Timmy Vassallo won the Optimist fleet and Matthew Flores the ILCA 6 at the second Yachting Malta BSC International Regatta, where 115 sailors from eight nations battled a lack of wind as much as each other.
With 0–5 knots for most of the four days, Race Officers Bojan Gale (ILCA) and Miguel Amaral (Optimist) used both offshore courses to find just enough wind, and five races were completed, most of them on the second day.
The Optimists were the largest fleet, with 27 Novices and 59 in the Open class, which included sailors from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Latvia, the Netherlands, Russia, Slovakia and Turkey. Latvia’s Artis Graudums won the only race on day one, but Vassallo’s consistency won him the regatta ahead of Jonas Micallef and Nathan Montebello. Michael Wilson recovered from a slow start to win the Novices from Jack Vella and Bulgaria’s David Mitev.
Benjamin Vassallo led the ILCA 4 from start to finish, ahead of Matthew Cachia Debono and Kurt Borg. Flores held first place in ILCA 6 throughout, while Jean Paul Zahra pipped Dimitrios Vertsonis to second on countback after they finished level on points.
“We had hoped for better conditions, however our Race Officers were brilliant in being able to make the most of the conditions at hand. Our young sailors certainly did not disappoint as they raced with such competitive spirit that augurs well for the future of the sport,” said Mario Aquilina, Commodore of Birżebbuġa Sailing Club.
