Jubatus, led by Sean Borg, made their debut in the Malta to Syracuse Offshore Race – one of the oldest races in the Mediterranean – and came out victorious, winning several trophies including the RMYC IRC Trophy for the overall winner in the IRC Class, the Easy Perfection Trophy for the overall winner in the ORC Class, and the RMYC Trophy for the first Maltese boat in the IRC.
The race, which was organized by the Royal Malta Yacht Club and the Lega Navale Italiana (Sezione di Siracuse), began in Malta on Saturday and covered a distance of 80 nautical miles. The starting point of the race alternates each year, and this year it ended in Syracuse.
The race began at Tigne Point, where the boats sailed to a windward mark and then followed a free course to Syracuse. The wind conditions were initially light, with winds from the North at around six knots. These conditions persisted for the first part of the race. However, Jubatus, skippered by Sean Borg, quickly took the lead and maintained a significant lead over the other boats, including Andrew Agius Delicata and Matthew Gabriele’s Vivace, Riccardo Schininà’s Donna Rosa 2, and Anton Calleja’s Lartista.
As the boats approached Capo Passero, the winds picked up, allowing Jubatus to extend their lead even further. Although the winds slowed down near the finish line, Jubatus was still able to secure the win. “This was our first time sailing this course with Jubatus. Even though our usual team was not available, we joined forces with other sailors. We had a great start and being the first boat off the line motivated us for the next 19 hours. However, due to light winds, we were unable to break the course record, but we will try again next year,” exclaimed a delighted Sean Borg.
In second place was Vivace, which was sailed by Andrew Agius Delicata and Matthew Gabriele. Anton Calleja’s Lartista finished in third place. In the Cruisers’ Section, Dimm, owned by Kevin Pisani Zammit, took the top spot, followed by Janissah, owned by Mario Debono.
“The Malta – Syracuse Race continues to attract a diverse fleet, from veteran sailors like Capitano Corragiosi, who won the race trophy in 2008 and finished third in ORC, to Jubatus, who made their first appearance and have already made their mark in the race’s history. The Royal Malta Yacht Club and the Syracuse section of the Lega Navale Italiana have a longstanding friendship, and we both look forward to our annual meeting in July,” said David Cremona, the Commodore of the Royal Malta Yacht Club.
The race management for the start of the race was headed by Martin Azzopardi, with assistance from Michelle Caruana. The marking of the course was done by Arthur Van Der Deijl and Guy Baranyay.
