© ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo
Rolex Veteran Boat Rally Porto Cervo, Sardina, Italy
12 METRES COMPLETE FINAL RACES, AS VINTAGE YACHTS START THEIR SERIES
Veteran. Vintage. Classic. Traditional. Vela d'Epoca. There is nothing quite like a bit of Italian, the language of the Latin romantic, to captivate the imagination in a way that English with all its variety and complexity could never do. Such is the beauty, especially under sail, of some of the yachts competing at the Rolex Veteran Boat Rally that descriptions of tactics and strategy would also seem to completely fail to convey the majesty of what is taking place this week off Porto Cervo.
For the 12 Metres completing their Rolex Veteran Boat Rally series today - two more 8.4 nautical mile windward-leewards in 10-12 knots south-easterly were held under the watchful gaze of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Race Committee - tactics and strategy are everything by comparison to a three-masted schooner under full-sail, for whom tacking on a shift is nigh impossible when you may have to deal with 800 square metres of sail spread over a couple of masts. The 12s, though, are true racing machines even if from a by-gone era. On top today were Kookaburra II in the Grand Prix Division, Freedom, in the Modern Division and Ikra in the Classic Division. With a discard coming into play with five races completed, the first score of the day was crucial. - regattanews.com
