2020 SB20 League Event 5 at Birzebbuga Sailing Club

2020 SB20 League at Birzebbuga Sailing Club © Martin Azzopardi

The fifth ranking race of the 2019/2020 SB20 league was held on the 15th and 16th February. Organised by the SB20 Malta Association and hosted by Birzebbuga Sailing Club, the event also garnered the support of Yachting Malta.

Sailing conditions throughout the weekend were excellent with good breeze and lots of sunshine. Five boats raced throughout the weekend, as the Association welcomed its newest member, Team Chiara to the fleet.

This weekend was a special event where Birzebbuga Club members joined the SB20 crews for an additional fun race on Saturday. This was followed by a BBQ for all participants at the Club.

Video highlights by Karl Fenech

Overall winners of the event were team Careful Now (skippered by Barry Hurley), followed by Outlaw (Brian Flahive) in second and Adrian Gauci Borda's Maltese Musketeers finished in third place.

However, the racing was much closer on the water than the results indicate, with intense competition throughout. Courses were perfectly laid by the organising committee, using short distances between each mark to ensure that the crews were working hard all the time. With this tight racing set up, every manoeuvre and every wind shift counted, as the boats tried to gain an edge over the rest of the fleet.

The SB20 Malta Association extends its gratitude towards sponsors Yachting Malta and hosts Birzebbugia Sailing Club for hosting such a wonderful event. Last but not least a big thanks goes to all volunteers and racers for a superb weekend on the water!

For more information about SB20 activities in Malta, visit the SB20 Malta Association Facebook page.