Rolex Farr 40 Worlds at Sydney, Australia - Day 3
by Lisa Ratcliff 25 Feb 2011 07:51 GMT
23-26 February 2011
Italian brilliance relegates local heroes
Defending Rolex Farr 40 World Champions, Massimo Mezzaroma and Antonio Sodo Migliori’s Nerone (ITA), now hold a one-point advantage over the local heroes, and Nerone’s tactician Vasco Vascotto believes the most relaxed will be the ultimate victor.
“Tomorrow will be a big fight,” admitted Vascotto this afternoon. It’s a good opportunity for Transfusion to beat us after what happened last year [when Transfusion lost to Nerone on the final day of the 2010 Rolex Farr 40 Worlds], but we will let them try to force us and we will just stay relaxed, or as we say in Italian, ‘tranquilli’.”
Some “midnight sailing”, which is how Belgiorno-Nettis describes having a three point advantage with Transfusion (AUS) then waking up to find that gap had closed to a one point lead after the results of two protests shuffled the pointscore, made for a restless night.
After today’s fourth and fifth over the line they are poised to challenge. “It doesn’t matter whether we are in front or behind,” said Belgiorno-Nettis this afternoon. “As long as we have the consistency we can challenge Nerone. We will start afresh tomorrow and try to win the war and if they sail better than us then good luck to them, they are great competitors.”
Transfusion’s Zen motto relates to the fact that every day is a journey and Belgiorno-Nettis has reminded his crew at this crucial juncture that they are privileged to be where they are, contesting a World Championship in their city, and in the company of champions.
Helmut and Evan Jahn’s Flash Gordon (USA) worked hard under Bill Hardesty’s guidance and took advantage of another under par day by Martin and Lisa Hill’s Estate Master (AUS) to move into third with two races remaining.
While the frontrunners played their own game, elsewhere teams were making some moves. William Douglass’ Goombay Smash (USA), with James Spithill riding shotgun, strung together her best day to date with a bullet in race seven followed by a sixth place in race eight. Wolfgang and Angela Schaefer’s crew on Struntje Light (GER) dusted themselves off, after their disqualification in race four, to post a second and an eighth.
Conditions on the Manly Circle course area saw 8-10 knots out of the north, building to 12-15 for the second race of the day. Tomorrow’s forecast is for nor’easterlies 10 to 15 knots increasing to 15 to 20 knots during the afternoon.
The Rolex Farr 40 World Championship is for the second year shaping up to be a two-boat contest between the black shirted Italians and the white shirted Australians. Transfusion is gunning for a home town victory and to right wrongs from last year’s Worlds in the Dominican Republic while the cool class act that is Nerone will do whatever it takes to achieve back to back crowns.
Results after Day 3: (top 3 after 8 races:
1st Nerone Antonio Sodo Migliori & Massimo Mezzaroma ITA 2 1 10 8 1 1 6 1, 30pts
2nd Transfusion Guido Belgiorno-Nettis AUS 4 4 2 1 7 4 4 5, 31pts
3rd Flash Gordon Helmut & Evan Jahn USA 2 9 2 8 5 11 3, 51pts
Click here for full results so far
Brothers in arms
Sydney’s waterways have given birth to many world class sailors and siblings dinghy sailing on the weekend over summer is a popular Australian pastime for those living on the coastal fringes.
This week’s Rolex Farr 40 World Championship is where some of the prodigies are displaying their well honed talent, and while they may be lined with the sun’s etchings, the same sibling rivalry that is a rite of passage between brothers in boyhood endures.
Steve Phillips’ Le Renard (AUS) and Marcus Blackmore’s Hooligan (AUS) has two older brothers, Colin Beashel and Alby Pratt, racing against two younger brothers, Adam Beashel and Doug Pratt. And the stakes are high says Doug.
“We grew up in a small house in Avalon and Alby and I used to fight like cats and dogs. He used to hit me if I didn’t go sailing on a Sunday,” laughs Doug. “For these Worlds it’s the old bucks versus the young bucks for bragging rights.”
So is there some good old fashioned Aussie sledging going on between the brothers once on the battleground? “Not so much verbal ribbing as sign language,” smiles Doug, Hooligan’s bowman.
The brothers are still northern beaches based, Doug at Newport and North sailmaker Alby at Harbord, and very much part of the ‘Pittwater mafia’, an in-joke around the dock given how many Australian sailors hail from that particular corner of Sydney.
The White brothers, Mitch and younger brother by two years, Morgan, grew up sailing on Middle Harbour. They have navigated a gentler path through brotherhood says Mitch, the older and feistier brother. ‘Morgs’ has a slightly different version of the story. “Mitch always bosses me around,” says the quiet achiever.
Morgan is sailing bow this week on Chris Way and Ian Burns’ Easy Tiger II (AUS), while Mitch is the bowman on Guido Belgiorno-Nettis’ Transfusion (AUS), now second to defending World Champions Nerone (ITA) by a single point after race eight, the last for the day.
With their names starting with the same letter, both professional sailors, both bowmen, for this regatta at least, and being similar in appearance, they are often mixed up, which adds to the friendly rivalry and like twins, sometimes it has its advantages.
Australian Olympic medal winning sailor Colin Beashel and younger brother Adam Beashel grew up on Pittwater to the north of Sydney. Their nine year age gap and the fact they took pretty different tacks with sailing might be reasons they are very supportive of each other’s career.
Colin, a resident of Avalon, crewed on the winning Australia II America’s Cup team in 1983 and represented Australia at six Olympics games while Adam opted for 49ers and the America’s Cup, sailing for New Zealand.
“There’s not too many times we’ve been at the same regatta,” said Colin at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, the host club for the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds, this morning prior to heading to the Manly Circle course area for races 7 and 8 on the penultimate day of competition.
Both Beashels are trimming the mainsail for these Worlds, Colin on Le Renard and Adam on Hooligan.
A bit like the White brothers, the younger Adam has a glint in his eye when asked about the spirit of competition between he and his big brother. “We are having speed races.” Seems blood is not as thick as salt water.
Day 3 Video: