SeaWayBLOG: Giraglia Rolex Cup 2008

Photo by: Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi

One of the most renowned distance races in the Mediterranean, the Giraglia Rolex Cup has been a tradition for European sailors for over 50 years. From the race start off the historic port of St. Tropez, France, the fleet heads through the idyllic Iles des Hyeres and across the sea to round the Giraglia, a rocky islet off northern Corsica, before racing for the finish off Genoa, Italy, a total distance of 243 nautical miles.

In this year's edition Alfa Romeo has taken line honours and smashed the course record in the Giraglia Race, the 243-mile offshore race which concludes the Giraglia Rolex Cup.
Neville Crichton's 100-foot canting-keeled SuperMaxi sailed majestically across the finish line outside the Italian port of Genoa setting a new record time of 18 hours, 3 minutes and 15 seconds. The New Zealand skipper has sliced 4 hours, 10 minutes and 33 seconds off his own record, which he set in 2003 with his previous Alfa Romeo, a much less powerful, fixed-keel 90-foot Maxi.

Marco Paolucci's Comet 45S, Tartaruga, has taken overall honours in the Giraglia Race 2008, concluding this year's week-long Giraglia Rolex Cup. The 45-footer completed the 243-mile course in 31 hours, 43 minutes, 27 seconds. Tartaruga won a very close three-way battle on ORC corrected time, beating a Canard 41, Aurora, by just 57 seconds, and third-placed First 44.7 Argo by 2 minutes 13 seconds.

As usual with Rolex Sailing events you can enjoy the whole sailing week through the pictures of the official photographers Carlo Borlenghi and Kurt Arrigo. Here are just a few examples, visit REGATTANEWS.COM to see more than 150 photos.

Giraglia Rolex Cup 2008