Today marked the first race day of the IRC European Championship in Bonifacio. At 8:30 AM, we left the harbor, ready for the scheduled start at 10 AM. But the wind had other plans — we had to wait until 12:30 before conditions allowed the first race to begin.
The first race went smoothly. We needed a bit of time to find our bearings and position ourselves against the other teams, who were still unfamiliar to us. But soon we settled in and kept pace with the fleet.
The second race ran even better: we finished among the frontrunners in our group. The team is finding its rhythm and our Italia 9.98 is performing beautifully.
To top it off, the race committee added a coastal race to the day. After the start, we enjoyed a long downwind leg along Bonifacio’s stunning coastline, followed by a challenging upwind stretch to the finish. Once again, we stayed with the leaders.
Tired but proud, we look back on a fantastic first day of racing. We’re very happy with the performance of both our team and our boat. And with a provisional 3rd place in our group, we’re off to a great start!
Tomorrow brings two more races, and on Thursday the epic offshore race “Tour de voile à la Corse” begins. The championship is far from over, but we’re already thrilled with how it’s begun!
