ILC Maxi World Championship
Kostecki, Alexia First to Finish Newport-Bermuda Race; Grab Second in Maxi Worlds
HAMILTON, Bermuda (June 23, 1998) — AmericaOne tactician John Kostecki, sailing aboard Alberto Roemmers' Alexia, took line honors in the 41st Biennial Newport-Bermuda Race.
Alexia (formerly Windquest) completed the 635-mile race in 90 hours, 56 minutes, 16 seconds, well off the record of 57:31:50 set by Boomerang in 1996. Boomrang was the third maxi to finish, beaten by Sayonara but ahead of Morning Glory and Encore.
"By keeping Alexia to the east of the rhumb line, but west of the other
maxis, we were able to pick up a better breeze before crossing the Gulf
Stream. With that boost we were able to open up a substantial lead on the
others," Kostecki explained.
Alexia's strong performance in the Bermuda Race, which began in Newport, Rhode Island, on June 19, was not enough to overcome a four-point deficit in the ILC Maxi World Championship, however.
Sayonara, owned by St. Francis YC member Larry Ellison, dominated the first six races of the seven-race series with four victories to Alexia's two and won the title by 1.5 points, 34.6875 to Alexia's 33.1875. Morning Glory, owned by Hasso Plattner of Germany, was third, and Boomerang, owned by George S. Coumantaros of the New York YC, was fourth. James Dolan's Encore did not compete in the inshore races on Narrangansett Bay and finished fifth overall.
High winds at Newport proved advantageous to Sayonara, particularly after Alexia lost the use of its mainsail due to a broken halyard during the first race of the series. However, the comparatively light air in the Bermuda Race turned the tables and benefited Alexia, which beat Sayonara by almost three hours.
The Maxi Worlds was held in conjunction with NYYC's 144th annual regatta.
