The 2004/2005 Winter Championship started on the 7 November in the Gulf between Portofino and Sestri Levante in Italy. Many sailors use this championship to test and tune their yachts before the summer season.

The X-40 gets a stunishing start
The overall winner will be the yacht with best score after seven races with the last race scheduled mid February 2005. Eighty-two yachts have registered this year racingin two classes; IMS (53 yachts) and IRC (29 yachts).After the X-40 “Maolca” had been on show in Genoa in October, her owner Manfredi Tolomei registered his yacht for participation in the Winter Championship. His team includes his friends lead by Ricardo Lalla from X-Yachts Italia. Since the IMS Rating certificate could not be issued in time for the start, the yacht was regi-stered in the IRC Class, and despite the teak deck, shallow keel, alloy mast, boiler and bottles of wine the debut was astonishing.

Two 1st
The X-40 “Maolca” won the first race overall with a margin of six minutes on the second, and in the second race she was first again though this time “only” with a margin of two minutes. The excellent racing abilities shown during the X-Yachts Gold Cup proved true. The X-40 had competition from the all new Grand Soleil 45 with carbon mast, J 133, J 109, Grand Soleil 40, One off etc. And this is only the beginning …

Piergiorgio Ravaioni
X-Yachts Italia S.r.l.