Giraglia Rolex Cup

Small Boats take the glory on corrected time.

Second in Class 0 behind Grampus was the immaculately sailed Volvo 60 Nautor Challenge, which Grant Dalton and his team of hardened round-the-world professionals had launched just a week before. "I was impressed by the way our team combined on tactics and decision-making. Dee Smith, Bouwe Bekking and Roger Nillson worked very well together," Dalton observed afterwards.

After setting down a new marker for round-the-world records aboard Club Med earlier this year, the tough Kiwi has given himself a mountain to climb in being ready for the Volvo Ocean Race this September, but he pointed out: "We might be the last challenge to launch, but we are the first to compete with our new boat in a race." Remarkably, Dalton said the Giraglia Race would be the only competitive outing for the team before the beginning of the Volvo Ocean Race itself. "The boys have been really busy in the boat yard, working flat out, so we wanted to do this race to remember why we do this sport. It was good to get out on the water."

While most crews let their hair down after the end of the race, Dalton and his red-shirted crew barely had time to feed on some Yacht Club Italiano pasta and red wine, before they were off again into the sunset - motoring back to their base in La Ciotat in the western Mediterranean. After that they get into some heavy two-boat testing in Spain.

So for Dalton and his boys, the Giraglia Race was a crucial opportunity to test themselves under competitive conditions. For others, competing in the Giraglia Race was an end in itself, one of the high points in the year for the Maxis and other classes competing in the oldest offshore race in the Mediterranean.

Results on page three.