Marking the second event on Saint-Petersburg Yacht Club’s 2012 Mediterranean campaign, the Rolex Volcano Race running from 19-25 May in the Tyrrhenian Sea saw twenty Maxi yachts compete in the second edition of this popular race. The two-legged race kicked off in Gaeta and following an overnight stop in Capri, took the fleet around two amazing archipelagos in the central as well as southern Tyrrhenian Sea before coming back to Capri.

Challenging conditions tested the crews' nerve skill and speed Credit: Rolex/Kurt Arrigo

The crew of Swan 60 sailing yacht Bronenosec enjoyed a spectacular week of racing at this year’s edition, with extremely challenging conditions that tested the crews’ nerve, skill and speed to the utmost. With winds ranging from 5 to over 25 knots, rain, squalls, storms and at times little visibility, the crews tackled a variety of race courses along the Italian coastline in the Bay of Naples.

The team had a very promising start to the week when Vladimir Liubomirov excelled at the helm in light 10 knot wind conditions coupled with a flat sea. These conditions suited the team from the Swan 60 yacht Bronenosec who were in a top flight position right off the starting blocks. Unfortunately the weather forecast for the rest of the week was not an optimistic one. As the winds increased throughout the week, the breeze played into the hands of the big boats, with the supermaxi’s leading the 300-nautical mile leg from the outset finishing the course unexpectedly quickly.

By the end of the week the luxury yacht Bronenosec had posted a top 10 position, leaving them 6th overall and 3rd out of the mini-maxi’s. The team remain ever optimistic about the upcoming Giraglia Rolex Cup and know that they need to focus their attention on practicing in the windier conditions that are often synonymous with offshore racing. Although half the crew consists of professional Italian sailors, its little steps at a time are as for many of the Russians on board their first experience of offshore racing.

Vladimir Liubomirov, Commodore at Saint-Petersburg Yacht Club, commented; “Most of the Russian guys we have on the boat have come from Dragon racing. They are learning to sail a big boat and for this reason we include some professional sailors to bring in more experience. This is only the second event on our 2012 campaign, and we are getting better and better.”

The next event on the Bronenosec yacht’s campaign is one of the most renowned distance races in the Mediterranean; the Giraglia Rolex Cup is an offshore classic, celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. From the start off the historic port of Saint-Tropez the fleet heads through the idyllic Iles d’Hyères and across the sea to round the Giraglia, a rocky islet off northern Corsica, before racing to the finish off San Remo, a total distance of 241-nautical miles.