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Originally posted by Photoboy View Post
1st windward mark:
Flat water 10 knots.
Congested windward mark rounding for top bunch.
47-Gnarly Ruca-Curtis Jazwiecki
41-Blu Moon-Flavio Favini
44-Scotch Bonnet- Tony Beale
55-Team Windhover-Harry Melges
46-Full Throttle-Brian Porter
08-Embarr-Nathan Wilmont
27-West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes-Bora Gulari
18-Altea-Andrea Racchelli
38-Smokin'-Kevin ClarkComment
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Posted on October 4, 2013 by ktnewman
Leeward gate roundings:
Breeze 10 knots - flat sea.
41-Blu Moon-Flavio Favini with 100 metre lead
46-Full Throttle-Brian Porter
55-Team Windhover-Harry Melges
18-Altea-Andrea Racchelli
08-Embarr-Nathan Wilmont
23-Soffe 2- Kim Christensen
29-Rock n Roll-Argyle Campbell
01-Audi-Richardo Simoneschi
27-West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes-Bora Gulari
31-Maitech-Andrea Pardini
First Corinthian is 31-Maitech-Andrea PardiniComment
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2nd Windward Mark:
First four in a really close dogfight to the top mark.
Tide was sweeping boats on to top mark
55-Team Windhover-Harry Melges and
23-Soffe 2-Kim Christensen both hit it and had to do spins.
41-Blu Moon-Flavio Favini
55-Team Windhover-Harry Melges
23-Soffe 2-Kim Christensen
27-West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes-Bora Gulari
46-Full Throttle-Brian Porter
48-Maidollis-Giovanni Pizzatti
08-Embarr-Nathan Wilmont
29-Rock n Roll-Argyle Campbell
18-Altea-Andres Raccelli
Breeze down to nine knots.Comment
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Posted on October 4, 2013 by ktnewman
Wind very puffy and patchy on the last leg.
Leader gybed early on to port and extended on the
leading pack by staying in more pressure.
Leader finished over a minute ahead.
Then a close battle between next three for second
place.
46-Full Throttle-Brian Porter kept air the clearest
and snatched second.
41-Blu Moon-Flavio Favini
46-Full Throttle-Brian Porter
27-West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes-Bora Gulari
55-Team Windhover-Harry Melges
48-Maidollis-Giovanni Pizzatti
01-Audi-Richard Simoneschi
37-Rose Bud-Terry Hutchinson
18-Altea-Andrea Racchello
08-Embarr-Nathan Wilmont
40-Monsoon-Bruce Ayres
05-Mikey-Jeff Madrigalli
23-Soffe 2- Kim Christensen
29-Rock n Roll- Argyle Campbell
On the water updates from Event Press Officer Justin ChisholmComment
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Comment
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Race 8
1st windward Mark
At least two knots windier at the top end of
the course than at the start area.
After first five it was a very congested mark
rounding with boats stacking up on the starboard
layline and another bunch coming in and trying
to squeeze in on port.
29-Rock n Roll-Argyle Campbell
23-Soffe 2-Kim Christensen
37-Rose Bud-Terry Hutchinson
34-Roger That-Cameron Miles
49-ThreeBond-Tetsuya Matsunaga
40-Monsoon-Bruce Ayres
01-Audi-Richardo Simoneschi
08-Embarr-Nathan Wilmont
On the water updates from Event Press Officer Justin ChisholmComment
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1st bottom mark gates:
First three around about a minute ahead of the next boats.
Breeze down to 7 - 8 knots
29-Rock n Roll-Argyle Campbell
23-Soffe 2-Kim Christensen
37-Rose Bud-Terry Hutchinson
40-Monsoon-Bruce Ayres
34-Roger That-Cameron Miles
08-Embarr-Nathan Wilmont
01-Audi-Richardo Simoneschi
49-ThreeBond-Tetsuya Matsunaga
41-Blu Moon-Flavio Favini
43-EFG Bank-Chris Rast
27-West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes-Bora Gulari
46-Full Throttle-Brian Porter
18-Altea-Andrea Racchelli
48-Maidollis-Giovanni Pizzatti
Most boats going right mark - just Bora Gulari went left in top
bunch.
On the water updates from Event Press Officer Justin ChisholmComment
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Finish
No change in the first two who extended a little more with clear air.
29-Rock n Roll-Argyle Campbell
23-Soffe 2-Kim Christensen
37-Rose Bud-Terry Hutchinson
01-Richardo Simoneschi
40-Monsoon-Bruce Ayres
08-Embarr-Nathan Wilmont
That’s it from today – fleet and media team heading in.
See you tomorrow for the final day.Comment
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Day three of competition at the Sperry Top-Sider Melges 24 World Championship 2013 saw three races take place in shifty northeasterly breezes, which ranged as low as eight knots and as high as 18 knots.
Today’s wind direction was uncharacteristic for San Francisco Bay – almost the reciprocal of the regular wind – and produced lumpy seas, making life difficult for the helmsmen trying to coax maximum speed upwind and tough for rest of the crews hiking.
A fourth in the first race of the day for overnight leader Italian Flavio Favini at the helm of Franco Rossini’s Blu Moon saw him extend his advantage at the top of the leaderboard to five points at that stage. A win in the next race meant Favini had further extended that advantage to seven points with seven races sailed. However, the Italian stumbled in the shifty third race, coming home in thirteenth place and narrowing his overall lead to just a single point at the end of the penultimate day.
Blu Moon tactician Gabriele Benussi said conditions on San Francisco Bay today had been extremely taxing.
“The wind was very shifty, 20 or 30 degrees at times,” he said. “Then the were holes in the wind and it was shifty and puffy the whole time. We started well today and the whole crew worked very hard, particularly upwind. We were pleased with a fourth in the first race and a win in the second race. Then in the last race I made a mistake in choosing the right because the gains were on the left.
“Now we are just one point in front with two races and we need to do very well tomorrow,” Benussi said.
A boat-of-the-day 3,2,8, scoreline from American Brian Porter on Full Throttle moves him up from fourth this morning to second overall and breathing down Favini’s neck with two more scheduled races to go.
Full Throttle tactician Andy Burdick said the tricky conditions had played to their advantage, being similar to the inland conditions which prevail on Full Throttle’s home waters on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
“Being lake sailors, we had a bit of an advantage,” said Burdick with a smile. “Today we just tried to stay in the breeze, on the lifted tack and always keep a clear lane.”
Burdick said he and the Full Throttle crew were happy to be second by such a narrow margin going into the final day.
“It’s a good place to be,” he said. “Our game plan was to be close to the lead at the end of the event and here we are. Our strategy for tomorrow will just be to sail smart and clean.”
Also moving up to within striking distance of the lead is Australian Nathan Wilmot at the helm of Conor Clarke’s Irish entry Embarr. Wilmot turned in a wire to wire winning performance in the first race and followed that up with a ninth and a sixth in the next two races. Tonight he sits in third place, eight points out of second and nine points out of first.
Embarr’s owner Conor Clarke said he thought his crew had sailed their best day today but would need to do even better tomorrow. Asked what his crew pep talk would be in the morning and about his strategy for the final two races, Conor replied simply: “Stay clam and focused on what we have to do. Our goal is to stay and contention at the top. Taking a massive risk and gambling on either winning a race or having a shocker is no good.”
American sailor Argyle Campbell made a return to form in the third race of the day, picking his way through some shifty and patchy conditions to pull off a commanding victory. Second in that race was Denmark’s Kim Christensen who tonight sits in fourth place, two points behind Wilmot. A 12,3,11, scoreline from yesterday’s boat-of-the-day performer, America’s Bora Gulari on West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes, sees them drop from second going into today, to fifth tonight.
In the Corinthian Division (no professional sailors allowed) American Don Jesberg on Viva and fellow American Loren Colahan on Lounge Act remain locked in combat for the lead. Jesberg’s Corinthian 1,6,3, today puts him at the top of the Corinthian leaderboard on 21 points, just two points ahead of Colahan who could only manage an 8,3,2, today. A 2,11,10 , score for Kevin Nixon sees him remain in third, now nine points off first.
With just two more two races scheduled for the final day the championship now hangs on a knife edge with the top of the leaderboard highly compressed and just nine points separating the top three boats.
To add to the tension, tomorrow’s forecast calls for the lightest winds of the championship so far; meaning a slip by any of the top crews could drop them out of contention and open the door for the chasing pack.
Tonight however the sailors put aside thoughts of tomorrows championship deciding races to celebrate the Melges 24′s twentieth birthday with a Caribbean themed Melges Rocks party where international class president Riccardo Simoneschi paid tribute to the Melges family – represented at the championship by Harry Melges III sailing with his son Harry IV – for their foresight in creating the world’s most enduring sportsboat.
Simoneschi also announced that, after a remarkable nineteen-year tenure, international class administrator Fiona Brown would be leaving her post after the 2014 Melges 24 World Championship in Geelong Australia at the end of January. This news prompted an immediate standing ovation from the sailors keen to show their appreciation of Fiona’s many years of dedication and hard work on their behalf.
The Sperry Top-Sider Melges 24 World Championship 2013 concludes tomorrow Saturday October 5 with two races scheduled to decide who will claim the overall and Corinthian world titles.
Results after 8 races!
http://melges24worlds13.com/Comment
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Nicely done! FINALLY! - Brian Porter with Andy Burdick as tactician, and crew of Federico Michetti and Matt Woodworth aboard FULL THROTTLE are 2013 Melges 24 World Champions!Comment
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Congrats to BP and crew, conditions as variable as they were, they played it very well!Comment
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American Brian Porter on Full Throttle took fourth in the final race of the Sperry Top-Sider Melges 24 World Championship 2013 today to finally lay claim to the title he has been trying to win for many years.
Porter snatched victory by three points from 2013 Melges 24 European Champion Italian Flavio Favini at the helm of Franco Rossini’s Swiss entry Blu Moon who had led by a single point going into the final day.
Favini didn’t give in without a fight however, recovering from a fifteenth place first windward mark rounding to pull back to sixth at the finish – just two places away from snatching back overall victory.
A second place in today’s race for Denmark’s Kim Christensen on Soffe 2 elevated him from fourth overnight on to the podium into third place.
A win in the final race for American Bora Gulari on West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes – his second of the championship – moved him up one overall place to fourth. A tenth today for Nathan Wilmot on Conor Clarke’s Irish entry Embarr dropped him from third to fifth overall.
In the Corinthian Division (no professional sailors allowed) a seventh for American Don Jesberg on Viva was good enough to see him crowned 2013 Melges 24 Corinthian Champion by three points from second placed fellow American Loren Colahan on Lounge Act. A Corinthian race win today for Canadian Michael Bond on Recidivist earned him the final podium place.
Race Detail
The 2013 edition of the Melges 24 World Championship came down to a single ninth race decider on the final day after light winds resulted in just one of the two scheduled races being being sailed.
Winds were all but non-existent at the scheduled 1200 midday start time, but after waiting patiently for nearly two and a half hours, the race committee were finally able to set a start line in a fitful 5 – 6 knots of breeze. Eventually, after one general recall and a short delay to allow the breeze to settle properly, the fleet got away under an I and Z penalty flag combination.
All eyes were on the expected battle between Italy’s Flavio Favini at the helm of Franco Rossini’s Swiss entry Blu Moon who topped the leaderboard after eight races and second placed Brian Porter on Full Throttle from America, just one point behind. Third after eight races was Australian Nathan Wilmot helming Conor Clarke’s Irish entry Embarr was also very much within striking distance of the title.
Halfway up the first beat, Favini and Wilmot were in close company in the middle left of the course while Porter had tried his hand on the right hand side.
At the top mark it was the American who came out best, rounding in third behind Gulari in second and Italy’s Giovanni Pizzatti on Maidollis in first. Favini meanwhile had plenty of work to do, rounding in fifteenth place, two places ahead of Wilmot.
On the downwind leg Gulari slid past Pizzatti to round in first at the leeward gate and Porter followed the Italian around in third. Favini made the biggest gains however, passing nine boats on the run to round in sixth place.
Seeing that Porter had opted for the right hand side of the second beat, Favini chose the left leeward gate buoy to see what gains he could make on the left.
When the boats converged at the windward mark for the second time, Gulari had extended his lead and Porter had moved into second. Favini was still in sixth but had considerably reduced the gap to the leading two.
The breeze was a painfully light five to six knots on the final run, making life difficult for the leaders and giving the chasing pack a chance to steal a march.
Having rounded the windward mark in fourth Denmark’s Christensen decided to gybe early in a search for wind on the right of the course. By the bottom of the run his gamble had paid off and when he gybed back towards the finish he had sailed around the bows of Porter and Pizzatti into second and hot on the heels of leader Gulari.
At the finish, Gulari had held off the Danish crew to take the win, Pizzatti came home third, and Porter fourth.
Behind them, Favini was still in sixth but on a charge. Approaching the line the Italian all but rolled over the top of a group of tightly bunched boats and when this group gybed simultaneously for the finish, for a few moments it looked like the Swiss boat might sneak through to leeward at the left hand end of the line to snatch fifth and the championship.
In the end though he didn’t have enough momentum to carry him through and had to settle for seventh place in the race and second overall.
Back ashore afterwards and having had time to process his world championship victory, Porter was quick to pay tribute to the hard work of his crew Andy Burdick, Matt Woodworth and Federico Michetti.
Amazingly, for Full Throttle trimmer Michetti, sailing as part of the Full Throttle crew for the first time at a world championship, this was his fifth Melges 24 world title – a record unsurpassed by anyone and one that he confessed had not sunk in yet.
“I am still a little confused, trying to understand what has happened,” he said with a beaming smile. “It has been a great championship, made better by the fact that I sailed with some good friends. They have been unbelievable to sail with and I am I am so proud to be part of the Full Throttle crew.”
Porter himself said his first ever Melges 24 World Championship win felt all the sweeter given he had finished in second place on no less than three previous occasions.
“I have been trying to win this thing since the very first Melges 24 World Championship,” he said. “i have come pretty close, second three times, so this has been an elusive target for us.
“Today, that race was nerve-wracking, we had got into second and then lost a couple of boats and that made it close in the end,” Porter said. “But we have a great team and we have worked hard for this, so to win feels really good.”
Having taken so long to win it, Porter said he hoped to try to defend his title at the 2014 Melges 24 World Championship in Geelong, Australia at the end of January.
“I am working on that right now,” he said. “I would love to defend in Australia – it’s been a dream of mine to go to there and sail. I know so many great Australian sailors and I have competed against those guys a lot, so I would love to be there.”
~Justin Chisholm~
Final ResultsComment
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