Melges 32 World League in Puntaldia, Sardinia - Overall
by Melges Europe 20 May 2019 05:43 BST
17-19 May 2019
G.spot - 2019 Melges 32 World League - Event 2 © Melges World League / Barracuda Communication
The second leg of the Melges 32 World League closes in the sign of the reigning World Champions onboard the Russian Tavatuy, who won the challenge on the race course of Puntaldia with a great margin over the opponents.
After having set the pace yesterday since the very first race of the series (with two first places and the provisional leadership of the overall standings), the twice World Champion (2017 and 2018) team of Pavel Kuznetsov with Evgeny Neugodnikov calling tactics marks the distance with the opponents also in day 2 of racing, firmly gaining the leadership and leaving to the other crews the fight for the second and third step of the podium.
Tavatuy, in the three races completed today, scores two second places and an eleventh (the latter discarded as worst result of the series) and wins by with 9 lengths of margin over the followers who step on the second place of the podium. Mascalzone Latino by Vincenzo Onorato (with Branko Brcin), with Benedetta Iovane at helm for this event, after a slow start yesterday, today finds its pace goes back up to second place of the standings (9.2.3 the partial part of today), stepping on the podium for the first time in the season. The third place in Puntaldia is for the Melges World League 2017 Champion, G.Spot by Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio (with Michele Paoletti). The top five is completed by Caipirinha by Martin Reintjes (with Gabriele Benussi) and Calvi Network by Carlo Alberini (supported by Karlo Hmeljak).
In the Corinthian division the success goes to the German Homanit team of Kilian Holzapfel which precedes Jens Kuhne's compatriot Sjambok.
With success of Puntaldia, Tavatuy takes the lead in the ranking of the Melges World League after two races, fully confirming his role as a reference team for the rest of the fleet.
The next appointment for the Melges 32 fleet is set in the waters of Lake Garda, on the race course of Riva del Garda, while the Melges World League does not move from Puntaldia to accommodate the protagonists of the Melges 20 Class that will get back on the water from Friday for the second continental event of the 2019 season.
The Melges 32 World League event in Puntaldia is supported by the local partners Swiss Life, Tirrenia, Comune di San Teodoro, Consorzio di Puntaldia, ImmobilSarda, Mag.nus, Ichnusa, Catellani & Smith, Aeroporto Olbia-Costasmeralda, Ristorante Silvio, Cantina Santa Margherita, Cantina Nuraghe Crabioni, Cantina Del Vermentino Monti, Cantina Argiolas, Beta, Moby, La Serra Fiorita, Auriemma.
Melges 32 World League is supported by Helly Hansen, North Sails, Tiirenia, Quantum Sails, Garmin Marine, La Thuile, Rocket Performance, Revi Trento Doc, Loison Pasticceri dal 1938, Rigoni di Asiago, Dai Dai, Norda, XPouf, Le Formiche di Fabio Vettori and One Ocean. Melges World League European Division also counts on the team partners support by UYN (thanks to Brontolo and G3Bau Sailing Team) and l'Enoteca (thanks to Fra Martina Sailing Team).
Melges Europe and the Melges World League strongly support One Ocean Foundation and Charta Smeralda.
More information and full results available here.