INTERNATIONAL MELGES 24 CLASS
Annapolis, MD, USA - 28 October 2009
Italy's Gabrio Zandona Edges Chris Larson Into Second Place
After A Light Airs Day Three At The Sheehy Lexus of Annapolis Melges 24 World Championship
- For the competitors arriving at the City
Dock this morning
on day three of the Sheehy Lexus of Annapolis 2009 Melges 24 World
Championship, the chances of racing taking place seemed unlikely, with
Annapolis shrouded in low cloud and no evidence of any wind whatsoever. Despite
the gloomy outlook, Principal Race Officer Jeff Borland put all trust in his
local knowledge and led the fleet out on to the race area. This forthright
strategy was eventually rewarded, when after a prolonged delay, a fitful breeze
finally developed and racing got underway. As a further bonus the quickly
clearing skies soon bathed the competitors, race management fleet and the many
spectator boats in some welcome warm sunshine. With winds peaking at no more than
seven knots, by no stretch
of the imagination could the racing today be described as high adrenaline, but
nevertheless the conditions did produce some fascinating tactical battles at
the front of the fleet.
Race one saw the three Championship leaders, Chris Larson on
'West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes', Gabrio Zandona on 'Joe Fly' and Bill
Hardesty on 'Events Clothing/Atlantis', round the first windward mark in that
order. Hot on their heels was first Corinthian helm Bruce Ayres on 'Monsoon'.
Rather than follow leader Larson down the left hand side of the course, 'Joe
Fly' tactician Daniele Cassinari opted for an early gybe on to port. As Larson
and the rest of the leading pack went almost to the left hand layline, the Italian
team on 'Joe Fly' made good progress closer to the middle of the course. When
the boats converged at the leeward gate it was neck and neck between the first
two; Larson coming in from the left having to handbrake his way round the port
gate, whilst Zandona arriving with more pressure and speed from further right
was able to make a smoother exit from the right buoy. Zandona immediately
captialised on this slight edge and moved smootly into the lead up the second
beat. As the leg progressed the breeze became increasingly unstable; dropping
as low as four knots at times. Staying in the maximum pressure, Zandona rammed
home his upwind advantage and rounded the second windward mark well ahead of
Larson, who was now having to deal with a sustained challenge from Ayres. These
three boats had pulled out a big gap on the rest of the pack and were well into
the run before the fourth boat, Lorenzo Bressani on 'Uka Uka Racing' rounded
the weather mark. There were no place changes amongst the top four on the one
sided and somewhat processional final leg, with Zandona claiming his second
race win of the series ahead of the ever consistent Larson in second, a clearly
delighted Ayres in third and a relieved looking Bressani in fourth. Norwegian
Eivind Melleby on 'Full metal Jacket' continued his impressive form in this
series, clocking up another top ten result in fifth.
Another delay then ensued whilst the Race Committee and
competitors waited around hopefully for the wind to re-establish itself. When a
seven to eight knot breeze finally filtered on to the racecourse, it took a
general recall and an I-Flag deterrent to get the fleet underway for the
five-leg final race of the day. After the wind flicked into left phase just
before the start, Kristen Lane on 'Brick House' won a three way battle for the
pin with 2006 World Champion Nico Celon at the helm of 'Fantastica' and US
National Champion Brian Porter on 'Full Throttle', to lead the fleet away. The
boats further back along the line were tightly packed and struggling to
accelerate, giving Celon and Lane the opportunity to quickly tack on to port
and set off into a little extra pressure. A drop in breeze to around five knots
and a port hand shift as the leaders approached the windward mark for the first
time, gave added advantage to the boats who had got furthest left. Celon led
around the top mark in close proximity with Eivind Melleby on 'Full metal
Jacket' who had made a stunning comeback from what had looked like a poor
situation immediately after the start. Kristen Lane went around third, with
Rome Kirby on USA 620 fourth and Robby Wilkins on 'Vamoose' in fifth.
Championship leader Chris Larson pulled off yet another top ten rounding in
sixth place, all the time with a close eye on his series rival Zandona who
rounded just outside the top ten. Down the first run Melleby and Celon were
engaged in a fierce battle for the lead with the Norwegian eventually
prevailing after he sneaked over the top of the Italian in the final boat
lengths to the mark.
On the light air second beat new pressure developed quickly
on the right. Zetzema Wietze on Dutch entry 'Gelickt' was the first to spot it
and in a matter of minutes moved from the mid-teens up into fourth place.
Zandona also did well out of the right hand side and slipped into sixth behind
Peter Lane. At the top mark Melleby still led from Larson and Celon but with
Lane and Zandona now very much back in contention. Down the run and final beat,
whilst Melleby always looked calm and composed in first place, a real slugging
match had developed between the next five boats for second place. At the finish
as Melleby took a comfortable win, Celon edged out Larson into third with the
rapidly charging Zandona slotting into fourth.
With the single discard for the twelve race series is now in
play, Gabrio Zandona and the 'Joe Fly' crew have moved up to become the new
Championship leaders, by just one point from Chris Larson on 'West Marine
Rigging/New England Ropes'. Sixth race winner Eivind Melleby on 'Full metal
Jacket' eases into the final podium position at this stage with Bill Hardesty on
'Events Clothing/Atlantis' discarding a final race thirty-eighth to take
fourth. Carlo Fracassoli on 'Gullisara' continues to impress and is in fifth
place overall.
Today saw no let up in the scrap for the
Corinthian Division World title, with Bruce Ayres now leading by just one point
from Othmar Mueller von Blumencron on 'Gannet' in second. A good day for
Germany's Christof Wieland on 'Unsponsored' elevates him to third place overall
tonight.
Full results are available from the Event Website.
The championship runs until Saturday 31 October with a total of 12 races scheduled.
You can follow the racing live on the IMCA Official Blog.
For further information or to request photographs or video footage please contact
fiona.brown@melges24.com.
Provisional Overall Top Ten After Six Races
1. Gabrio Zandona - Joe Fly - 15 points
2. Chris Larson - West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes - 16 points
3. Eivind Melleby - Full Medal Jacket - 22 points
4. Bill Hardesty - Events Clothing/Atlantis - 38 points
5. Carlo Fracassoli - Gullisara - 41 points
6. Brian Hutchinson - Quantum Racing/Gill Race Team - 42 points
7. Lorenzo Bressani - Uka Uka Racing - 43 points
8. Brian Porter - Full Throttle - 43 points
9. Nicola Celon - Fantastica - 44 points
10. Flavio Favini - Blu Moon - 50 points
Provisional Corinthian Top Five After Six Races
1. Bruce Ayres - Monsoon - 12 points
2. Othmar Mueller von Blumencron - Gannet - 13 points
3. Christof Wieland - Unsponsored - 17 points
4. David Dabney - Conejo Racing-Ocean Sailing Academy - 20 points
5. Zetzema Weitze - Gelikt - 23 points
International Melges 24 Class Association | IM24CA | 3 Palmers Road | Emsworth | Hampshire | PO10 7DL | United Kingdom
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