Jolt takes the lead after day 1 of the Inshore Racing at IMA Maxi European Championship

The second stage of the 2025 IMA Maxi European Championship is officially underway in the Gulf of Naples, following a dramatic Regata dei Tre Golfi offshore race last week.

Hosted by the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia and the International Maxi Association (IMA), the fleet of 23 competing maxis returned to the water on Sunday for the opening inshore race, with light southwesterly conditions. Despite the sub-10 knot breeze and occasional lulls, the racing remained tight throughout the fleet.

Ranging from the 30.48-metre Magic Carpet E, owned by Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones to Giuseppe Puttini’s Swan 65 ketch Shirlaf, the fleet tackled a 15-nautical-mile composite course. This included a windward-leeward segment followed by a triangle, with the start and finish off Sorrento.

Chris Flowers and David M. Leuschen’s 30.48-metre Galateia showed early pace, leading the charge towards Capri after a strong start. She rounded the top mark ahead of Magic Carpet E and Karel Komárek’s V. But it was Peter Harrison’s 72-foot Jolt that made the biggest impact of the day, finishing as the top performer in both the Maxi Grand Prix class and the overall standings.

Sitting just one point ahead of Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente, the winner of the offshore race, Jolt now leads the IMA Maxi European Championship after the opening inshore round.

“It was a very nice day,” said Jolt’s tactician, America’s Cup veteran Ed Baird. “We were lucky enough to stay in clear lanes as we have to be very cautious of what the 100-footers are doing, because they're just fast enough that you can get yourself in a lot of trouble. Fortunately we were able to avoid the traffic long enough to play the game from the front end.”

Jolt benefits from the highest IRC TCC in the Maxi Grand Prix class, thanks in part to her trim tab. However, Baird acknowledged that such conditions require ongoing adaptation: “Today it worked and there will be other days where it doesn't, so we just have to keep learning.”

Finishing second overall and first in the Maxi 100 class was Galateia, just 1:38 behind Jolt on corrected time. Having recently undergone upgrades including a longer bowsprit, larger sails, and the addition of an interceptor, Galateia increased her rating from 1.781 to 1.802. The changes were completed under tight deadlines, following a delayed return from the Caribbean.

“A lot of people did very long hours,” commented tactician Kelvin Harrap. “Like any sport, you have to keep evolving because if you don't, you're on the back foot.”

As well as this, Galateia was helmed by Chris Flowers’ daughter Liz, with Harrap praising the team’s start strategy. “We got the start we wanted, going left from up the line. We thought there was a little more pressure offshore, but we knew it was going to bend left. We had to make a few extra tacks than we wanted, but we managed to manage the boats to the left-hand lay line and then from there it was a reasonably easy race for us.”

In the Maxi Alpha class, Guido Paolo Gamucci’s Cippa Lippa X led the charge, finishing 12th overall. The canting keel Mylius 60 held off Paul Berger’s Kallima and Jean-Pierre Barjon’s Spirit of Lorina. The team’s decision to use their Code Zero on the first two triangle legs proved decisive, especially as rivals opted not to.

In the Maxi Bravo class, Vincenzo Addessi’s Fra Diavolo claimed top honours, finishing 11th overall ahead of Benoît de Froidmont’s Wallyño and Luca Scoppa’s Blue Oyster. “We sailed a great race, so we deserved first place,” said Addessi. “The race committee chose a very good course, it was very technical because there were many wind angles, although Fra Diavolo prefers a little more wind.”

The Tre Golfi Multihull Trophy also resumed, with Riccardo Pavoncelli’s Gaetana, a Gunboat 68, continuing to dominate. Under the direction of offshore racing veteran Brian Thompson, she once again corrected out ahead of Lord Laidlaw’s Highland Fling XVIII and Adrian Keller’s Allegra.

The IMA Maxi European Championship continues this week, with three more days of inshore and coastal racing scheduled before the 2025 title is decided.