Porto Cervo earned its reputation all over again on day five of the Range Rover Sardinia Cup. A textbook Mistral rolled in, producing 18 to 24 knots across flat water under clear, unbroken sunshine. The locals have a name for these conditions: champagne sailing. The fleet made the most of every moment of it.
On the windward legs, the left-hand side of the course, running close to the Sardinian coastline, proved to be where positions were gained and lost. Jolt 3 read that edge earlier and more decisively than anyone else, converting it into a clean sweep of both SC1 races. Their starts carried the kind of controlled aggression that marks out the genuinely fast from the merely competent. One final coastal race remains, and Jolt 3 carry real momentum into it, though the broader SC1 narrative belongs to the contest developing between Ino Veritas and Django WR at the top of the standings.
SC2 has told a different story altogether. Niklas Zennström's Ran has been so commanding throughout the regatta that a first-place finish has already been discarded as their worst result. That kind of sustained dominance is never a matter of luck, and with Adrian Stead calling tactics, nothing about Ran's performance suggests it is. Per Roman's Garm occupies second place, with Django JP just a single point adrift, meaning the final day carries genuine stakes for both crews.
The team competition is where the tension runs deepest. The Royal Ocean Racing Club leads Yacht Club Costa Smeralda by just two points, with RORC Gold sitting third. A single coastal race will resolve everything. Forecasters are pointing to significantly lighter winds for the final day, so the Race Committee will be watching conditions closely before committing. The warning signal is set for noon.
The mark-rounding difficulties that complicated earlier days were entirely absent on day five. The steady breeze and calmer sea state kept the fleet tightly bunched, roundings clean, and tactical decisions brutally exposed the moment they were made. That compression is precisely what produces genuine racing. Anyone watching from the waterfront had a clear view of planing runs and clean-air battles, with nowhere for any crew to hide.
James Neville's Ino Veritas, with Dean Barker calling tactics, still heads the SC1 provisional standings. Giovanni Lombardi Stronati's Django WR remains second, with Roberto Lacorte's RocketNikka in third. Whether five days of accumulated pressure finally reshapes that order is the question tomorrow's race will answer.
Prize-giving follows racing in Piazza Azzurra. Five days of conditions ranging from light to genuinely challenging have narrowed the entire regatta down to one race, one trophy, and one set of names ready to be added to the Range Rover Sardinia Cup.
