Exclusive: Paolo Semeraro tells us side by side about all the sail changes in his Middle Sea Race

“I certainly cannot say that we were not prepared psychologically and materially,….anzi: but the conditions we encountered in the final phase of the regatta certainly did not leave us unprepared.
When driven agonism gives way to a willingness to preserve men and means , then I think we can speak of true maturity.” Paolo Semeraro begins his story in this way, with the 0objective of tell us, side by side, about all the technical sail changes that were needed to get on the podium of the Middle Sea Race (His boat, the Neo 400 won in IRC 2, finished third in IRC Overall and second in ORC Class 3). “I’ll try to summarize the highlights of a regatta that saw us in the leading positions from the start and the choice made for sails from time to time.”

READY TO GO: THE SET OF SAILS ABOARD THE NEO 400
The NEO -400 sail kit for the MSR, we used almost all of them, was:

• carbon technora internal taffeta mainsail , on trolleys, with two coats of reefing ( of course the third wouldn’t have hurt!).
• J1 and J2 in technora carbon.
• J3 terzarolabile to J4 in dyneema-carbon.
• JIB TOP in carbon technora.
• nylon winseeker.
• Down wind staysail rollable dyneema.
• upwind staysail rollable dyneema double internal taffeta.
• turmentine ( used in the final 5 hours) and mainsail.
• Asymmetric A1,A2 and A3 terzarolabile to fractional,
• A0 rollable dyneema.

NEO 400 started with group 2 ( the biggest after group 1…Esimit’s). We started out surrounded by huge boats (TP 52, Coockson 50, Farr 53, Swan 60, and Volvo 70) with A1 keeping to the left side and with a little luck we got out of the harbor among the first of the group.Good speed In the bolinet with J1 where we already overtook someone from Group 3 who had left 10 minutes earlier to the disengagement where Mascalzone and B2 were on sight. We launched into a real wind around 120° toward Cape Passero with A1 and upwind staysail to close the group that had left 10 minutes earlier, while many boats were hoisting A0. Halfway to Sicily we had passed all the boats in Group 3 that left earlier while the big ones in ours were within sight. Halfway to Sicily we had passed all the boats in Group 3 that left earlier while the big ones in ours were within sight. Under the now-darkening Sicily we switch to A0 for an hour or so which allows us to quickly sail left tack toward the scarce that we could sense by looking at the bows of the big guys. The wind tilts and after a night windward with J1 starboard tack to the east of Sicily , turns right again and allows us to hoist the JIB TOP which , with 10/11 knots of real allows us to close the fleet below sailing for a couple of hours over 10 knots of boat speed. Entering the Sicilian channel from the Calabrian side, the wind tilts left tack again: then J1 for an upwind into the channel until it skims the coast of Calabria. Calm for a few more hours where with winseeker alternating with A1, jibing frequently and skimming the tips we finally approach Cape Peloro ( the northeastern end of Sicily) While our group ( Cippa Lippa, Optimum, Balearia…) struggles in the current from behind come the latecomers of group 2 and the first of group 3 in fact rejoining the fleet. We manage to squeeze in , thanks to the low draft, “inside buoy” at Cape Peloro and with a quick change from A1 to A0 we stretch westward. Peeling to A3 and back to A1 as the wind widens.

TOWARDS STROMBOLI AMONG THE FIRST IN THE FLEET

We are among the first to gybe toward Stromboli with a hemmed and very fast course. We are fast enough that the big guys in our group are no more than 5 miles ahead when we get to Stromboli, many behind in real. The small ones behind are totally unpredictable as performance since they cannot predict the wind 100% and are still well behind apart from the Teasing Machine (A13) the only one in Group 3. We decide to go as course as possible by gybing left tack with A1 as soon as Stromboli is cleared. The choice seems to pay off, and in the morning we find ourselves starboard tack over course with J1 upwind with the big ones 5 miles upwind and the little ones back. Only Artie , who arrived very late at Stromboli, is far offshore having proceeded 90° off course on starboard tack before gybing: at dawn he still had many miles to fill by going down. We hoist first A0 and then A1 to descend fast to Alicudi and close Kuka Light ,Aspidia and Balearia ( the Farr 52) at that time lower on course and with less wind. Unfortunately, we “fall” into the Filicudi suction by finding ourselves in the clash between the 300 wind and the island-generated thermal so we end up edging under Filicudi and then under Alicudi, which we bachelor, still well ahead, late in the afternoon. Back by course to San Vito Lo Capo with waning winds in a mix of windseeker , A1 and A0 until total nighttime becalmedness brings us to rest all the way below Cape Zafferano. Here the situation becomes worrisome as a group of 30/40 boats is south of Ustica, still becalmed, but with a potentially direct course should the 300 wind come in ( the one from the famous disturbance we are expecting for the next day). We tack below Sicily all the way into the Gulf of Palermo taking advantage of land thermals and the situation becomes encouraging again: the big ones are in sight, much of it still behind in real, and the little ones not even a shadow. The wind stabilized from 280 and also forced the Ustica group to windward: only Artie, X-pact and Teasing Machine popped out of the group but several dozen miles behind us. Change from J1 to J2 as the 270 becomes 290 and reinforces by approaching Favignana.

THE WIND ARRIVES AND THE MUCH HERALDED DISTURBANCE
Let’s take advantage of the last hours of daylight to double all the strops of the steering wheels, pass the reefers, split spi halyard, take a hand to the A3, put on the seat belts: A disturbance is expected to enter overnight although we cannot know how fast the wind will increase and up to how much. This data will make a difference on overall victory. If the wind stays in the 20-22 knots for another 15-20 hours we will have a chance to win overall, if it comes in strong right away the 30-mile gap from Artie in time will become little stuff because he also walks in the stern, not like us, but still strong. We turn Favignana already with 15 knots of real: change to JIB TOP, Shifting weights back and upwind, resting shifts are resumed. We fly for a couple of hours of slack at 13 knots and definitely lengthen going from a phantom 29 overall to 4th place….we don’t know if ahead there are big or small in plywood. Halfway to Pantelleria the wind increases forcing us to first prey on one hand, then the second , finally replacing the Jib Top with the UPWIND STAYSAIL. We turn Pantelleria in 30 knots around four in the morning and decide to wait until dawn before changing sails on the bow. At dawn we hoisted J3 and resumed riding with peaks of over 22 knots (then the log would come out of the water) visually distancing the Teasing Machine ( a 13-meter two-rudder boat born for carriers) by a couple of miles. The fractional A3 is always ready to go up but every time I call the maneuver, the wind gives a 35-knot de facto gust discouraging us: by now the overall race is compromised while first in class is abundantly within reach because the Coockson , TP and carkeek 47 are just ahead. I decide for caution, but I can’t resist the urge to try fractional A3, which we hoist only after gybing parallel to Lampedusa: we fly through flat water between 18 and 20 knots the length of the Island. When we are about to scape the wind increases to 35 knots and we can see the waves picking up after the island: clear signal! We lower and continue with J3 and two hands to the mainsail. Begin a wild left-hand wall ride with course 65 to Malta. After two hours Lampedusa disappears from view. The wave grows to 5/6 meters and is exactly sideways which does not help to stay high on the course. The wind increases to 40 knots, the J3 is too much , I rest in the stern and send the guys to lower it. I decide to be conservative and sail for a couple of hours 20 degrees above course with only the mainsail with two hands to make up the lost downwind. When a breaker comes I first accelerate in glide and then barley get out of the wave before the foam comes: like a wave surfer. The wind increases again to over 50 knots, the mainsail flaps too much and bumps on the leeward spreaders. Fortunately we can rest 15 degrees, hoist tormentor and resume flying at over 20 knots toward MALTA. At 20 miles we begin to see the first lights. We launch into the channel with breaking waves exactly at the stern on a moonless night, with no chance to play the wave so the bow often slips into the water ( which is very difficult for NEO which has a bulky bow and high freeboard). We switch back to J3 for more speed in the stern. Perhaps out of unconscious desire for shelter we anticipate the gybe too much and are forced to do two more before we have course for the last buoy before the finish.

MALTA: THE END OF A SUCCESSFUL AND DAMAGE-FREE VENTURE

At the berth already the first text messages arrive with the results: first in ORC and IRC class and third overall ORC and IRC results in the bag. We are still hopeful for the first overall, but we know that Artie’s people live in these conditions all year round and will not make stupid mistakes that could jeopardize their ranking. Artie arrives four hours later and beats us by five hours, we win the class by five hours in plywood. Teasing Machine dismasting and delaminating the boat: all in all, caution paid off. First in the most drawn class, winner of the Nations Cup and First Italian boat award, third overall, no damage to boat, sails or people. We can be very happy to have done this with a boat launched just in February this year and especially built in our new shipyard with very innovative concepts and technologies some to be verified in the field. Great regatta the Middle, perhaps the only one worthy of being called “offshore” in the Mediterranean, great fleet, great opponents. Great respect for those who voluntarily or involuntarily decided to withdraw-the conditions between Lampedusa and Malta, at least at the time we passed through, would have been really tough. For us, sailing is a job and , with respect to safety, we have an obligation to pull , risk , experiment to put our experience at the service of owners and sailors who , while practicing with great professionalism and expertise do it only for passion. A great PASSION, especially if it can say “at the Middle of 2014 I was there too!”