Godwin Zammit’s Inspiration won the Ramla Bay Weekend Regatta, hosted by the Royal Malta Yacht Club as part of Yachting Malta Race Week, in a weekend of difficult conditions for the whole fleet.
Racing opened on Friday afternoon with a passage race from Marsamxett Harbour to a finish outside the Ramla Bay Resort. Inspiration took the lead and held it, with Steve Carter’s Stella R close behind.
Saturday brought the toughest conditions of the weekend. The race started under an unsettled forecast, and as the weather deteriorated it was abandoned on the return leg. Mario Debono’s Seven and Inspiration both sustained damage, but both were back racing on Sunday.
Slightly better conditions on Sunday allowed the keelboats to race to the fish farms and back. Sebastian Ripard’s Calypso led home Kevin Pisani Zammit’s Amuni, with Seven and Inspiration close behind and Inspiration securing third. Monday’s race followed a similar course, with another win for Calypso ahead of Inspiration and Seven. With three races completed, Inspiration was declared overall winner, two points ahead of Calypso, a result built on consistency across a testing weekend.
In the RMYC Club Class, Martin Kunath’s Forever 25 took the win, despite being damaged on Saturday and missing the third race.
The Finductive National Dinghy Championships, held alongside, could not complete a single race: a squall in the South Comino Channel on Saturday was followed by a lack of wind on the other days. The Race Committee kept the young sailors busy with a tug of war and a sailing quiz instead.
“While racing plans did not all go as we had hoped, the Ramla Bay Weekend made a welcome return, bringing sailors and their families together for a weekend that involved socialising and competition in a slightly different manner. It was particularly good to see all the local sailing clubs come together to support the initiative, especially in providing alternative activities when the weather didn’t cooperate,” said Commodore Mark Napier. The Club thanked Yachting Malta, Finductive Ltd and SportMalta, along with Ramla Bay Resort, Welbee’s Supermarket and Oshee Isotonic Drinks.
Photo Credit: RMYC / Andrea Azzopardi
