A Class Cat Regata Nazionale at Centro Velico Punta Ala - Overall
by Gordon Upton 2 Sep 2024 11:06 BST
31 August - 1 September 2024
Ground breaking new DN rig re-pigeons the cattery
With the nerves and excitement that always accompany the start of an event over, for those who have arrived at the PuntAla Camping & Resort on the beautiful Tuscan coast, the sailors have settled down somewhat. Some of that could also be due to the fact the wind had shifted a little more South-westerly and the resulting sea state made for much nicer conditions. Gone was the short, sharp chop from yesterday, and it was replaced by a lovely gentle wave state that most were hoping for, and indeed, been led to expect. The breeze rose to a pleasant 10-11 kts, and it was warm as usual.
The first race was marshalled and got under starters orders with little fuss by PRO.
Claudio Bagnoli and his very able race team. The race started and the fleet set off to.ards the top mark. First around and with a good 50m lead was triple World Champ Stevie Brewin, Exploder AUS 4. He was then followed by the by now, most recognised boat in the fleet, another triple WC sailor, Mischa Heemskerk, DNA F1x NED 7 and his weird looking 'DN' bendy rig, and inspired by the One Design DN class Ice yacht rig. He was being closely chased by the 2022 WC, Ravi Parent, Exploder USA 76. All shot past the spreader mark, foiling nicely in the Champaigne conditions (I said it!), and heading down to their jibe points on the left side of the course.
On the way up, most had spotted that the left was the place to be, and as you are always told, if you went up on one side well, then you should come down on the same side equally well. The rest of the fleet duly complied, as the odd one who ventured out to the right was roundly punished for their crime and lost many places.
The Open and Classic fleets were combined in this Italian National race, and with a fleet of some 30 boats, it was easily managed and most complied. The longer legs of the Open foilers usually mean that the top mark is reached by them first, at least the ones who have mastered the upwind foiling skills. The ones who haven't or have dropped off the foils will fall easy prey to the faster boats of the Classic fleets with their lower underwater drag. Leading this Classic pack was Francisco Mainero, Exploder ITA 75 and Mathieu Verrier, SUI 44, who was hoping to capitalise on his good first day's results. Also up in the leading pack was the lone woman sailor, National Champ Astrid Janssens, BEL 17, having a better day than before, until she was caught by a few others downwind.
At the line, the Open fleet bullet in the first race was kept by Stevie, with Mischa next and Darren Bundock, AUS 88, in third after catching Ravi. The Classics were Francisco followed by Mathieu, with Stefano Sirri, ITA 7 in a good third.
The next two races were of a similar nature, although the wind was now slowly dropping. The Open boats could just about foil upwind, although it was somewhat marginal. The left remained the place to be, so an L shaped track resulted for everyone. It was interesting to see that the Classic boats, outside the obvious leaders, tended to become somewhat of a herd animal, with clumps of them vying for places throughout the course and always closely fought duels emerged. Woe betide any errant foiler who found themselves amongst them as they would take no prisoners.
The regatta ended with the Open fleet with a narrow one-point separation between the top three boats. It was Mischa, then Ravi, then Bundy. On the Classics, it was rather more clear cut, with Mathieu dominating this fleet, followed by Francisco, then Andrea Ruffini ITA 15. Many happy faces were seen on the beach as a result. This was a good opener for both fleets, allowing them to get into the racing zone and match fitness for next week.
But here, there was only once topic discussed. Mischa's bendy DN rig made by Holland Composites. It was the first time it has been seen in anger, and Mischa is still very much coming to terms with it. However, it did seem to be his board rake system that gave him trouble on both days, with belts and lines breaking under his admittedly somewhat brutal handling. But the rig does look to work at least as good as the original ones. It shows flashes of pace when it hits the sweet spot. It's really upwind is where it is designed to score, allowing the power to be optimised better. Downwind, with the mast lower control lines pulled tight and straight it's not really noticeably faster. Both Ravi and Bundy had fun pacing with Mischa, each winning out in turn.
So the jury is still very much out on this DN rig in this regatta. It remains to be seen as to whether Mischa will actually use it in anger next week. We have still to see a few other Open hotshots arrive yet, and there is much testing and training to be done. This is a Development Class after all. This could be a development. It's what many love about the boat. Some say it's destroying the class; others totally embrace it. But what it has done is it has certainly got people talking and engaged. Only, don't bin your existing masts just yet...
Results in full can be found here.