garda,
during which it this event made its way in the
Guinness Book of Records for having hosted
1,600 Optimist Sailors. Anna has been the
President of the Malta Sailing Federation since
2006. Matthew has been an active member of the
Royal Malta Yacht Club since childhood. He
started sailing on dinghies, and by the age of
13, he was already a regular crewmember on
one of the larger keelboats. Today, he enjoys
both offshore and coastal cruising and racing,
has taken part in several editions of the Rolex
Middle Sea Race, and races locally on board
the First 35 “Lightning”. He is a mechanical
engineer by profession, and has worked in the
yachting industry for over ten years. Matthew
also enjoys outdoor sports, tinkering with
robotics and automotive mechanics in his free
time.
David Anastasi - Rear
Commodore Sailing
David Anastasi has been a keen and active
sailor participating regularly in club races
since he was 16 years old as a cadet member.
He learned to sail in dinghies and spent his
childhood summers participating in all the local
club regattas.
Peter Dimech - Hon. Treasurer
Peter Dimech’s first contact with boats and
sailing was at a very early age. During the late
70’s Peter teamed up to build Mirror 10 and
Mirror Miracle class dinghies from kits. After
having gained experience on various boats,
Peter raced his first Middle Sea Race in 1998,
going on to participate a further six times
between 2000 and 2006, placing 1st Cruiser
Class (2000) and 4th IRC & ORC (2002).
Peter joined the RMYC in the mid-nineties
and subsequently has been elected to the
RMYC Committee since 2000, occupying
various posts including Hon. Secretary, Rear
Commodore Racing and Hon. Treasurer a post
he holds till today. Peter has been contributing
to Race Management and has an extensive CV
which includes mark laying for GSSE events
as well as the Euromed Optimist Regattas of
which he has occupied the position of Race
Officer since 2003. Peter attended an ISAF
International Race Office course in Germany in
March 2005. In recent years Peter was Race
Officer for the Rolex Middle Sea Race and
subsequently appointed as Race Committee
Chairman in 2014.
Matthew Farrugia - Member Marine Operations
Maya Podesta - Rear
Commodore Sailing
Maya has been around the RMYC ever since
she can remember. Maya started sailing when
she was about 12 just because she wanted
to do what her brothers did! Coming from a
family who loved the sea. Maya was taught
the art of sailing by her father, the late Arthur
Podesta. Maya’s first Middle Sea Race was
in 2001, and she has so far reached a tally of
15 races. Having won a silver medal for Malta
in the Small Nations 2009 she embarked
on an Olympic campaign for 2012, racing in
numerous campaigns, just narrowly missing
out on a qualifying spot for the Games. A
doctor by profession, Maya fits in sailing
around her career but still has found the time
to give back some of what the RMYC has given
her.
He worked as a sailing instructor between the
age of 14 and 18 at a local sailing RYA school,
eventually becoming a chief instructor. He
sailed lasers competitively at Birzebbugia
Sailing Club before taking a short break to
pursue his architectural studies. He returned
to the local sailing scene at the RMYC leading
a MELGES 24 campaign participating in the
European circuit. He moved to offshore racing
in 2004 when he took part in his first Rolex
Middle Sea Race, not missing one edition
since. In his role as navigator and skipper with
competitive Maltese teams has seen his team
win a number of Maltese line honours and
class wins.
Over the past years David took a very active
role in race organisation and managed
the racing programme at the Club. He has
also competed with a team of young RMYC
members for two years running at the
prestigious Etchells International Invitational in
Cowes, receiving respectable results.
Nowadays, David focuses most of his energies
on developing the RMYC Sailing School which
is in its second year of operation and growing
fast introducing sailing to many.
Jamie Sammut – Member
Jamie started his sailing career at 8 years of
age when he took up dinghy racing. A year
later he sailed from Sicily to Malta on a Mirror
10, kicking off a long career that has seen
Jamie a regular fixture in the sailing racing
scene. To date Jamie has taken part in 13 Rolex
Middle Sea Races, sailing more or less with the
same crew. Jamie has been a member of the
Royal Malta Yacht Club for the past 15 years
and has been elected to the Club’s Committee
for six terms. Jamie’s hobbies are not limited
to sailing, being an adrenaline junkie for a
long time, Jamie has successfully competed in
BMX, mountain biking and motor racing events
on a regular basis.
David has been on the committee for 4 years
and retained his post of Rear Commodore
Sailing for another year.
“We thank all those who attended the Annual General Meeting and
contributed towards a healthy discussion. We have taken up some of the
valid points raised and hope such discussions are an ongoing process
and not a once-a-year event. The Committee also takes the opportunity to
thank all candidates who presented themselves for election.”
Godwin Zammit, Commodore
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Successful Citadel
Marzamemi
Weekend Regatta
The first offshore race for
Royal Malta Yacht Club
crews was a success which
fully justified the Club’s
decision to postpone the race
a couple of weeks before due
to bad weather. Supported
by Citadel Insurance plc, the
Marzamemi Weekend Regatta
is one of the Club’s most
popular and competitive races
on its calendar.
A
fleet of twenty five boats,
split in three racing classes
and a Club cruising class, left
Marsamexett Harbour early
on a Friday morning, setting off for
the first passage race up, crossing the
Malta-Sicily Channel and finishing off in
Marzamemi. Jamie Sammut, skipper of Isomat
Unica, Overall Winner in the race up to
Marzamemi remarked - “We took the
risk of starting with a code 0 to make
sure we stay with the big boats. Twenty
miles away from Malta the wind started
picking up to 18 – 20 knots. The wind
backed a couple of degrees and hoisted
the kite, the boat was flying towards
Marzamemi doing between 10 – 15 knots. Elusive II BOV who was close to us
finished just around a minute and a half
ahead to claim line honours, however
we managed to beat them on corrected
time. A big well done goes to the crew
John Cachia, Joe Vassallo, Tony Demajo,
Jeremy Gravina for the hard work and
great teamwork”
The picturesque seaside village of
Marzamemi comes to life with the arrival
of Maltese gang. After all the excitement
and adrenaline experienced in the race
up, Saturday sees crews congregating
in the piazza for a long afternoon of
socialising, exchanging jokes and
experiences before preparing their boats
for the passage race down to Malta on
the Sunday.
Weather conditions for both races were
billed as perfect, with constant winds
that enabled most boats to fly towards
Marzamemi with speeds reaching
between 10 – 15 knots. Similar conditions
were experienced at the start of the race
back to Malta with winds dying down as
crews starting to reach Malta.
Speaking after the race Ferdinand Grech,
Kontiki Skipper, enthused - “For my crew
and I, it was one of the best regattas I
have ever participated in, sailing up was
fantastic perfect wind and wind direction
20
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
and we have placed first in our class
and forth overall. Sailing down was also
a very good experience and have also
enjoyed every minute of it. As usual the
race was very well organized, thumbs up
to the committee. A very big well done
and thank you to Citadel Insurance, all
participants and organizers alike. Looking
forward to the next race” KonTiki won the
Overall Class in the passage race down
to Malta.
A prize giving ceremony was held later
on at the Royal Malta Yacht Club in the
presence of crews, families and friends
and representatives of Citadel Insurance
plc who presented the winners of the
various categories with their prizes.
“With boats coming off the hard in time
for this race, we are always pleased
with the enthusiasm and competitive
spirit that crews emit in these racing
conditions” commented Godwin Zammit,
Commodore of the Royal Malta Yacht
Club. “We are also pleased with the
interest that Citadel Insurance plc has
shown towards this race, and are grateful
for this partnership which has now been
in place for a number of years”.
Results
Overall
Race to Marzamemi (Friday 13th May)
Race to Malta (Sunday 15th May)
1st Isomat Unica (Jamie Sammut)
KonTiki (Ferdinand Grech)
Isomat Unica (Jamie Sammut)
Elusive 2 BOV (Maya Podesta)
Allegra (Patrick Vassallo)
Isomat Unica (Jamie Sammut)
Elusive 2 BOV (Maya Podesta)
Xpresso (Sean Borg)
Puddleduck (Chris Selvagi)
Time Out (Mario Sant)
Kaimana (David Anastasi)
Puddleduck (Chris Selvagi)
Fast Forward (Mark Vassallo)
Kaimana (David Anastasi)
KonTiki (Ferdinand Grech)
Mawimbi (Ian Pace)
KonTiki (Ferdinand Grech)
Mawimbi (Ian Pace)
Toddler (Mike Montanaro Gauci)
For Pete’s Sake (Peter Rough)
Kira (Gino Cutajar)
Nauti Buoy (Robert Ciantar)
Janissah (Mario Debono)
Kira (Gino Cutajar)
IRC Class 1
1st
2nd
3rd
IRC Class 2
1st 2nd
3rd
IRC Class 4
1st
2nd
RMYC Cruiser
1st
2nd
3rd
The Race Committee was assisted by
members of the Royal Mersey Yacht Club
who flew in purposely to assist in the
Citadel Marzamemi Weekend Regatta.
21
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Malta
Sailing
League
T
his year, the Malta Sailing league,
organised by the Royal Malta Yacht
Club and the J-70 Malta Association
consisted of three events or Cups: The
March Cup, the International Yacht Paints Cup
(April) and the grand finale - the Mapfre Middle
Sea Cup (June).
powered by
The concept of this league was developed to
allow any sailing team to compete on a league
format spread over a number of events. The
boats currently being sailed in the League is a
fleet of identical J70s, where sailors and crew
alike have to rely on their wits and skills to
keep on top of the leader board.
Thanks to the support of Mapfre Middlesea
and Yachting Malta, the podium was going to
be a highly contested affair since the winning
Club would go on to qualify for competition at
the International Sailing Champions League, to
be held in St. Petersburg in August.
This participation will pit Malta’s local champion
against all the top European clubs, a bit like the
football Champions League – hence the name.
23
spinnaker
Malta Sailing League Teams
Representing three local Clubs, six teams took part in
the League, with the Royal Malta Yacht Club having top
representation with four teams.
MYSC – Calypso
skippered by Benji Borg and Sebastian Ripard
RMYC – XP-Act
skippered by Josef Schultheis and Timmy Camilleri
RMYC – Artie
skippered by Lee Satariano and Jan Rossi
BSC – RLR
skippered by Adrian Gauci Borda and Christian Ripard
RMYC – Mapfre Middlesea
skippered by David Anastasi and Mark Vassallo
RMYC – Otra Vez
skippered by Edward Gatt Florida and Tom Sammut Alessi
League Format Racing
Racing in the league format is close and harrowing. Sailed
in the harbour there is not much room for error and each
race only lasts around 15 minutes. With teams racing
24
issue 3 SUMMER 2016
approximately 12 times per regatta, it is a sprint not a
marathon.
By having racing spread over a number of events, it allows
for racing in more varied conditions with results from all
events being taken into consideration (less a few discards)
to establish overall winners and rank the teams.
Racing Spectacle
All in all this makes for a great spectacle and sailing
enthusiasts generally throng the RMYC terrace which
generally has a great view of the racing.
One spectator commented,
“I don’t understand much about
sailing but it’s very exciting to
watch, lots of action and movement.”
issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Frayed nerves, heightened tension at the
International Yacht Paints Cup
All events have given their fair share of excitement,
however the International Yacht Paints Cup remains
particularly memorable with the last day sailed in a 30 knot
north westerly.
Sunday presented some very difficult conditions out
on the water, with strong winds generating frayed
nerves and fierce competition. A torn spinnaker
saw RMYC – Mapfre forced to sit out the first race
of the day, and a brush with the bastions for another
crew heightened the tension. With everything at stake
as the wind piped up, teams scrambled to get the edge
over their rivals, tacking rapidly and broaching, as
they made tight turns around the course. Spectators on shore were treated to the sight of a threeyacht charge, virtually neck and neck down the length of
the harbour, and some near misses too.
By the end of the International Yacht Paints Cup the leader
board had MYSC – Calypso in the lead closely followed by
RMYC – XP act and RMYC – Artie.
Nail biting finish at the MAPFRE MIDDLESEA CUP
The final regatta came to a nail-biting close over a two-day
event that provided thrills, spills and plenty of surprises.
Sunday 5th June saw intense racing between seven teams.
Each vying to catch the best winds under dark skies out by
Fort St Elmo, team BBSC RLR emerged as league leaders.
On Tuesday 7th, ideal sailing conditions transformed
Marsamxett harbour into the perfect arena for the final
showdown. Throughout the day, spectators on shore were
able to follow all twelve qualifying races and the three final
deciders up close via a live-stream video link at the Royal
Malta Yacht Club. Several near collisions, ever-shifting
winds, and at one point, the appearance of the rule book to
settle a dispute added to the drama of the afternoon.
Team RMYC -Sail Coach also made a surprise appearance
in the league. The Irish crew skippered by Alex Denisuc
were in Malta for training, and immediately dived into the
spirit of things. With an average age of just 17, they shook
up the scoreboard and applied fresh pressure by seizing
first place in the final qualifiers.
With the wind dying, and the atmosphere out on the water
increasingly tense, the last race of the Cup offered only
one more chance to gain points for the closely-matched
finalists RMYC Sail Coach, MYSC Calypso, RYMC X-pact
and RMYC Mapfre Middlesea. As penalties flew and
strategic risks were calculated, team RMYC Sail Coach
emerged as the clear winner.
spinnaker
1st Place RMYC Sail Coach skippered by Alex Denisuc / Ewan, Jamie
& Yves McMahon
2nd Place MYSC Calypso skippered by Benji Borg / Seb Ripard
3rd Place RMYC - XP-Act skippered by Josef Schultheis / Timmy
Camilleri
Overall Malta League winner was MYSC Calypso led
by Benji Borg, who will now be on their way to the
International Sailing Champions League qualifiers in St.
Petersburg in August. Thanks to the generous support of
MAPFRE Middlesea and Yachting Malta, MYSC Calypso will
have entry fees and flights sponsored.
The race also served as part of the qualifications required
for selection of an RMYC team to participate in the 2016
Etchells Gertrude Cup Invitational Regatta.
The three event cup, organised by the Royal Malta Yacht
Club and the J-70 Association Malta easily demonstrated
the future of one design racing in Malta is bright, with a
whole host of motivated and talented young teams eager
to compete.
2016 Etchells Gertrude
Cup Invitational Regatta
Once again, the Royal Malta Yacht Club has been
invited to take part in the 2016 Etchells Gertrude Cup
Invitational Regatta for the third year running. The
Regatta will take place in Cowes, between the 30th
July and 3rd August with one of the most competitive
and hotly contested keel boat classes in the Solent.
The selected team will be representing the RMYC and
will take part in four days of fleet racing in a fleet of
matched Etchells boats, which will be provided by the
organisers.
Part of the requirements for qualification was
participation in the Mapfre Middle Sea Cup J70 Malta
Sailing League, which offered the closest simulated
conditions due to the one design class structure.
From the six teams taking part, four were representing
the RMYC and the last races of the series, the Mapfre
Middle Sea Cup, saw a nail biting finish resulting in the
RMYC – SailCoach team a clear winner.
Last year the RMYC Team, made up of David Anastasi,
Karl Miggiani, Tom Bonello Ghio and Zach Zammit
posted one of the event’s most consistent score lines
– 6, 5, 5 – to finish the opening day in third overall, as
well as taking the prize for Most Improved Team.
After a tough day of sailing, the teams headed to the RMYC
terrace for the prize giving and a well-earned Pimms thanks
to sponsors M. Demajo. Joining them was President and
CEO of MAPFRE Middlesea, Felipe Navarro who awarded
the winning teams:
2015 RMYC Team being presented with their Most Improved Team Trophy
25
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
The PV-IES Double
Handed Experience
Nils Lindemann – Xpedite
A double handed race needs a lots of concentration, the
light winds and constantly shifting directions did not
allow much room to relax. We had a good start and remained second yacht until
reaching the South Comino Channel behind Xp-Act. In the
Channel the race had a bit of a restart. It was key to have
a close look at the wind shifts to bring the boat in the right
position to get the best wind first. Together with Xpresso we managed to be in the right
position to get the breeze out of the Channel. Although,
in the afternoon the wind was steadier, the race remained
tricky with lots of patches, with no wind and changing
directions. Having three XP44s at the start made the race for us even
more exciting, since we all have more or less the same
rating. Doing the race with Timmy Camilleri, whose great
expertise and knowledge of local conditions and the
XP44 inside out, was great fun and a fantastic learning
experience for me. Luckily Timmy and I spent some time on the water before
enabling us to practice some manoeuvres and sail changes
and which on the day worked very smoothly for us
We are looking forward to the next double handed race. Nils Lindemann
26
Janice Borg, Marketing Executive representing Island Engineering Services
suppliers of PV-IES products presenting winners Nils Lindemann and Timmy
Camilleri with their first prize
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Basic First Aid at Sea
words by
Dr. Maya Podesta
Dr. Maya Podesta, Medical
Doctor specialised in Public
Health and Preventive
Medicine and a highly
experienced sailor talks
to Spinnaker about the
importance of First Aid,
especially when out at sea.
I
t is always important that at least one
person on a boat has a basic idea of
first aid, signs and symptoms to look
out for, and things to keep in mind.
Likewise it is also important that if you
suffer from anything you inform the
captain or someone in charge.
A few first aid tips:
Burns, including rope burn should be
cleaned with plenty of fresh running
water, have burn-spray or antiseptic
cream applied, and covered.
Hypothermia can result in irritability,
lethargy, slurred speech and a weak
pulse, which may lead to collapse. Dress
appropriately!
Hyperthermia gives hot dry skin,
drowsiness, tiredness and lack of
co-ordination, and can easily result in
heat stroke. Dress appropriately, use
sunscreen, drink plenty of water
Dehydration quickly develops from
vomiting, diarrhoea, burns and sweating
and can lead to headaches, weakness,
and fainting. Rehydrate with fluids
containing electrolytes and glucose.
Stings need to be neutralized /
removed and should have an antiseptic/
antihistamine gel applied. Elevate limbs
and watch for swelling and allergic
reactions.
After Head Injuries observe for warning
signs like drowsiness, confusion, visual
problems, slurred speech, vomiting and
bleeding or water drainage from the
nose or ears
Heart Attack symptoms include chest pain, pressure or discomfort; shortness
of breath, sweating, dizziness; pain or
tingling in arm or jaw.
Remember that the emergency
contact number is 112.
Boats weren’t built to stay safely tucked
up in harbour, but whatever you do Sail Safe!
Editor’s Note:
The above talk was the first of a series of talks
covering varied topics that the Club will be planning
in the coming months. The talk was very successful
both in terms of attendance and how it was
received by the crews present.
27
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Isomat Unica
wins
Solaris Cup
Regatta
Sheer determination and experience wins the
day! Jamie Sammut shares his Sardinian
experience with Spinnaker.
I
somat Unica, recently participated in the
Solaris Days Event held between the
2nd and the 8th June, in Porto Rotondo,
Sardinia.
The Solaris Days Event, is open to Solaris
Yachts from all over the world. The highlight
of this event was The Solaris Cup Regatta
with races held over a period of two days.
Isomat Unica’s crew left Malta in bad weather
but as the boat sailed passed the island of
Favignana, weather conditions improved. If
the challenging weather was not enough,
the crew decided to add a bit of zest to the
trip by catching some fish along the way and
which were promptly released back to their
natural habitat.
Three days after leaving Malta, Isomat Unica
arrived to a warm welcome by teams from the
Yacht Club Porto Rotondo and Solaris Yachts,
joint organisers of this prestigious event.
No rest for the crew, since soon after
berthing, Isomat Unica was transformed
from a cruising yacht to a highly competitive
racing yacht – this involves removing all the
extra weight that comes with traveling. To
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
further intensify their competitive streak, Isomat Unica’s
crew found out that they were berthed next to their main
competition, who were going all out to win the title.
Lack of familiarity with the racing venue was certainly of a
disadvantage for the Maltese crew, who were unaware of
the local sea currents. Most of the crew on Swiss Nautic
Two were locals. The majority of the leading boats
hugged numerous islands along the course in
order to avoid these unfavourable currents.
It was Isomat Unica’s experience and
determination to remain competitive,
combined with a few risky moves
which eventually placed the yacht
in an advantageous position for the
downwind home run.
This is where Isomat Unica
demonstrated her true potential, flying
her red-and-white chute and leading the
crew to victory albeit by four seconds.
The next morning, the crew woke up to the
sound of hustle and bustle coming from the
neighbouring yacht, Swiss Nautic Two, whose
crew was working on last minute tweaks in the hope of
regaining the title.
On the second day of racing the Maltese crew’s morale
was further boosted when they had the upper hand in a
duel with a large Solaris 58 early in the race. By this time,
the crew were more familiar with the local currents and
beat their way towards the rounding mark with a number of
rewarding tacks. With a perfect hoist of her chute,
spinnaker
Isomat Unica was again on a downwind home run steadily
increasing the distance between the rival yachts behind
her. Her anxious crew were relieved when they heard the
finish horn sound and were even happier when they learnt
that they had won this race with a good lead.
Isomat Unica’s crew were crowned Overall Winner for the
Solaris Cup Regatta at a very well organised and
well attended Prize Giving ceremony. Each crew
member was given a prize for their efforts, a
gesture that was greatly appreciated by all.
“We thoroughly enjoyed our experience
in Porto Rotondo. Our result showed the
great team work and synergy that the
crew has built through years of sailing
together”, said Jamie Sammut, Captain/
Helmsman of Isomat Unica. “The crew
is particularly grateful to Isomat, George
and Action Sails Malta for supporting their
participation in Porto Rotondo. Although
we have just returned are we already looking
forward to next year’s event”.
The crew, made up of Captain/Helmsman – Jamie
Sammut/John Cachia, Michael Albanozzo (Navigation), Alan
Sammut (Mast), Anthony Demajo (Pit), Joe Vassallo (Bow),
Jeremy Gravina (Photography) and Kevin Dalli (Logistics).
The crew had better sailing conditions on the way back
from Porto Rotondo, via a brief stop in Favignana, where
they enjoyed many sightings of turtles and dolphins.
29
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Isomat Unica
clinches
Double Handed
Figure of Eight
Race title 2015
Raymarine Double Handed
Figure of Eight Race Results
IRC Racer 1 Class
1st Place:
Isomat Unica – Jamie
Sammut / John Cachia
2nd Place:
Elusive II BOV – Christoph
Podesta / Aaron Podesta
3rd Place:
Ton Ton – Jonathan
Gambin / Greg Mifsud
IRC Racer 2 Class
1st Place:
Fast Forward – Mark
Vassallo / David Anastasi
2nd Place:
Pep – Peter Valentino /
Jan Rossi
3rd Place:
Lightning – Alfie Manduca
/ Matthew Farrugia
IRC Cruisers Class
1st Place:
Manana – Peter Ellul
Vincenti / Fabio Galea
2nd Place:
Lartista – Anton Calleja /
Renato Camilleri
RMYC Cruisers Class
1st Place:
Escape – Georges Bonello
Dupuis /Tom Bonello Ghio
Overall Winner
Isomat Unica – Jamie
Sammut / John Cachia
I
somat Unica, skippered by Jamie Sammut and John
Cachia, was the name etched on the coveted trophy
of the Raymarine Double Handed Figure of Eight Race
which took place in December.
The 80 nautical mile race, is considered to be one of the
toughest on the Royal Malta Yacht Club Racing Calendar
however its popularity, over the years, certainly hasn’t
diminished. Last December’s race saw it celebrate its
twenty second year. Though early forecasts showed little wind and the original
course seemed under threat, luck was on the crews’ side
as Saturday dawned with improved conditions for the race
to take place as originally planned. Crews left Marsamxett
Harbour, sailing onto the Outer Munxar Cardinal Mark
heading towards the South of Malta onto Filfla and up to
the North Comino Channel, going round Gozo and heading
back to Malta finishing at the Royal Malta Yacht Club.
Once San Dimitri Point in Gozo was passed it became clear
that a battle between Isomat Unica and Elusive II BOV,
skippered by Aaron and Christoph Podesta, was going to
ensue since the Podesta siblings were consistently ahead
of Sammut and Cachia. This close position was kept
throughout the race with Elusive II BOV being the first boat
across the finish line. It was however, the wind veering
slightly to the north east just past Portomaso which gave
Isomat Unica an advantage enabling them to clinch first
place 1 minute 45 seconds, on corrected time ahead, of
Elusive II BOV.
“Being just two people on board makes it tougher. Margin
of error has to be low and therefore the key to do well is
to balance being conservative yet at the same time being
economical in terms of time to carry out manoeuvres”,
commented Jamie Sammut (Isomat Unica) further
reiterating the difficulty of the course. “This race is very
tiring – mentally and physically, and being in synch with
your team mate is key to achieving a satisfactory result.
My team mate John Cachia and I were kept on our toes
throughout the whole race”.
A Prize Giving ceremony was hosted by RLR Yachting,
agents of Raymarine products, at the Royal Malta Yacht
Club in the presence of crews, families and friends. Prizes
were kindly donated by RLR Yachting and consisted of
Raymarine equipment as well as technical sailing gear.
Prize Giving was presided by Royal Malta Yacht Club’s Vice
Commodore and Race Officer Mark Napier, whilst prizes
were presented by Mrs. Dora Ripard.
The Club is grateful towards RLR Yachting for the constant
support they give to the Club’s initiatives. A big thank you
goes also to the volunteers who ensure that such races
take place!
31
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BOV Elusive II wins
Overall BOV
Gozo Regatta
2015
BOV Elusive II won the 2015 BOV Gozo Regatta
which was organized by the Royal Malta Yacht Club
between Friday 13th and Sunday 15th November 2015.
Competing in the IRC Racers 1 Class, BOV Elusive II made
the most of the stronger winds on Friday and was the
first boat to reach Gozo. Skippered by Maya Podesta, the
Elusive crew made the most of the variable conditions
throughout the weekend to achieve the overall win.
“Geisha”, skippered by David Pizzuto was first in the IRC
Racer 1 Class, “Lartista”, with Anton Calleja at the helm was
first in the IRC Cruisers Class. Alfie Manduca’s “Lightning”
was first in the IRC Racer 2 class while Stephanie Jones’
‘The Happy Return’ was first in the RMYC Cruiser class.
Horace Laudi, Gozo Regional Manager at Bank of Valletta
and Godwin Zammit, Commodore of the Royal Malta
Yacht Club presented Ms. Podesta with the BOV Gozo
Regatta Trophy for the overall prize. The class winners
were presented with their prizes as well during an award
ceremony held at the Royal Malta Yacht Club.
The Royal Malta Yacht Club is grateful towards Bank of
Valletta who just confirmed their renewed support for this
race once again.
The 2016 BOV Gozo Weekend Regatta will take place
between the 11th and 13th November 2016.
32
issue 3 SUMMER 2016
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Medcomms Round Malta Race closes off
hectic 2015 RMYC Racing Calendar
C
losing off a hectic and busy racing season at
the Royal Malta Yacht Club was the annual
Medcomms Round Malta Race. Considered
a Club classic, this race is a fully crewed
adventure around Malta.
The initial weather forecast was not encouraging with very
light winds being forecasted, crews were initially sceptical
however race day dawned a beautiful day with enough
wind to take the 20 strong fleet around Malta on a south
bound course.
The Cruising Class boats were the first to start followed by
the Racer classes. Light north westerly breeze saw boats
put up their spinnakers which were kept well past Munxar. Past Munxar the fleet had to batter through a large swell
from previous days’ wind proving to be a tricky leg. XPAct led the fleet with Xpresso, Elusive II BOV BOV, Otra
Vez and Ton Ton racing closely against each other. With
positions changing a number of times, it was Elusive II BOV
who entered the South Comino Channel first followed very
closely by XP-Act. A breeze of around eight knots saw the fleet head towards
the finish line with Josef Schultheis on XP-Act claiming
line honours. It was however the Podesta siblings – Aaron,
Christoff and Maya who claimed first place after corrected
time. Jonathan Gambin’s Ton Ton settled for 3rd place in IRC
Racer Class 1.
After a disappointing start and some lost ground near
Munxar, Paul Debono’s Ripple managed to gain ground
near Cirkewwa overtaking Alfie Manduca’s Lightning and
eventually claiming first place in the IRC Racer Class 2
Category. Alfie Manduca (Lightning) and Per Sahlberg
(Windriven) came in second and third place respectively.
In the IRC Cruiser Class, Anton Calleja (Lartista) claimed first
place followed by Godwin Zammit (Inspiration) and Peter
Ellul Vincenti (Manana) who claimed third place. “The Medcomms Round Malta Race closed off a very hectic
2015 racing season, which has seen good participation
throughout. We were quite lucky with the weather as
forecasts were not so promising”, said Godwin Zammit,
Commodore, Royal Malta Yacht Club. “The Club is grateful
towards Medcomms for supporting this Race once again
and the volunteers who brave unearthly hours to ensure
that these races run smoothly”.
35
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Photos: Carlo Borlenghi
Familiar names,
new faces
37th Rolex Middle Sea Race
Little did Paul and John Ripard
and Jimmy White realise the
impact the 608 nautical mile
course they designed a few
decades back, would have had
with the sailing community.
Photo: Kurt Arrigo
D
esigned to offer an exciting
race in different conditions to
those prevailing in Maltese
coastal waters the Rolex
Middle Sea Race has become a ‘must
do race’.
The Rolex Middle Sea Race is
mentioned in the same breath as the
Rolex Fastnet, the Rolex Sydney Hobart and Newport-Bermuda and over
the years has welcomed renowned
skippers such as Ted Turner, Raul
Gardini, Herbert von Karajan, Ray
Davies, Paul Cayard, Niklas Zennstrom
and George David as well as some very
well-known home grown talent – John
Ripard and Arthur Podesta are just
two of the few Maltese skippers who
not only made a name for themselves
but also have passed on their talent
and sailing bug to their offspring! Their
names are synonymous with the Middle
Sea Race.
The Royal Malta Yacht Club has
welcomed hundreds of boats over the
past editions. 2014 was a record year,
when the Race welcomed 120 boats,
representing over 24 nations, some as
far flung as Australia and New Zealand.
These boats, grace the iconic Valletta
36
Grand Harbour with their presence prior
to the start of the 608 nautical mile race.
As the Royal Malta Yacht Club is well
into its preparations for the annual
Rolex Middle Sea Race, the interest and
response so far is very encouraging,
suggesting that there will be another
good fleet in 2016.
2015 saw an impressive mix of mono
and multihulls take part, with Monohull
Line Honours going to George David’s
Rambler 88 which arrived soon after
Lloyd Thornburg’s MOD 70 Phaedo 3.
The latter was the first Multihull home.
Michele Galli’s Italian TP52, B2 won
the Rolex Middle Sea Race Trophy,
whilst fellow Italian Vincenzo Onorato’s
Cookson 50, Mascalzone Latino won the
Boccale Del Mediterraneo.
The Rolex Middle Sea Race is also a
keenly anticipated race by the general
public, who mark their diaries well in
advance to ensure they don’t miss the
action in the Grand Harbour. Participants
have come to expect a memorable
offshore sailing event combined with the
usual great hospitality at the Royal Malta
Yacht Club.
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
The Royal Malta
Yacht Club
needs you!
Volunteers do not
necessarily have the time;
they just have the heart. Elizabeth Andrew
The RMYC Committee is building up
to another season of activities and
events. As always, these events require
the resources of the Club, and in particular,
we are always in need of assistance and
volunteers. The Committee wishes to
invite all who wish to offer their help and
contribution in organising activities in the
coming year.
The 37th Edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race is scheduled to start on
Saturday 22nd October 2016.
The 2016 Rolex Middle Sea Race Notice of Race is now available
online on - http://rolexmiddlesearace.com/race/race-docs/. Copies of
the document can also be collected from the Royal Malta Yacht Club
Secretariat.
Entries will be accepted until the 7th October 2016 and crews are
encouraged to submit their registration at the earliest, and can be
submitted online on www.rolexmiddlesearace.com.
The Committee would appreciate the
help of Volunteers to assume roles in the
following areas:
• Race Officer and Race Officer’s
Assistant for duty on the Race Committee
Boat and also for shore-based starts/
finishes; to set the race course, give
pre-race briefings, carry out the starting
procedure and record finishing times;
• Juror and/or Umpire; • Mark Layer to set and retrieve course
markers from the Club RIBs;
• Bridge Officer to record finishing times;
• Scrutineer to check racing boats for
compliance with the rules and regulations
before and after races.
Training and support will be provided
by experienced RMYC members and
international guests.
Furthermore, Volunteers with other skill
sets such as advertising, marketing, event
planning and hosting, would be more than
welcome to assist in other areas of the
Club’s operations.
Members interested in volunteering are
asked to reply by email on [email protected] or contact the Club
Secretary on 2133 3109 and to indicate
what area(s) they are interested in
contributing.
Volunteers don’t get
paid, not because they’re
worthless, but because
they’re priceless. Sherry Anderson
37
spinnaker
Maltese
british
team
fend off 20 strong J/70 Fleet to win class at the
Landsail Tyres J-Cup
Photos: Tim Wright - photoaction.com
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Jonathan Calascione and Sebastian Ripard, recently registered a memorable win at the
Landsail Tyres J-Cup held at the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble UK.
R
acing on Harlequin, the MalteseBritish team, which included Royal
Southern’s 420 world champion
Annabel Vose, fended off very
strong competition in the 20 strong fleet.
Pushing all the way was Simon Ling’s RAF
Benevolent Fund Spitfire, the reigning J/70
Corinthian World Champions, whose team
include the current J/24 World Champion,
Ian Southworth. Charlie Esse’s Baby J
was third, with a crew including multiple
Sportboat world champion and J/70
EuroCup champion, Ruairidh Scott.
“Our goal is to put together a strong
Maltese-British team and campaign for
the J70 World Championships 2017 in
Porto Cervo. We are an amateur team in
the sense that we all have careers, yet,
having said that we all have gained a lot of
experience in competitive sailing and our
aim is to compete at the top, against the
pros. A key ingredient to success at the
World Championships is a well planned and
executed campaign including numerous
build up regattas and many winter days
training on the water. In fact part of our aim
is to try and attract some of the top North
European J70 teams to come and train with
us in Malta over the winter”.
Ripard underlined that with the right
support and dedication the team is
confident of a top ten position at the World
Championships. This would be a great feat
as the J70 Class attracts some of the world’s
best sailors and the World Championships
will likely have around 100 teams taking
part.
Winning the 2016
“
J-Cup is a good step in the
“Spitfire is quick.” commented Malta’s
Sebastian Ripard after the race. “The
Maltese fleet, though growing in popularity,
only has five J/70s so to come here and
race in a big fleet with a lot of well sailed
boats, is a great way to improve our
performance. We are setting our sights on
the 2017 J/70 Worlds and the J-Cup is an
essential part of our development.”
“The J/70 Worlds in San Francisco is the aim
and the J-Cup is a big part of that build up.”
commented Spitfire’s Simon Ling. “The team
have been together for a while now and that
really helps, especially with communication
and getting our starting routine absolutely
right. It was great to have Harlequin right at
us, but there are plenty of boats in this fleet
who can win races.”
right direction and it feels
good to be beating some of
the top teams in the UK
and even the world
enthused Ripard
”
Sebastian Ripard spoke to Spinnaker and
explained the team’s goals for the near
future.
39
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Royal Malta Yacht Club
Sailing School crews in first
International RS Feva Regatta
Royal Malta Yacht Club Sailing School crews, made up of Kane Seychell,
Harry Parnis England, Charlotte Ambery and Martina Scuderi represented
Malta in what was their first international experience in Lake Garda at the
RS Feva Easter Regatta. The Maltese team competed against forty teams
hailing from Italy, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
The RS Feva is the world’s bestselling two-person youth class in
recent years, with strong fleets in
most European countries. The Club
recently bought four new Fevas to
increase its fleet and give young
sailors the opportunity to develop
their skills, in this class further.
The RS Feva Easter Regatta is part
of the Class’ international calendar
and is considered to be the
preparatory race for the forthcoming
European championships to be held
next month in the Czech Republic.
This ensured the level was verging
from medium to high, with some
very strong teams in the Top 10
The Maltese team arrived at
Circolo Vela Gargnano in Garda
a day before in order to train and
prepare the boats in time for the
40
competition. With a forecast of
medium to medium light winds, the
crews were ready for three days of
intense racing.
In the first day of racing the wind
was of 15 knots, these conditions
enabled our sailors to perform
well, with our best boat finishing
the day 7th position very close in
points to the top 5. Crews showed
their strength in upwind conditions
but in the downwind the RMYC
crews struggled to keep in the top
three places, resulting in a loss
of an average 4 places in every
downwind.
The second day the wind was of
6 to 8 knots. This caused more
problems with not very satisfactory
starts. Crews were facing the
same issue in the downwind,
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
breaking the barrier of the Top 10 was proved to
be a hard struggle. In the last race of the day a
decision was taken to attempt a riskier start in
the downwind. The plan was working and crews
were able to have a 4th and 8th placing on the
top mark. A massive wind shift thwarted plans
resulting in the race being cancelled.
A forecast of very light wind on the third and final
day was accurate, with just 4 to 6 knots of wind
giving the RMYC crews the worst conditions.
Tactics and experience garnered in the previous
days paid off, with some good downwind action
being registered by Maltese crews. The final
result was a Top 10 result for the boys and a Top
20 result for the girls.
“When one considers the little experience our
crews went up with for this race, we can say that
our crews had a good three days of racing. The
progress registered each day shows a lot of
promise in our crews and we are confident that
this Regatta was very beneficial to their learning
curve” commented Miguel Andrade, Head Coach
at the Royal Malta Yacht Club Sailing School.
The Royal Malta Yacht Club Sailing School
operates from the Club’s premises in Ta’ Xbiex
and provides dinghy sailing course and activities
for youths and adults over 7 years of age on the
Club’s own brand new RS Vision and RS Feva
Sailing boats.
Royal Malta Yacht Club
Sailing School
Watching youngsters grow in confidence as they master the art of
sailing is one of the great rewards for the staff the Royal Malta Yacht
Club Sailing School.
Our highly qualified pool of instructors will ensure that our courses
will entertain, challenge and stimulate as our crews learn how to
master a sailing dinghy afloat - and have fun along the way.
Lessons will give participants the necessary expertise to get students
out on the water whilst learning all the safety, weather, knots, racing
and seamanship skills required whilst developing self-confidence,
teamwork and naturally sportsmanship.
With summer fast approaching, the Royal Malta Yacht Club Sailing
School is taking bookings for the keenly sought-after Sailing Summer
School. At this stage the morning sessions are pretty popular and
early bookings are recommended in order to ensure your preferred
time slot is secured.
Summer School activities will take place throughout the summer
and will end on the 23rd September. Courses will take place from
Tuesday to Saturday.
Summer School programme:
Tuesday 09:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 16:30
Wednesday 09:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 16:30
Wednesday after work adult sailing classes 18:00 to 20:00
Thursday 09:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 16:30
Friday 09:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 16:30
Saturday 09:30 to 12:30 adult and families sailing classes
Prices: for a two hour lesson
Children in full time education €20 prepaid, €25 cash and
Adults €35 prepaid, €40 cash.
This summer season we are introducing two now activities –
Wednesday After Work Adult Sailing and Saturday Morning Family
Sailing.
Wednesday After Work Adult Sailing is the perfect opportunity for
adults wishing to take up the sport but until now did not have the
opportunity. Sessions are of two hours and after an enjoyable sail,
sundowners or dinner at the Club terrace generally follow – a great
way to get into the sailing scene and make new friends.
Saturday Morning Family Sailing consist of three hour sessions
where families are encouraged to come and learn sailing altogether
under the watchful eye of our qualified instructors.
If you would like to join any of these activities please e-mail us
on [email protected] to book you place or give you further
information.
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RACING CALENDAR
2016
RMYC Ragusa Weekend
1st – 4th July
Weekend Regatta in Sicily, with a race up on the Friday and a
race down on the Monday. Maltese crews will battle it out on
the weekend against their Sicilian counterparts in the Trofeo
Achille Boroli Gran Crociera Hyblea Cup held on the Saturday
and Sunday.
Malta - Syracuse Regatta
16th – 17th July
The annual Regatta which is organised by The Royal Malta
Yacht Club (RMYC) and the Lega Navale Sezione di Siracusa,
is a classic 85 nautical mile race is a regular feature on the two
Clubs’ racing calendars and attracts some of the best Maltese
and Italian boats. This year the race will start in Malta.
Etchells Gertrude Cup
30th July – 3rd August
The RMYC has been invited to send a team to take part in the
International Invitational Etchells Regatta for the Gertrude Cup
in Cowes, England. A round robin will be sailed between all
registered teams on Saturday and a final knock out series will
be sailed on the Sunday.
RMYC Summer Cruise
13th – 21st August
The Club takes a break from racing in the month of August
and give some attention to cruising. A purely cruising event is
planned for the summer for those who enjoy relaxed cruising in
the company of friends without the pressure of competition.
Bay Weekend Regatta
2nd – 4th September
A weekend of racing and social events for keelboat crews,
family and friends, and is a welcome return to racing after a
short break in August.
RMYC Dinghy Regatta
10th – 11th September
Specifically targeting sailors in the Dinghy Class, the RMYC
Dinghy Regatta will consist of a series of windward and
leeward races, generally taking place outside Marsamxett
Harbour.
J70 League
17th – 18th September
Co-hosted with the J/70 Class Association in Malta, all
sailors are invited to form teams which may enrol in the
Association’s training and racing circuit. The circuit will
host a number of weekend races throughout the year.
Annual Islands Offshore Race
24th – 25th September
The well attended annual Round Islands Offshore Race is often
seen as prelude to the Rolex Middle Sea Race, giving crews
the opportunity for some longer distance racing.
Coastal Race
19th October
Annual Coastal Race held before the start of the Rolex Middle
Sea Race, popular with local and most of the international
crews taking part in the Rolex Middle Sea Race.
37th Rolex Middle Sea Race
22nd – 29th October
The 37th Edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race
kicks off on Saturday 22nd October. A ‘must
do’ iconic 608nm race, the Rolex Middle Sea Race is a true
challenge to skippers and crews who have to be at their
very best to cope with the often changeable and demanding
conditions. Equally, the race is blessed with unsurpassed
scenery with its course, taking competitors close to a number
of islands, which form marks of the course.
BOV Gozo Weekend Regatta
11th – 13th November
After all the buzz the Rolex Middle Sea Race
creates, crews look forward to the BOV Gozo
Weekend Regatta, a weekend filled with a mix of challenging
offshore races and relaxed social events Raymarine Double Handed Figure of
8 Race
3rd December
The Raymarine Figure of 8 Double Handed Round Malta
Race is the longer of the two short-handed races in the RMYC
calendar and now in its 23rd year. It follows a figure of eight
course around the two islands passing through the Comino
channels. This short-handed race has been popular since its
inception and the trophy bears the names of most of Malta’s
best sailors.
Match Racing Regatta
8th, 10th-11th December
Match racing is considered to be the most aggressive form of
regatta sailing requiring not only great tactical talent but also
good sailing skills where two sailing yachts race against each
other in a unique duel.
Medcomms Round Malta Regatta
13th December
A classic at the RMYC. A fully crewed
adventure round Malta in December
which can be cold and wet or an amazingly bright and sunny
day. Round Malta is a great race and worth doing year in year
out.
Annual Boxing Day Race
26th December
Doing our bit for charity, the Annual Boxing Day Race raises
funds for L-Istrina. Prizes are given to the boat with the best
Christmas atmosphere. Crews are welcomed back at the Club
with mulled wine and mince pies.
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issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Recipes
by Craig Housley (Head Chef at The Galley) & Alex Mattei
We’ve come up with some light and fresh recipes that are boat friendly and ideal for those hot sunny days.
Seared Tuna with Toasted Black and White Sesame Seeds
Serves 4
Ingredients
600g of Tuna or 4 Tuna Steaks
Method
200g White & Black Seasame
Seeds (100g of each)
Seared Tuna
Trim up your Tuna and cut into steaks or logs and remove bloody and fatty parts (you
can ask your fishmonger to do this). Pat the Tuna dry with kitchen paper making sure
there is no excess liquid. Roll in the mixed sesame seeds, leaving the sides uncovered
so that you can see the colour changing whilst cooking. In a
hot Pan place the tuna on each side where you have
coated it with sesame seeds. Watch this carefully,
cooking for a few seconds on each side or to
your liking. Remove from heat and allow
to rest on kitchen paper. Set aside in
the fridge once cool. Slice into ½ cm
pieces before serving.
300g (1 packed) - Udon Noodles
200g Wakame Seaweed (this can
be bought ready for use)
8 Dried Shitake Mushrooms
(reconstituted, sliced and
sautéed)
Coriander & Spring onion to
Garnish
For the Dressing
Juice of; ½ a Lime, ½ an Orange,
½ a Grapefruit & ½ a Lemon
35ml Soya Sauce
75ml Sesame Oil
75ml Olive Oil
Udon Noodles
Cook the noodles in boiling
water for 4 minutes,
remove and place into
cold water. Remove
once chilled and
mix with some
dressing, shitake,
spring onion and
coriander leaves.
Serve the Tuna on
a bed of Wakame
alongside the
noodle salad. Add
extra dressing if
desired.
spinnaker
issue 3 SUMMER 2016
Voyage of despair
words by
Max Farrugia
Less than a month before Mussolini declared that Italy was going to join in the war against the allies, various Maltese and
foreigners started being interned as part of a plan which was drawn up some time before. A number of foreigners had been
interned in 1939, and others had been sent back to Italy. Amongst the first Maltese which were interned were dockyard
workers, and others followed including members of the judiciary, members of parliament, journalists, and others who
sympathised with Italy.
A
t first they were kept at Fort San Salvatore in
Vittoriosa, which is close to the port and the
Drydocks which were under constant attack from
the enemies. Once the Fort became inoperable
following an aerial bombing which hit it, the interned were
transferred to the Corradino Prison, which went against
the Geneva Convention which stated that this could be
done only if the interned had already been processed in a
Court of Law. A number of protests were raised by Maltese
and foreigners alike. Foreigners were immediately sent
to Palestine, and the Maltese were transferred after a few
days to convents and catacombs in Rabat which were the
property of the friars of St. Agatha.
After a number of months in the convent and catacombs,
the interns themselves had built a shelter underneath the
buildings and ere kept under strict surveillance in substandard conditions. All of a sudden an order was given for
them to be medically checked to confirm whether they were
able to face a journey which was planned for them. They
weren’t informed of their final destination, however they
were asked to prepare two luggage each. Lawyers for the
interned filed a Court Case and Sir Ugo Mifsud, then leader
of the opposition, delivered an impassionate speech against
their deportation. The speech was emotional to the extent
that Sir Mifsud fainted during the delivery and passed away
a few days later.
On Friday, the 13th of February 1942, the interned met for
the last time with their families and other personalities who
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came to visit them. This happened notwithstanding there
was still no formal Court decision and the Judge was not
informed of their impending departure. The trip to Uganda,
which involved ships, trains and trucks, took two months
and they arrived at their destination on the 14th April. Once
they arrived they were informed that they had won their
Court case against their deportation, however it was not
possible for them to be returned back immediately.
The tiring voyage on board the Breconshire, which was
used on the route Malta-Alexandria to deliver goods to
Malta, left the Grand Harbour, under constant bombing
and in bad February weather but fortunately arrived safely
in Egypt. During the voyage they were kept in the ship’s
hold and conditions were atrocious to the extent that they
didn’t have where to rest. Soldiers kept constant guard on
them who were authorised to shoot on the interned if any
trouble arose. The ship actually drowned near Delimara on
its journey back to Malta after being hit by one of the aerial
bombings.
From Egypt the interned then made it safely through
the Suez Canal on small river ships, and from then they
proceeded to Sudan where they were transferred onto
trains, where they crossed the desert to Uganda. Once
arrived, they had to endure more hardships, where most of
them had to contend with an outbreak of malaria.
After two years in Africa, it was decided that they could
return to Malta where they arrived on the 8th March 1945 on
board the Talma. They had restricted freedom with certain
conditions imposed on them on a daily basis.