A Swiss boat triumphed in the prestigious Rolex Middle Sea Race. Kuka3, the Farr 50 owned by Franco Niggeler from Bern, delivered an almost perfect race on the challenging 600-mile Mediterranean route from Malta. On Wednesday, October 23, the overjoyed owner crossed the finish line in third place in the IRC category and took victory in the ORC classification. A fantastic achievement, all the more so as the weather had been very challenging for the team. “It was complicated right from the start,” says Niggeler, a member of the St. Moritz Sailing Club. “When we were sailing under spinnaker, a storm came up and the wind increased from 15 to 45 knots within a minute. Almost 40 boats had to give up.” The route, which is lined with legendary natural beauties such as Stromboli, the islands of Pantelleria and Lampedusa, demanded a great deal of tactical skill from the teams due to the many lulls. “After we passed Stromboli, we put all our eggs in one basket and decided on a northerly course,” reports Franco Niggeler. “That was pretty risky. With a bit more luck, we would have had a chance of winning the IRC classification, but unfortunately the risk didn’t pay off. We try to win every regatta, otherwise we wouldn’t be competing.”
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