Rolex Capri Sailing Week at Yacht Club Capri - Day 2
by Rolex Media Centre 19 May 2005 22:24 BST
The Farr 40 fleet on day two of Rolex Capri Sailing Week © Carlo Borlenghi / Rolex
A slow but successful second day in Capri
The thirty crews competing in the second day of the Rolex Capri Sailing Week had to deal with quite different weather conditions today. After yesterday's intense racing in 18 knots of wind, the Race Committee had to call on a postponement for today's starts due to the complete lack of wind in the first part of the day. The crews patiently waited on shore until the breeze filled in at around 1.30 pm, and left the dock well ahead of time for some last minute tune up in the light air and fluky air. The Race Committee, headed by Sandro Ricetto, was able to complete two windward/leeward races, both sailed in a shifting Northwesterly-Westerly breeze ranging from 10 to 14 knots and a big swell, very different from yesterday's short and irregular waves. Both the Farr 40 and the Swan 45 classes had quite different results from yesterday, proving that one design racing can be highly competitive throughout the fleet.
The Race Committee had to signal a general recall in the first start of the Farr 40s, and the following start still gave a few problems to many crews, with Nerone, Kokomo, Joe Fly and Mukka Express over the line early.
Marco Rodolfi's TWT (Italy) was able to stay ahead of the fleet right from the start and stretch its lead by picking the shifts well, taking line honors over Giorgio Goldoni's Sixty Group (Italy). French entrant Twins 2 owned by Eric Maris, with America's Cup sailor Philip Presti calling the tactics, finished third.
In the second race of the day, it was Nerone (Italy), co-owned by Massimo Mezzaroma and Antonio Sodo Migliori (at the helm), to take an early lead and stay well ahead of the pack throughout the entire race. "We are extremely satisfied with today's results. In the first race we were over the line early, but were able to get back into the race by choosing, wisely, the right hand side of the course. We managed to finish eighth, a good result considering our bad start. The second race was great, we had a good start, got ahead of the fleet and kept the lead throughout the race. The level of the Farr 40 class here is extremely high and you cannot allow yourself to make whatsoever mistake. Approximately half of our crew has changed since the past seasons and we need to gradually rebuild the team. We will get there."
Second on the finish line was Australian entry Kokomo of Sydney-based property developer and keen sailor Lang Walker, who managed to keep Marco Rodolfi's TWT (Italy) at bay. "Capri is fantastic", declared Walker as he stepped off his boat after today's races, adding that "the weather out there today was very tricky. In the first race we were over the line early and that made it very difficult for us to get back in the game. In the second race we had a good start and our tactician, Grant Simmer (General Manager of team Alinghi) did a very good job at picking the shifts. We came in second behind Nerone and ahead of TWT. In the first race we ended up having a big plastic bag wrapped around our keel - that didn't help us and it was certainly disappointing. We need to get out there tomorrow and have a good day."
In the Swan 45 class Danilo Sansi's DSK (Italy) sailed a brilliant first race, finishing ahead of Francesco Martino's brand new T. Too (Italy) and Swing 3 (Mintaka) of Paolo Leonardi, who chartered the Italian Swan 45 who recently won the Italian National Championship Trophy in Portofino with a striking performance.
T. Too is a brand new boat on the Swan 45 circuit. "We put T. Too in the water one week ago and we were finally able to complete our set up on the last night before the first start of this regatta," commented owner Francesco Martino, adding that "so far we've had really good days, we are happy with our results and we are having lots of fun. This is my first Swan 45. I used to race in the IMS division but I decided to move to a one design class where racing, from my standpoint, is much more competitive."
In the second race of the day, Carlo Perrone took line honors with his new Atlantica Racing (Italy), followed by T. Too (Italy) and Leonardo Ferragamo's Cuordileone (Italy), who didn't live up to yesterday's brilliant results. "Today we had a last and a first" commented Perrone. "We sailed a bad first race and we also had some problems with the sails. Our boat is new and this is our first event, so we still need to figure out a few things and fine tune the boat. We won the second race, which means that everything went really well, as even the smallest mistake throws you at the back of the fleet in this competitive one design class."
In the all Italian IMS division, both races of the day were won by Vahinè 5 of Daniela Raponi, followed by Andromeda and Lusi.
Racing resumes tomorrow at noon. According to Captain Filippo Petrucci, official meteorologist of the Rolex Capri Sailing Week, "the weather conditions should improve as a low pressure system gradually moves away from the island. For tomorrow's start we should have a moderate thermal westerly breeze ranging between 10 and 13 knots."
The Rolex Capri Sailing Week, which runs through Saturday May 21, is organized by the Yacht Club Capri in conjunction with the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, with the support of the Italian Sailing Federation (FIV) and the Unione Vela Altura Italiana (UVAI).
For the Farr 40 class, the Rolex Capri Sailing Week is the opening act of the Deutsche Bank Farr 40 Sailing Trophy 2005, while for the Swan 45 class, the Rolex Capri Sailing Week is the second leg of the Swan 45 Mediterranean Circuit 2005.
Provisional Results after Day 2: (top 3)
Farr 40
1. TWT, Italy, Marco Rodolfi, 10 (1-4-1-1-3)
2. Mascalzone Latino, Italy, Vincenzo Onorato, 16 (5-1-2-4-4)
3. Nerone, Italy, Massimo Mezzaroma/Antonio Sodo Migliori, 26 (2-11-4-8-1)
Swan 45
1. DSK, Italy, Danilo Salsi, 14 (1-2-5-1-5)
2. Cuordileone, Italy, Leonardo Ferragamo, 14 (2-1-3-5-3)
3. Jeroboam, Italy, Vittorio Codecasa, 15 (3-3-1-4-4)
IMS
1. Andromeda, Italy, Antonio Ronconi, 8 (1-1-2-2-2)
2. Vahinè 5, Italy, Daniela Raponi, 9 (2-4-1-1-1)
3. Lusi, Italy, Vincenzo Clericò, 17 (5-2-4-3-3)