Line Honours for Corrado Annis and Alberto Lonza aboard the IY 9.98 Lady Day, first across the finish line in the offshore race valid for the ORC Double Handed World Championship, after 25 hours, 10 minutes and 58 seconds at sea. In the corrected-time ranking, however, it was the Swedish crew who claimed the world title, leaving Annis and Lonza with a well-earned runner-up spot.
Challenging weather conditions allowed only one race of the scheduled program to be completed: a demanding 150–mile course sailed in winds ranging from 5 to 25 knots and with a fully developed sea.
“We started in a thunderstorm and immediately took the lead in our class, never letting it go. We sailed really well despite the unstable weather, and it turned into a very exciting race—much faster than forecast. We secured Line Honours in Class C. Unfortunately, the Swedes with their little Corby 25 had stronger breeze in the final stretch and managed to keep a 20–minute advantage in corrected time, even though they finished two hours after us. They sailed brilliantly, as did Barozzi and Bonaguri, real double–handed specialists on a boat closer to ours, who kept us on our toes all the way,” said Corrado Annis, one of Italia Yachts most successful owner–skippers.
These words capture not only the spirit of the regatta, but also the special dimension of double–handed racing:
“In these events, tactics, strategy and trimming must blend with true seamanship. There’s also the friendship and complicity with your partner, which grows race after race, and even ashore the atmosphere is unique. Despite being rivals, what prevails is the sense of sharing the same challenge, the same journey.”
