Farr 40 European Championship at Ancona - Day 2
by Farr 40 Class Association 8 Jul 2016 08:03 BST
6-9 July 2016
Skipper Alex Roepers and the Plenty team are leading after day 2 of the Farr 40 Europeans © Zerogradinord
Ancona and the Adriatic Sea delivered in a big way on Thursday, providing Chamber of Commerce conditions for the Farr 40 European Championship. Sunny skies, warm temperatures and a building easterly wind greeted the 10-boat fleet competing on the second stop of the International Circuit.
Principal Race Officer Fabio Barrasso postponed the fleet onshore in order to give the wind time to fill in and stabilize. Racing began at 12:30 local time and was nothing short of spectacular.
"It was a very good day. We had strong wind and flat sea. The race committee did an excellent job and the competition was outstanding," said Enfant Terrible skipper Alberto Rossi, who is hosting the regatta in his home port.
Barrasso and his top-notch race committee from Ancona Yacht Club completed three races in breeze that began at about 10 knots and built to 15 by late afternoon. Skipper Alex Roepers and the Plenty team earned Boat of the Day honours by sandwiching a pair of bullets around a third place.
Respected professional Terry Hutchinson is calling tactics aboard Plenty, which engaged Enfant Terrible in a terrific battle in Race 3 and Race 5. The New York (USA) entry emerged from the second day of action with a three-point lead over Enfant Terrible, which has placed second in three of five races thus far.
"It was a glorious day on the water and we are quite pleased with our performance," said Roepers, who has rejoined the circuit for the first time since capturing the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship out of Sydney, Australia in February. "We have a well-organized crew that follows a very clear process with regard to rig and sail tune."
Plenty led around every mark while being pushed hard by Enfant Terrible in Race 3. It was a similar story in Race 5 with the two former world champions separated by less than a boat length at every rounding.
"Enfant Terrible always provides us with tremendous competition and today's racing was extremely close," Roepers said. "We are in a good position at the moment, but there is still half a regatta to go and anything can happen."
After missing the D-Marin Sibenik Regatta, Roepers is getting his first look at an influx of Corinthian boats that are new to the International Circuit this season. One of them, MP30+10 forced Plenty to duck during an incredibly close crossing en route to finishing second in Race 4.
"The caliber of the Corinthian boats is very high and we've already had a number of battles with them," Roepers said. "Clearly, they have conquered the learning curve very quickly, which is a testament to the talent of their sailors."
Rossi said a couple of minor errors here and there cost Enfant Terrible, which posted a 2-4-2 score line on Thursday. Gabriele Benussi is calling tactics for Rossi, who felt Enfant Terrible had better downwind speed than Plenty.
"We are sailing fast enough, but we have made some small mistakes," Rossi said. "I made a mistake in the last race when I did not realize there was not enough room at the mark and we had to tack. Then we chose the wrong spinnaker for the final downwind leg."
A noticeable increase in wind velocity forced crews to re-tune rigs between the first and second races on Thursday. Chicago-based skipper Helmut Jahn steered Flash Gordon 6 to victory in Race 4, overtaking MP30+10 on the first downwind leg. Owner-driver Luca Pierdomenico and the MP30 crew held off a strong charge from Plenty to take second.
"MP30+10 has shown flashes of brilliance and just needs to get a little more consistent," said Geoff Stagg, manager of the Farr 40 Class Association. "As a group, the Corinthian boats are very competitive and giving the professional boats all they can handle. Rush Diletta looks like a boat that is capable of placing top three for the whole regatta."
Rush Diletta, skippered by Ancona resident Mauro Mocchegiani, captured the Corinthian trophy at the D-Marin Sibenik Regatta and does not seem to have missed a beat. Rush Diletta got the gun in Race 1 of the European Championship, which was held in light winds on Wednesday.
Veteran professional Tomasso Chieffi is serving as tactician on Rush Diletta, which is fifth in the overall standings - one point behind Turkish-flagged Asterisk BSC (Hasip Gencer). "We are very happy and satisfied with how we sailed today," crew member Giuseppe Mascino said. "We have made several crew changes and did not have a lot of practice together. We are learning and getting better as we go."
Mascino said the Rush Diletta team prefers heavy air and was looking forward to Friday since early forecasts call for winds between 12 and 17 knots. "Tomorrow is the most important day of the regatta. We must do well to set ourselves up for the final day," Mascino said.
Mike Buckley is calling tactics on Flash Gordon 6, Helmut and Evan Jahn's entry that holds third place with 15 points - two astern of Plenty and eight ahead of Asterisk BSC.
The Farr 40 Class would like to thank our fabulous title sponsor, La Marina Dorica, and our race day sponsor, Quantum Sails.
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