After the storms of Thursday, which ended in race cancellation, the warmth of Friday was a welcome relief for the competitors at the Perini Navi Cup. Maltese Falcon crossed the start line in good shape, with captain, tactician, owner and SYW all in their places on the bridge. A broad reach up to the first mark was ideal for the boat, certainly at her most comfortable pace of the day. The race committee decided to shorten the race course just before 16:00 and this caused confusion with some of our fellow competitors, resulting in a protest – even a glorious family regatta has a competitive edge when it comes to the rulebook!

After the racing, it was back to port for a well-deserved post-race drink. Not champagne, but a blend of two very special Greek grapes in a tasty, sparkling tipple. Oh, I should mention that the drink contained tiny flakes of 23-carat gold – an aid to the digestion, I’m assured. Before the evening’s prizegiving unfolded we had an opportunity to discuss the racing week. We all agreed that for a fifth time the Perini Navi team, the yacht club, and many volunteers had worked extremely hard in order to deliver a memorable week on and off the water.



Prizegiving was extremely well attended by the competitors, with everybody assembled on the terrace outside the yacht club. I think most of the owners and teams received a ‘pot’ for their endeavours – the captain of Maltese Falcon picked up a trophy for great courtesy on the water. Two years ago Maltese Falcon was the overall winner, but this year that award went to Silencio. The evening was made even more special knowing that 30 years ago almost to the day Perini Navi was born as a company – great timing!



A very big thank you to everyone – especially to Perini Navi, and to the crew and owner of Maltese Falcon – and we look forward to being part of this spectacular family event in two years’ time.