Yachting World - July 2018

SUPERSAIL WORLD 34 APRIL-JUNE 2018

Sails CEO Tom Whidden calling tactics, they made sure

to cover us. We managed to get to within a couple of boat

lengths, but Spiip deservedly took the win.

“That’s what it should be like – what pursuit racing is all

about,” said Farfalla’s jubilant owner. “It’s possibly the best

race we’ve done,” skipper Richard Chadburn agreed. Things

continued to get rosier for the team. On the second day they

slipped around Spiip on the last turning round the island to sit

on equal points, setting up a final day thriller.

Farfalla then pulled off the craftiest move of the week

during the final race (a clockwise circumnavigation). They

were the only boat to go right from the startline, carrying

a starboard gybe inshore, passing Gustavia and taking the

benefit of the acceleration zone away from the anchorage.

It was a move that shaved significant distance off the course,

with the rest of the fleet heading offshore round Pain de Sucre

island. Having started almost level with Danneskjold, Farfalla

reached the bottom mark around 750m ahead, even passing

both Leonara and Spiip on that first leg. “We claimed back five

minutes within the first half hour,” enthused Chadburn. It was

a bold move that won them their class.

LESS HASSLE, MORE FUN

This was the third year of the Corinthian white sails only class.

At six strong it was also the largest, showing a desire for

racing that is easier to manage, crew and handicap. It’s also a

good way for new owners to sample the regatta scene.

For the second day of racing I joined the crew of the

newest yacht at the Bucket, Missy, a contemporary fast

cruiser launched from Vitters in 2016. It is the first design

from Malcolm McKeon’s own studio and is skippered by his

son Matthew. Once again, the design brief was initially for

cruising only, but the Corinthian class at the Bucket proved

a tempting format for the owner to dip his toe in the regatta

scene (see more on Missy on page 45).

The ‘not so wiggly’ course is still pretty wiggly on a

superyacht, set around and through the islands to the west

of St Barth, so it helped being to be on a comparatively

lightweight and manoeuvrable boat.

A downwind start in a white sails-only class is a sedate

affair, however, especially when the wind had dropped to

single figures by the time we started. Thankfully Missy is a

foam core carbon fibre flyer, so we were able to match

MAIN: THE NEW

MCKEON/VITTERS

CARBON FLYER MISSY

AT HER FIRST

REGATTA

ABOVE LEFT:

GATHERING THE KITE

IN ABOARD

DANNESKJOLD

ABOVE RIGHT:

YACHTS STREAM

AWAY FROM THE

INSET MARK AT

ST JEAN

Cory Silken Cory Silken

Pantaenius - michaelkurtzphoto