Monaco Optimist Team Race and the Sportsboat Winter Series - Day 2
by Isabelle Andrieux 19 Jan 2014 07:32 GMT
17-19 January 2014
30 races in one day!
Around one hundred sailors gathered today in Port Hercules for the second day of the Monaco Optimist Team Race and the Sportsboat Winter Series. Weather conditions were more favourable to sailing compared to yesterday, enabling the Optimist, Melges 20, J/24s and SB20s to compete and do their best.
Monaco Optimist Team Race: the young sailors tame Port Hercules
The race organisers decided once again to compete inside the Port Hercules where 14 races were held. The Yacht Club Italiano leads the event with 6 victories out of the 6 races, just in front of the Gstaad Yacht Club, the winner of the previous edition, the Yacht Club de Monaco and the Yacht Club Aquitaine, neck and neck.
Alexander Ilsley, member of the Monaco team: "Friday was a very hard day. We had started well, but we made an error and lost against the Gstaad Yacht Club. After this race, we competed against St Petersburg Yacht Club and we won. We discuss a lot among the team members to elaborate a strategy and counter our competitors. This is what we did against the italians and it worked! Team building is crucial". Tonight, the Monaco team is ranked 2nd.
Tomorrow, it will be a key day for the 3 teams and a misstep of the Swiss could impact the final rankings. They will need coordination, precision, and good strategies to win the competition.
Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series: 4 races to decide
Outside of the Port Hercules, the Melges 20s shared the waters with the J/24s and the SB20s, in perfect weather conditions.
The sea was far more manoeuvrable than yesterday, enabling the navigators to sail 4 races.
This winter stage is a perfect preparation in view of the 30th Primo Cup-Trophée Credit Suisse (31st January-2nd February and 7th February-9th February 2014), reflected by the intensity and level of the participants.
The provisional leadership of this Part III is held by the President of the Melges 20 class on Maolca with 2 victories, just in front of Nakhimov Racing, the current leader of the Championship and Bombarda, with an 8 point gap.
In the J/24 class, the vice-European Champion is dominating the 20 teams registered.
The SB20s also sailed 3 races in the Monegasque waters.
Melges 20 Rankings: (after 6 races)
1. Maolca, Viannini Tolomei Manfredi, 12pts
2. Nakhimov Racing, Ivan Babich, 14pts
3. Bombarda, Andrea Pozzi, 20pts