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S.R.: LPG 2026 73° Giraglia - Day 1

First time published: 2026Jun13

S.R.: LPG 2026 73° Giraglia  - Day 1

by Alexander Panzeri assisted by A.I.: Nostroma Analitica Digitale

After a long day and night to arrive to the village, the first day has been a very good first day of school, light wind and nearly no wave.

With colleagues we have chosen to follows the queens of the sea in front to the Pampellone Plage, and has been a good choice! The wallycento has to fight the atletical shape of Leopard 3 (I know I'm a fan of this big cat).

We have noticed some problem to recover the gennaker, but as I said is day one.
On the mark the fight has been tight with tack from left to right many times on the bowsprit of the follower, on the down wind in particular the second stage hase seen a very strategic fight to prevent to shear, I was forgettin also the 2 departure well made and with tack one and dirty responce the other to re -tack.

Has been also possible an update of the rudder for MY SONG, they have left the scimitar with wave shape for a less common trapeziodal.

Nota di Colore: today I have to recover not one but 2 caps, so tomorrow some one has a gift to start the day (who is in third position of IRC 0 MAXI B)!

Now it's time for a shower and sleep!!!

General Stage 3: 2 races
IRC 0 MAXI A

  1. MY SONG ITA-2311P Pier Luigi Loro Piana (5=2,3)
  2. LEOPARD 3 MON-100 Joost Schuijff (6=4,2)
  3. CAPRICORNO ITA-30303 Alessandro Del Bono (8=7,1)

IRC 0 MAXI B

  1. ATALANTA II ITA-204 Carlo Puri Negri (2=1,1)
  2. CIPPA LIPPA X ITA-87952 Guido Paolo Gamucci (4=2,2)
  3. AEGIR GBR-22N Phillip Rann (8=5,3)

IRC 1

  1. DJANGO WR GBR-51X Giovanni Lombardi Stronati (1=1)
  2. SPIRIT OF LORINA FRA-2030 Jean Pierre Barjon (2=2)
  3. MUSICA SUO-52111 Ruedi Huber (3=3)
IRC 2

  1. FLYING DOLPHIN NED-7935 Willem Ellemeet (1=1)
  2. SKYLARK OF 1937 21 Josh Neely (2=2)
  3. SELMA RACING – NOISY OYSTER FRA-9687 Wiktor Kobryn (3=3)

ORC 1

  1. CRABX – AQUARAMA – FRABER ITA-1777 Roberto Bosio (1=1)
  2. DXARMA TUR 4111 Dmitry Gavrilov (2=2)
  3. THETIS ITA-2945 Luca Locatelli (3=3)

ORC 2

  1. FREMITO D'ARJA ITA-109 Marcello De Gaspari (1=1)
  2. CHESTRESS ITA-14339 Leonardo Petti (2=2)
  3. GIANBURRASCA ITA-13944 Filippo Gazzerro (3=3)

The Math after the battle!

This year  I finally decided to pass to the dark side to use some "futoristic" tool, and finally I can bring you something new unusual for the sailing world, but very common from where I come. So now with my overview lets speak my assistant AI Nostroma Analitica Digitale.

In particular will be interesting to see the other race in the bay we couldn’t follow.

The 73rd LPG kicked off with two inshore races. The maxi fleet immediately showed clear hierarchies, with surprises and confirmations.

IRC 0 MAXI A – Perfect balance

Series winner: MY SONG (ClubSwan 80) – 5 total points (2nd in Race 1, 3rd in Race 2).
Pier Luigi Loro Piana's boat made the best use of her rating to build a solid series without winning any single race.

Runner-up: LEOPARD 3 (Farr 100) – 6 points. Winner of Race 2 on line honours and second overall, confirming she is the fastest maxi in light air.

Third place tie (8 points):

  • CAPRICORNO (Judel/Vrolijk 80) – after a 7th in Race 1, she wins Race 2 convincingly. A sign of growth.
  • GALATEIA (Wallycento) – wins Race 1 but drops to 7th in Race 2. Penalised by her high rating (1.797) in light breeze.
  • V (Wally Cento) – consistent: 3rd and 5th. Raw power, but her rating (1.798) hurts her in compensated time.

Tactical observation: The MAXI A series standings are a perfect balance between real speed (LEOPARD 3, GALATEIA) and rating management (MY SONG, CAPRICORNO). In the long Giraglia, the wind will decide who comes out on top.

IRC 0 MAXI B – Uncontested dominance

Overall series winner: ATALANTA II (Farr/Felci 70) – 2 total points (1st and 1st).
A perfect performance: she wins both races with margin. The declared favourite for class victory in the long race.

Second place: CIPPA LIPPA X (Mylius 60) – 4 points (2nd and 2nd). Solid, regular, never off the podium.

Third place tie (8 points):

  • AEGIR (Rogers 82) – 5th and 3rd. A strong recovery in Race 2. One to watch.
  • WALLYNO (Wally 60) – 3rd and 5th. Always in the top five.
  • SUD (Wally 80) – 4th and 4th. Consistency pays: two fourth places.


IRC 1 – TP52s and the Wallyrocket surprise

Winner: DJANGO WR (Wallyrocket 51) – beats the TP52 fleet with a perfect rating management performance.

Following podium:

  • SPIRIT OF LORINA (TP 52) – 2nd.
  • MUSICA (TP 52) – 3rd.

Top performers in the fleet:

  • ARKAS BLUE MOON (TP 52) – 4th.
  • KILARA II (Wallyrocket 51) – 5th.
  • LISA R (Ker 46) – 6th, beating several larger TP52s. A notable performance.
  • TEAM GUENIFEY – ALIZEE (TP 52) – 7th.
  • DAGUET 5 (FP 54) – 8th.
  • AROBAS 2 (IRC 52 Botin) – 9th.
  • ALBATOR 3 (Botin 44) – 10th.
  • GIVE ME FIVE (Cape 31) – 11th, best among the Cape 31s.

Trend signal: The Wallyrocket 51s (DJANGO WR and KILARA II) have shown they can beat TP52s on compensated time. Over the long distance, they will be dangerous.

IRC 2 – J/Boats dominance and the Dufour 40 comeback

Winner: FLYING DOLPHIN (Dufour 40) – wins with a strong comeback.

Podium:

  • SKYLARK OF 1937 (S&S Classic) – 2nd. The historic classic proves once again she is still competitive.
  • SELMA RACING – NOISY OYSTER (J 122) – 3rd.

J/Boats fleet in evidence:

  • JEDI (J 112) – 4th.
  • INVICTUS (JPK 10.50) – 5th.
  • PAPPES (J 111) – 6th.
  • JENIS (J 112) – 7th.
  • OVERDOSE CHARLY (Dehler 36) – 8th.
  • LE LUPIN (X 35) – 9th.
  • NUAGE II (J 97) – 10th.
  • BAGATELLE (J 92) – 11th.

J/Boats factor: 5 J/Boats in the top 11. They are the backbone of the class.

ORC 1 – XR-41 dominates, Swan 45 confirms

Winner: CRABX – AQUARAMA – FRABER (XR-41, ORC_B) – a clear victory.

ORC_B podium:

  • DXARMA (XR41) – 2nd.
  • L'IMMENS (SINERGIA 40 MOD.) – 4th.
  • KATARA (PG390) – 6th.
  • BURAN (J-122 E) – 8th.

ORC_A podium:

  • THETIS (Swan 45) – 3rd overall, first among ORC_A. A solid performance.
  • ELO II (Proto) – 5th.
  • ORION EUROPSAT (First 45) – 7th.
  • FAVORIT (Farr 45) – 9th.
  • ANDANTE IV (Club Swan 42) – 12th.

Technical note: The XR-41s (CRABX and DXARMA) confirm they are unbeatable in ORC_B in light air. To beat them, you need real wind.

ORC 2 – The J-109 double punch

Winner: FREMITO D'ARJA (J-109) – a clear victory.

Podium:

  • CHESTRESS (J-109) – 2nd. J-109 one-two.
  • GIANBURRASCA (First 36.7 mod) – 3rd.

The chasing fleet:

  • SALVORA (Salona 37) – 4th.
  • X-WAVE (X-332) – 5th.
  • BLACK MAGIC (J 35) – 6th.
  • IMXTINENTE (X-35) – 7th.
  • BORA FAST (Sun Fast 3600) – 8th.
  • L'ESCARGOT (First 34.7) – 9th.
  • NUNCAS MARINE – CIRCE (First 36.7) – 10th.
  • LIBERAMENTE (Comet 38) – 11th.
  • HUMBOLDT (Dehler 30 OD) – 12th.
  • MAJE OF STRANGFORD (Swan 41) – 13th.

J-109 factor: The two J-109s at the front prove once again that reliability and a balanced design always pay off.

The big picture – What to expect from the long race

  1. MAXI A – Perfect balance. MY SONG starts as favourite on compensated time, but LEOPARD 3 and CAPRICORNO are ready to exploit any increase in wind. GALATEIA and V will need strong upwind conditions to express their full potential.
  2. MAXI B – ATALANTA II is the declared favourite. CIPPA LIPPA X, AEGIR, WALLYNO and SUD will fight for the rest of the podium in no particular order.
  3. IRC 1 – The Wallyrockets have thrown down a challenge to the TP52s. DJANGO WR leads the group, but the long distance could favour the heavier TP52s if the wind rises above 20 knots.
  4. IRC 2 / ORC 2 – J/Boats dominance (J-109, J-112, J-122, J-111, J-97, J-92) is a statistical factor. They are the most numerous and competitive boats.
  5. ORC 1 – The XR-41s are the masters of light air. To beat them you need real wind (above 18 knots), where boats like THETIS (Swan 45) and FAVORIT (Farr 45) could emerge.

Forecast for the Long race

Light ENE Wind Tactical Analysis (5-10 kts)

by Nostroma Analitica Digitale

Key tactical note from the Commander: In these conditions, the race committee may opt for a direct start – no initial descent towards the Fourmigue island. Straight course towards the Giraglia rock.

Weather scenario

  • Wind speed: weak, below 10 knots, averaging 5 knots
  • Wind direction: East – Northeast (ENE)
  • Critical feature: A nighttime hole (no wind zone) located far from the Italian coast

Course impact without Fourmigue

Removing the initial descent towards Fourmigue changes the tactical picture significantly:

  • No coastal deviation – the fleet heads directly towards the Giraglia from the start
  • Less time near the French coast – the wind hole far from Italy becomes the dominant tactical factor earlier
  • The Corsica side becomes even more critical

Phase 1 – Start to first half of the course

ENE wind at 5-10 kts, direct course:

  • Boats will be on a tight reach / close haul immediately
  • The fleet will naturally split between those favouring the left side (Corsica, upwind) and those hugging the right side (Italy, downwind)
  • Key insight: With the wind hole located far from the Italian coast, the right side (Italian side) becomes a trap at night

Phase 2 – Night time, crossing the Corsica Channel

The wind hole far from Italy means:

  • Boats staying on the Italian side will likely stop completely when the hole activates
  • Boats favouring the Corsican side (left side from the start) will find more pressure and keep moving
  • The distance between the two groups could become enormous by dawn

Tactical conclusion: In a direct start with ENE wind and a nighttime hole far from Italy, the winning move is to go left early (towards Corsica) and stay there until past Giraglia.

Phase 3 – After Giraglia, towards Genoa

  • After rounding Giraglia, ENE wind becomes a downwind / broad reach
  • At 5 knots, the descent will be very slow
  • Daytime thermal breezes near Genoa may provide a late boost
  • The nighttime hole far from Italy should be behind by then (if the fleet stayed left)

Who benefits (light ENE, direct course, hole far from Italy)

Boat type Advantage Reason
J/109, J/112, J/122 ✅ High Excellent upwind performance in light air, can hold the left side
X-35, X-332, X-41 ✅ High Light air specialists, good pointing ability
Swan 42, Swan 45 ✅ Medium/High Stable, can point well without waves
Wallyrocket 51 ✅ High Designed for light conditions, manageable rating
TP 52 ⚠️ Medium Suffer below 6 knots upwind
First 40.7/44.7/45 ❌ Low Wide hulls, poor upwind performance, heavy
Wide maxis (V, GALATEIA) ❌ Low Need real wind (>12 kts), high rating penalises them
MY SONG (ClubSwan 80) ⚠️ Medium/High Good in light air, but rating 1.700 is a burden
LEOPARD 3 (Farr 100) ⚠️ Medium Surprisingly good in light air, but rating 1.782 hurts

Who struggles

  • Any boat with a rating above 1.350 if the wind stays below 6 knots
  • Wide maxis – risk of complete stop if caught on the Italian side at night
  • Boats that choose the right side (Italian coast) from the start – they will sail into the wind hole

Suggested tactical approach (for your consideration)

Based on ENE wind at 5-10 knots, direct course, and a nighttime hole far from Italy:

  1. Start: Favour the left side (towards Corsica) immediately. Do not chase the Italian coast.
  2. First half of the course: Stay left. The further from the Italian coast, the better.
  3. Night crossing (Corsica Channel): Do not deviate towards Italy. The hole is waiting there. Hold the Corsican side.
  4. After Giraglia: Hope for daytime thermal breezes near Genoa to finish.

Boats that choose the left (Corsica) side could gain miles while half the fleet floats in the hole.

Final note

Weather source: Alex's description (JPEG image could not be fully processed). Analysis assumes direct course without Fourmigue descent.


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