Barclays 52 SUPER SERIES at Rolex Capri Sailing Week - Overall
by 52 Super Series 24 May 2014 20:55 BST
19-24 May 2014
Azzurra victorious
On the BARCLAYS 52 SUPER SERIES' first visit to the island of Capri it was the Italian team on Azzurra which came away with top honours, clinching the first regatta title of the 2014 European TP52 season with an impressive second and a first place from the two difficult races on the final day.
Theirs was a hard won overall victory, one which is attributable as much to their hard work and preparation put pre regatta in readiness for the light, unsettled breezes of Capri, as it is to their consistency and guile on the race course.
While the crew which sails for the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda were at their imperious best in today's light and unsettled breezes, able to hold off the challenge from the American crew of Vesper in both races to roll out winners by four clear points, Jim Swartz's US crew which had started the final day level with Azzurra had to settle for second overall just ahead of Quantum Racing, the defending 2013 52 SUPER SERIES CHAMPIONS.
Consistency proved elusive for some but Azzurra only finished out of the top three once and delivered a 1,2,1 salvo from the final three races. The team skippered by Guillermo Parada were the only one to win two races, four different boats, Vesper, Quantum Racing, Rán Racing and Phoenix, winning the other contests.
Capri lived up to its longstanding reputation for light airs. The coastal race and one day of windward leeward races were lost to calm or unsettled breezes, but the last day of racing was blessed with 7-10kts of breeze from the SE for the finale.
Niklas Zennström's Rán Racing won the penultimate race, leading from half way up the first beat. Azzurra rounded the top mark with Vesper second and Azzurra very close behind in third.
On the second run the two top title rivals were still locked together. Azzurra feigned a dummy gybe, Vesper – whether they bought it or not - gybed away and Azzurra were able to hold on to take second across the line behind Rán Racing.
In the second race, sailed in a lighter wind with big differences between left and right, Azzurra's Vasco Vascotto proved most adept at reading the conflicting breezes, picking the best path up the middle of the course to earn the lead around the first turning mark. With Eduardo de Souza Ramos' Brazilian Phoenix in close contention, it proved an uphill task for Vesper in third, though keeping their American compatriots Quantum Racing behind them on the overall standings will be a source of satisfaction to Swartz's team on their first visit to Europe to race.
The Azzurra team were elated at their victory while Quantum Racing's visibly disappointed tactician Terry Hutchinson promised that the 2013 champions would harness their disappointment and be back stronger in two weeks time in Porto Cervo, Sardinia for the second regatta, the 52 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Winning tactician Vasco Vascotto smiled: "It is important for us as a team to win because we did not sail well at the last couple of events we did, so we sailed in a good way here. We worked hard to improve our speed here, especially for the light air. Ours is not a boat for light airs and so I think everyone did a great job on and off the water. Guillermo had not steered at the start for many, many regattas and he was good off the start line and I am happy with the way we sailed.
This sport never gives you the chance to feel that you are unbeatable. Every day is a different and next time it will be tough again."
Overall Results:
1. 1 Azzurra, ITA, (Alberto Roemmers ARG) (3,3,7,1,2,1) 17pts
2. Vesper, USA, (Jim Swartz USA) (5,2,1,6,3,4) 21pts
3. Quantum Racing, USA, (Doug De Vos USA) (4,1,6,4,5,3) 23pts
4. Rán Racing, SWE, (Niklas Zennström SWE) (2,8,2,5,1,6) 24pts
5. Phoenix, BRA, (Eduardo de Souza Ramos BRA) (1,7,3,8,9,2) 30pts
6. Gladiator, GBR, (Tony Langley GBR) (9,6,5,3,6,5) 34pts
7. Provezza 7, TUR, (Ergin Imre TUR) (6,4,8,2,8,7) 35pts
8. Paprec, FRA, (Jean Luc Petithugenin FRA) (7,5,9,7,4,8) 40pts
9. B2, ITA, (Michele Galli ITA) (8,9,4,9,7,9) 46pts
Quotes:
Terry Hutchinson (USA) tactician Quantum Racing (USA): "Over the longer period it's probably a good thing for us. Since I have been back on the boat we have taken starts off them and they have taken starts off us. And so it's good to get our teeth kicked in now and then, it makes us come back stronger for the next one, the World Championship. We did not put our best foot forward at this event when Ed started really well but there were things that let us down tactically, conversely we also had one just OK start in the first race today and that was a big deal."
Azzurra sailed well, they got a really great break in the last race when they were fighting Rán off and took both of our transoms.
This is a tricky venue to sail in, when you look at the scorecard and you look at the inconsistencies of everyone, this has been an Atypical regatta for us, on average we have been able to claw your way back through the fleet, we will take a good hard look at everything on our boat and we have to make sure we chase the bitter sweet taste of losing and it's not that much fun.
We are looking forward to Porto Cervo and going racing against the entire fleet. It's awesome to see how many boats we have here. I think what we are building on here for the future is really, really good."
Gavin Brady (NZL) tactician Vesper (USA): "I was always saying that if they try a dummy gybe we go anyway. It was a match, they had nothing to lose and if we all start doing dummy gybes then the boat behind is only going to get through. It was safe option for us, we were going to commit and go. In the first race of what was to be a three race day we were just playing the percentages and trying to do the right thing. It did not pan out, nine times out of ten it would have been fine but not today. The story of the day was about who could keep putting in the top three scores. We did not ever get stuck here, we did not get bogged down with where we are on points or anything, we just went out and raced. I'd be shocked now if you didn't see Jim Swartz and Vesper back for another round here, it wont be this year because of other commitments, but we will see Vesper back on the Circuit I am sure. It has been a really positive experience for us and our owner Jim Swartz is feeling fantastic about it because we have been able to keep a 2008 boat on the pace, which is full credit to the class too and future of the 52 SUPER SERIES."
Santi Lange (ARG) tactician Phoenix (BRA): "It was a really good experience for us. You always want more but we are a new boat and a new team we are happy with we finished. There is a lot to learn before Sardinia where the conditions will be very different. We need to start better. Here we had three good starts and got three good results, and three bad starts for three bad results. So that is one thing."
Azzurra wins the Rolex Capri Sailing Week (from Azzurra Sailing Team)
With a first and second today, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda's yacht has won the Rolex Capri Sailing Week and taken command of the Barclays 52 Super Series.
The wind came back for the final day of the Rolex Capri Sailing Week, allowing two races to be run and confirming Azzurra's clear supremacy over her tough competitors. Before todays racing Azzurra was tied for first with Vesper, the American boat that finished second, four points behind Azzurra. Quantum Racing, direct opponent of Azzurra, finished in third, six points behind.
Azzurra closed the first regatta in second position, after rounding the first windward mark in third behind Ran and Vesper. She then passed Vesper during the first run using different reaching tactics.
For the second race, Vasco Vascotto, Azzurra's tactician, wasn't surprised by a sudden right shift shortly after the start. The best boats came into the windward mark right on each others heels, and Azzurra was the first around. From then on the YCCS yacht extended her lead to win, followed by the newcomer Phoenix, then Quantum and Vesper.
The race committee tried to get a third race off before the time limit, but an unstable breeze didn't collaborate. With her win in the last race, Azzurra took home the Barclays 52 Super Series first event. The second event will take place from the 10th to the 14th of June at Porto Cervo, organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, as the Audi TP52 World Championship.
The Rolex Capri Sailing Week was organised by the International Maxi Yacht Association together with the Yacht Club Capri.
Today's quotes:
Riccardo Bonadeo, Commodore of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda: "This is a very important victory for us, the best way to start off the Med circuit after our second place at the beginning of the season in the US. We are serene and optimistic now when thinking about the Audi TP52 World Championship, the circuits home event for us at Porto Cervo."
Guillermo Parada, skipper and helmsman: "Obviously a great day and it was a great way to finish. After a hard month in USA we didn't get the results we were expecting, so it was a tough wait, but we worked hard - we knew it was going to be light winds so we prepared ourselves to make sure we were giving ourselves a good chance in the light stuff. Luckily the boatspeed was really, really good and that let us do our job and have a good regatta. We are happy that we had a very good boat to go to Porto Cervo with to try to repeat our win of last year, so I'm really happy for the team, for the owners, for the yacht club, I'm saying thanks. I would like to especially thank my family which always supported me, and a very close friend who helped us a lot with the boat and is going through a not very good moment, so I would like to dedicate this win to him."
Vasco Vascotto, tactician: "This was an important day, these consistent results are the payoff for our hard work and they give a boost to morale. We won in light air, not our favourite conditions, but Guillermo was perfect at the helm and the whole crew performed magnificently. We're not heroes today, nor were we villans yesterday when we didn't take home the results we expected."