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On Saturday September 9th 2006, Volvo Extreme 40 Team Homatro won the Multicento class of the 56th Centomiglia in Italy. After more than eight hours and hundred miles of racing up and down Lake Garda, skipper Andreas Hagara (AUT) and his crew were third to cross the finish line at Bogliaco. Having sailed a different and longer course, the distance to number two, the Libra Principessa with Joschi Entner (GER) on the helm, was only a few minutes. The Italian Libra Clandesteam from Carlo Fracassoli took the line honours thirteen minutes earlier. Saturday’s weather conditions were unusual, so local knowledge was not a real advantage. The traditional morning breeze, the Peler from the north, held off and instead there was a light southerly of eight knots to start with. It was not till half-way the afternoon that the wind shifted to the north, but it stayed light. Many of the 350 competing yachts arrived until late in the evening and at night.

At about 8:00 am competitors arrived from all directions and lined up for the start at 8:30 am. It was a spectacular view, since the fleet run downwind and the colourful spinnakers were hoisted. Two jet-fighters skimmed over the water, while Team Holmatro went off as the most leeward boat and took a flyer. Hagara: “Just before the signal, the wind dropped, but fortunately we were in time.” Twenty-five minutes later, the Volvo Extreme 40 led with almost a kilometre. The four fast Libra’s with enormous kites and seven or eight people on the wire sailed deeper, but could not keep up with the forty foot carbon multihull. They were in close competition with the M20 catamaran of skipper Goran Mastrom (SWE). But it was Team Holmatro, with the Italian legend Giovanni Soldini onboard, that rounded the northern mark in Riva first. They were already beating among the beautiful rocky shores, as most of the fleet had still many miles to go downwind.

Two extra sausages make a difference
Back in Bogliaco, Team Holmatro crossed the gate at 12:20 pm in first position. The crowd cheered for the crew, existing of Andreas Hagara (AUT), Giovanni Soldini (ITA), Pablo Soldano (ITA), Alberto Sonino (ITA) and Gerd Habschli (AUT). This year’s Centomiglia included the multihull class for the first time in its half a century history. Nineteen open catamarans and trimarans entered the race and sailed a different course. Instead of going straight to the next mark at Desenzano, they had to do two sausages around buoys in Bogliaco. The first Libra, Principessa from Germany, went through the gate at 12:40 pm and could continue directly to the south, while the Volvo Extreme 40 was still in its second beat. By the time Team Holmatro could carry on its race to Desenzano, it had to catch up on three Libra’s. Although the M20 was second at the gate, it lost the competition with the Libra’s due to the extra miles around the cans. Hagara and his team managed to overtake one Libra and battled with the other two, who match raced along the coast. Hagara went to the middle to pick up a breeze. As the wind started to shift to the north, the crew hoisted the genaker and closed the gap to number two. Just before the mark the pressure died completely and the 40 foot cat floated, as the Libra’s kept going. Clandesteam (ITA) was leading at the buoy, followed by the German Principessa.

Third over the line
Since it took a while before the wind picked up at least a little bit, Team Holmatro lost its third position to Brokernet Winterthur (Hungarian Libra). While Holmatro’s crew was sitting on the leeward hull against the beam, people were standing trapeze onboard the Libra’s. Hagara: “At the beginning of the race we looked for wind patches, but as the pressure dropped below five knots, we started to look for shifts as well.” That strategy paid off; they did not loose not too much distance on their competitors. As soon as the breeze built up, the VX 40 gained some speed and passed the Hungarian Libra. As Clandesteam finished at 04:35 pm, surrounded by tens of spectator boats, Team Holmatro closed again the gap to number two. The VX 40 crossed the line at 04.48 pm, a few minutes after the Principessa. Hagara: “I am happy, we won the Centomiglia in our class. We were competitive to the Libra’s, but we should have sailed the same course. You cannot compare the two races in terms of line honours.” Giovanni Soldini agreed: “I don’t think it will change a lot, because we are parked at five knots or less.”

The final results of the Mutlicento class are based on two races: last week’s Trofeo Riccardo Gorla (50 miles) and the Centomiglia (100 miles). Team Holmatro won both, so it is the true overall winner.

Holmatro hired me to report on its participation in the Centomiglia. The press releases were published on several websites and Nautique (Dutch yachting magazine) paid attention to this remarkable performance.