Vendee Menorca Week at Club Maritimo de Mahon
by Josh Sharp 27 Jun 2014 08:30 BST
Frangipani was second in the fast handicap at the Vendée Menorca Week 2014 © Silvina Varela
Team Morrison's Dufour 405 "Noah" won the second annual Vendee Menorca race week. Sponsored by Quba Sails, Club Maritimo Mahon, Menorca Cruising, Lattitud Bar and Josefina Restaurant the event followed a similar format to last year with seven legs over five days.
This year ten boats participated, divided up into slow and fast handicap fleets.
Although the forecast was for high pressure with consequent little wind, the week was blessed with blue skies and only occasional sub five knot wind conditions.
Days one and three gave the best winds with Mike Crompton's XC42 "Xpletive" and Ian Stewart's Dufour 40E "Pandora" running closely together from the start of race one. "Xpletive" led all the way with "Pandora" closing in to an almost dead heat at the finish line of a rather follow my leader reaching course.
On the second day of good wins, "Pandora" led off the line out of Ciutadella with "Xpletive" close by. The two crossed each other tack for tack up the race course before "Xpletive" tacked of on an ill-judged shore bound move leaving "Pandora" clear for line honours.
Last year's winning team elected to race a Cyclades 434 "Jungle" but sadly their charter boat this time didn't have the legs to match their performance last time round.
"Noah" never finished out of the top four and with two wins was a deserving winner, five points clear of Martin Day's Oceanis 48 "Frangipani" which in turn was only one point ahead of Ian Stewart's "Pandora", tied for third with the XC42 "Xpletive".
The slow handicap fleet was won by the Barry Lewis/Graham Webster Oceanis 393 Clipper "Papaya" which finished only one point clear of the Raymond Molyneux skippered Bavaria 36 "Carmola" and the Cyclades 434 "Jungle".
Overnight stops were very sociable and the race week culminated in a magnificent party in the Club Maritimo de Mahon. The prizes were presented by Mike Crompton whose inspiration led to the event in the first place and who organised both the racing, sponsors and on shore social events.
Results:
1. Dufour 405, Noah, Max and Jon Morrison
2. Oceanis 48, Frangipani, Martin Day
3. Dufour 40E, Pandora, Ian Stewart/Tony Sampson
4. XC42, Xpletive, Mike Crompton
5. Oceanis 393 Clipper, Papaya, Barry Lewis/Graham Webster
6. Bavaria 36, Papaya, Raymond Molyneux
7. Cyclades 434, Jungle, Rick Hartley
8. Bavaria 38, Sa Barca, John Davies
9. Elan 384 Impression, Sauder, Steve and Lindsey Holland
10. Sun Odyssey 42 DS, Cielo Azul, Neil and Eileen Burton