Tartaruga and Alfa Romeo prevail at the 56th Giraglia

Marco Paolucci was a happy man indeed. “The joy of winning this historic regatta, a symbol of international yachting, is incredible,” he said. “It is a special moment, most of all for someone like me who only started sailing in 2002. A large part of this crew is from the Scuola Vela (sailing school), and they were really committed in this regatta. So a special thanks to Marco Quaglieri, Angiolo Borsò and Michele Regolo. This crew was able to stay focussed even when it was calm and there wasn't much wind to keep the attention high.”

Paolucci and his crew's unyielding concentration certainly paid off, as on ORC handicap they won the Giraglia Race from the Canard 41, Aurora, by just 57 seconds on corrected time. “It goes to show how important it is not to lose concentration in this race, not even for a moment. That's not easy in such a long race, when the wind drops. For me, it is particularly sweet to win such a prestigious race on a boat that I also take cruising with my family.”

This also was a race to remember for Neville Crichton, whose powerful 100-foot Super-maxi Alfa Romeo finally broke the Giraglia Race course record at its third attempt. When the sleek, canting-keeled maxi swept into Genoa on Thursday morning, it took line honours with a new time of 18 hours, 3 minutes, 15 seconds. The New Zealand skipper had sliced 4 hours, 10 minutes and 33 seconds off his own record, which he set in 2003 with his previous Alfa Romeo, a much less powerful, fixed-keel 90-foot Maxi.

For winning the Giraglia Race on elapsed time Alfa Romeo was awarded the Rolex Trophy and the René Levainville Trophy, as well as the Beppe Croce Trophy for being the first to round the Giraglia Rock. For breaking the course record, Alfa Romeo was awarded the Coppa del Record.

For the best combined score from the three days of inshore racing in St. Tropez and the Giraglia Race to Genoa, Paolo Scerni's Swan 42, Kora 4, won the Challenge Nucci Novi Trophy.

The prize giving ceremony took place this afternoon at the Yacht Club Italiano, where the winners of each class were awarded trophies for their achievements. For Alfa Romeo's Line Honours victory, owner Neville Crichton received a Rolex Submariner timepiece in gold and steel while Marco Paolucci received a Rolex Yacht-Master timepiece in steel and platinum for Tartaruga's overall win on corrected time - a beautiful reward for a hard-earned victory in this renowned offshore regatta. Paolo Scerni was awarded a Rolex Submariner in stainless steel for Kora 4's overall performance in the Giraglia Rolex Cup.

The Giraglia Rolex Cup is organised by the Yacht Club Italiano with the collaboration of the Yacht Club de France and the Société Nautique de St. Tropez.

Giraglia Rolex Cup Overall Results
Winner Line Honours and new Course Record - Alfa Romeo (Neville Crichton)
Elapsed Time: 18 hours 3 minutes 15 seconds

Overall Results of 243-mile Giraglia Race (ORC corrected time)
1. Tartaruga - Marco Paolucci (ITA) - Comet 45s - 23:40:15
2. Aurora - Bonomo-Berruto (ITA) - Canard 41 - 23:41:12
3. Argo - Luciano Manfredi (ITA) - First 44.7 - 23:42:28

Overall Results of 243-mile Giraglia Race (IRC corrected time)
1. Fissa - Ettore Yachting (FRA) - A-40 RC - 13:59:52
2. High Five - Vinicio Petracchi (NZL) - Cookson 12M - 14:50:48
3. Tchin-Tchin - Jean Claude Bertrand (FRA) - A-35 - 15:00:40

Overall Results of combined inshore and offshore races
Mini Maxi Class (Top 3)
1. Atalanta II - Carlo Puri Negri - Farr 70 Racer
2. Edimetra VI - Ernesto Gismondi - Wally 65
3. Maya - Lucio Crispo - FY61

ORC Class Group A (Top 3)
1. Andromeda - Antonio Ronconi - Comet 51S
2. Extra1 - Giorgio Recordati - X-41
3. I.Nova - Alberto Franchella - Comet 45S

ORC Class Group B (Top 3)
1. Manida - Alberto Patrone/ Francesco Damonte - Prototype
2. Calima - Javier Pujol - Prototype
3. Almogaver - Antoine Illies - X-332

IRC Class Group A (Top 3)
1. Kora 4 - Paolo Scerni - Swan 42
2. Fissa - Ettore Yachting - A-40RC
3. Nikimar - Christophe Picard - Farr 52

IRC Class Group B (Top 3)
1. Tchin-Tchin - Jean Claude Bertrand - A-35
2. Rakam - Jean-Louie Boue - First 36.7
3. Patricia - Umberto Santanera - First 34.7

Overall Results of the inshore series in St. Tropez
ORC Class A (top three)
1. Atalanta II - Carlo Puri Negri - Farr 70
2. Andromeda - Antonio Ronconi - Comet 51S
3. Edimetra VI - Ernesto Gismondi - Wally 65

IRC Class A (top three)
1. Kora 4 - Paolo Scerni - Swan 42
2. Fissa - Ettore Yachting - A 40 RC
3. Nikimar - Christophe Picard - Farr 52

ORC Class B (top three)
1. Manida - Alberto Patrone/Francesco Damonte - Proto - 7 points
2. Calima - Javier Pujol - Prototipo - 9 points
3. Almogaver - Antoine Illies - X-332 -11 points

IRC Class B (top three)
1. Tchin-Tchin - Jean Claude Bertrand - A-35 - 3 points
2. Rakam - Jean-Louis Boue - First 36.7 - 13 points
3. Galanga - Philippe de Saignes - A-109 - 13 points

GP42 class (top three)
1. Airis, Roberto Monti - 28 points
2. Desafio, Gonçalo Esteves - 28 points
3. Canarias Puerto Calero, Jose Calero - 29 points