Another Triumph for Brian Flahive’s Juniper

The Royal Malta Yacht Club’s Tommy Hilfiger Figure of 8 Race served up a tactical test for sailors on Saturday, with both fully crewed and short-handed teams lining up for the coastal challenge. This year’s edition took competitors on a southbound route around the Maltese Islands, with conditions demanding resilience and precision sailing.

The race began in Marsamxett Harbour, with the start line set between Fort St. Elmo and the Tigné Point. From there, the fleet navigated a scenic yet technically demanding route past Munxar and Benghajsa Cardinal Marks, around Filfla, through the South Comino Channel and back along Malta’s eastern coast, finishing in Marsamxett Harbour.

The opening stages of the race saw the fleet struggle through a very light and shifty breeze, which delayed their passage out of Grand Harbour.

Brian Flahive, racing double handed with Aaron Gatt Floridia on Juniper, described the first 30 minutes after the start as the most difficult:

“It was a very challenging race which required lots of sail changes and patience! The whole fleet bunched together, making it hard to sail proper angles for the changing breeze. We completely ran out of wind in the South Comino channel for a while but made no shore-based plans – retiring was never on the cards.”

That sentiment was echoed by Lartista skipper Anton Calleja, who thanked his crew for their perseverance throughout the race, noting that “sailing through the channel with no wind seemed like a new start,” while Steve Carter aboard Stella R in the Cruising Class highlighted the mental game required in the closing stages:

“When we got to Comino and saw the faster boats still rounding, we thought we’d caught up. But there was almost no wind – every mile felt endless. However, we are used to these conditions, having had a solid lesson during the 2021 Rolex Middle Sea Race.”

Adding his voice to those who embraced the challenges of the day, Stefan Debattista of Geisha, who placed third overall, remarked:

“The Tommy Hilfiger Figure of 8 turned out to be an awesome day on the water, even with the light wind forecast. The sea was flat all day, and after a slow start, we got 5–10 knots of breeze that took us all the way around Comino. The wind shift we were waiting for was slow and tricky — we had to keep creeping towards the new breeze line we could see a few hundred meters away”

The light and often frustratingly inconsistent wind conditions took their toll on the fleet, with three boats ultimately retiring from the race. As progress slowed to a crawl in key sections—particularly around the South Comino Channel—some crews found it increasingly difficult to maintain momentum. While most teams persevered through the calm, the lack of breeze proved too great a challenge for a few, highlighting just how demanding light-air sailing can be.

Luis Azzopardi’s new boat Kixx Me was the first to cross the finish line, but once ratings were applied, it was the double-handed team of Brian Flahive and Aaron Gatt Floridia aboard Juniper that claimed the overall victory. Anton Calleja’s Lartista secured second place, followed by Stefan Debattista’s Geisha in third. In the Cruising Class, the win went to Steve Carter’s Stella R, sailed short-handed with a determined three-person crew.

A prize-giving evening was held at the Royal Malta Yacht Club on Sunday, in the presence of Estelle Spiteri, Group Marketing Specialist at Hudson Group, representatives of Tommy Hilfiger in Malta, who remarked that “Tommy Hilfiger’s support of the race aligns with the launch of the Tommy Hilfiger Sailing Archive Gear—a collection of high-quality, functional pieces that blend innovation with style, while remaining true to the brand’s timeless aesthetic.”

Royal Malta Yacht Club Commodore Mark Napier expressed his appreciation to all participants and extended special thanks to the Hudson Group for their support of the race. He also acknowledged the efforts of the Race Management Team, led by Martin Azzopardi and ably supported by Tania Bonnici, Michelle Caruana, Adrian Gauci Borda, and Piero Picone.

The next event on the Club’s racing calendar is the first offshore race of the season—the Paymix Pro Ragusa Regatta, taking place from 1st to 4th May.