One point separation

Italian boats dominate at the Ocean BMW Melges 24 Europeans

Racing on the penultimate day of the Ocean BMW Melges 24 European Championship was as challenging and hard fought as ever and tomorrow's final race will decide the winner in this hugely competitive and high scoring regatta. The day opened with more light airs from the southsouthwest, but gradually the wind built as the sun burnt off the haze. By the final race it was up to 10-12 knots with everyone fully powered upwind but not quite able to plane downwind.

It was all change on the scoreboard as crews battled the shifts, the tides and each other. Overall Andrea Racchelli, sailing Altea, has now moved into the lead on 55 points with Gabrio Zandona, helming Joe Fly for Giovanni Maspero, snapping at his heels on 56 points. Stuart Rix, helming Gill for Quentin Strauss, has dropped down into third on 62 points whilst Alba Batzill, sailing for Eddy Eich aboard No Woman No Cry, moves up into fourth and continues to lead the Corinthian Division with 72 points.

For overnight joint leader Gill the day started badly with a 19th in race nine. A mediocre start was compounded by a couple of bad calls on the first beat leaving them 23rd at the first mark with only limited opportunities for recovery. They went on to take secoin race ten and then won the final race of the day by an impressive margin. Fellow overnight leader Joe Fly's game plan was clearly a conservative one. Three moderate starts saw them round the three first marks in 12th, 18th and 13th respectively, but smart sailing gained them places on virtually every leg and they came home with two 5ths and a 6th to add to their haul. Aboard Altea, Racchelli was also taking no chances as his 4, 7, 3 score shows. He managed to avoid the many start line scrums, got away cleanly and never dropped below 9th spot at any time during the day.

Old-master Alba Batzill was the day's most consistent performer with two seconds and a fourth. He got an excellent start in race nine and led at the first mark but the up and coming young Michael Henning with his crew of young pretenders were in hot pursuit. Henning got the better of him on the first run then put in a bravado performance to keep the double Olympic and reigning 6m World Champion behind him. Henning, who previously sailed aboard his father's Melges 24 and is running his own championship campaign for the first time this week, also took a 5th in the eleventh race and moved up seven places to 12th overall and sixth Corinthian.

For the French Partner & Partners Sailing Team, helmed by Francois Brenac, it was a disappointing day. They opened with a seventh but then had a couple of bad starts and ended up 24th in race ten and 14th in race 11. Despite this they remain happy bunnies as their goal for this regatta, their first in over a year, was to make the top ten and they hold fifth going into the final race.

Jamie Lea, helming Barbarians for Britain's Stuart Simpson, troubled the front of the fleet for the first time, winning race nine from Batzill with fellow Brit John Pollard, helming Westaway Sails in third. Lea and Pollard, both more used to heading the Melges 24 fleet, have struggled to find form at this event and find themselves in 11th and 15th respectively.

In the Corinthian Division Batzill has it sewn up. Antoine Albaret is lying second with Thomas Rouzel third, Jerome Aubert fourth and Remy Arnaud fifth.

The final race of the series is scheduled to start at 1100 tomorrow and the wind gods are finally promising to deliver 20 knots from the west so we look set for a nail biting last race show down in perfect Melges 24 sailing conditions!

Overall results:

Pos	Boat	Sail No	Owner	Helm	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	R11	Tot
1	Altea	ITA438	Andrea Racchelli	Andrea Racchelli	4	2	11	8	3	8	10	6	4	7	3	55
2	Joe Fly	ITA550	Giovanni Maspro	Zandona Gabrio	3	31	2	13	15	1	4	2	5	5	6	56
3	Gill	GBR431	Quentin Strauss	Stuart Rix	9	5	7	3	1	19	12	3	19	2	1	62
4	No Woman No Cry	GER582	Eddy Eich	Alba Bazrill	32	1	9	1	17	9	26	1	2	4	2	72
5	Partner & Partners	FRA571	Philliipe Ligot	Francois Brenac	1	11	14	7	6	2	1	18	7	24	14	81
6	Cotes d'Armour Perros Guirec	FRA261	CDVH	Antoine Albaret	8	9	1	33	18	3	23	12	15	3	10	102
7	Douarn-Mason	FRA387	Winches Club	Vincent Sauleau	11	21	5	6	29	7	11	7	9	10	23	110
8	Cotes d'Armor Sail de Mer	FRA470	CDVH	Thomas Rouxel	6	4	16	4	51	24	8	19	17	6	15	119
9	Au Planning	FRA173	Jerome Aubert	Jerome Aubert	24	14	3	18	13	14	6	9	41	17	4	122
10	Dyneema-Liros	FRA422	Remy Arnaud	Remy Arnaud	19	23	10	19	7	6	5	24	10	8	22	129
11	Xcellent	GBR573	John Pollard	John Pollard	34	28	17	51	16	4	2	14	3	9	16	143
12	March Hare	GBR535	Simon Henning	Mike Henning	43	10	4	15	25	25	24	20	1	16	5	145
13	Highland Heritage	GBR516	Ian Cleaver	Paul Brotherton	17	51	22	10	27	11	16	8	8	14	13	146
14	Cotes d'Armor	FRA193	CDVH	Vincent Biarnes	13	17	6	2	9	21	13	17	44	22	28	148
15	Team Barbarians	GBR406	Stuart Simpson	Jamie Lea	2	3	31	29	4	15	7	37	32	1	25	149
16	PoiZon Rouge	SUI599	Jean-Marc Monnard	Jean-Marc Monnard	10	15	37	39	2	20	42	4	16	13	7	163
17	Easy Tiger	GBR334	Tim Collins	Tim Collins	42	8	20	5	21	27	3	34	13	30	9	170
18	Sogeti	MON601	Benjamin Cohen	Antoine Frickey	14	13	19	51	10	17	18	21	38	18	8	176
19	Pioneer Investments	ITA297	Igino Angelini	Andrea Formaro	18	38	12	21	23	16	21	5	33	15	21	185
20	Dottore Jigolo	FRA358	Douchy & Marcadet	P Y Lambert	37	6	33	42	8	13	17	10	12	29	20	185
21	Dolly	NOR341	Per Andresen	Erik Arthur	40	20	18	14	15	18	20	22	29	11	18	185
22	Zig Zag 15	FRA423	Henri Samuel	Henri Samuel	7	19	25	12	32	29	28	26	11	20	19	196
23	Suunto	FIN476	Henrik Thelen	Kennet Thelen	41	7	24	32	12	23	15	51	14	19	11	198
24	Comfortably Numb	GBR527	Andrew Dellow/Simon Dobson	Simon Dobson	20	26	21	26	20	30	14	30	28	12	12	209
25	Helmut Rises Again	GBR546	Nigel Grogan	Nigel Grogan	16	18	28	11	14	51	19	33	18	31	24	212
26	EdelweiB	AUT531	Michael Schineis	Michael Schineis	5	29	13	51	31	12	9	29	35	23	38	224
27	Team Turn-Turtle.com	GBR368	A Brown, B Cooper, G Birbeck	Alan Brown	15	24	15	36	11	34	34	13	20	33	30	229
28	Ali 2	GBR269	Joe Woods	Ann Ashworth	25	12	34	16	22	26	30	36	27	27	32	251
29	Euro-Voiles	FRA461	Denis Infante	Christophe Barrue	12	42	8	43	33	23	39	28	22	51	29	279
30	Zerowo/e-brokerline.com	SUI382	Michael Good	Michael Good	45	33	32	51	28	38	27	11	21	34	17	286
31	Badger	GBR589	Paul Lovejoy	Paul Lovejoy	49	34	36	40	35	10	35	16	26	21	36	289
32	WKD Red	GBR611	Joe Woods	Joe Woods	21	22	27	44	24	39	37	27	24	39	33	293
33	Merck Generique	FRA383	Jean-Marc Sparfel	Jean-Marc Sparfel	22	16	26	22	44	22	31	40	40	35	42	296
34	Party Girl	NOR349	Jens Wathne	Jens Wathne	29	32	29	17	19	51	51	51	6	36	27	297
35	Team Panasonic	GBR548	Adrian Peach	Adrian Peach	38	51	42	28	38	5	38	15	31	26	37	298
36	Gybe Set	FRA473	Anne Gellez	Oliver Gellez	23	37	38	9	43	31	33	41	37	37	35	321
37	Marella V	NOR279	Nils Nordenstroem	Nils Nordenstroem	35	35	40	31	30	32	25	32	30	42	41	331
38	Music 55	SUI578	Ruedi Huber	Ruedi Huber	33	27	50	34	34	37	32	31	45	28	34	335
39	Mu	FRA471	Emmanuel Nebout	Emmanuel Nebout	31	36	23	24	37	41	42	25	42	41	46	342
40	Envy	GBR403	Martin Miller	Dean Argent	30	41	35	23	26	43	43	35	23	45	45	344
41	Wolf Cub	GBR432	Glyn Williams	Glyn Williams	28	25	39	51	39	42	36	23	48	38	31	349
42	Eric's Mate	GBR452	Martin Wedge	Martin Wedge	27	51	47	20	47	36	29	43	36	40	39	364
43	White Rabbit	GBR340	Simon Henning	Simon Henning	50	40	30	25	36	33	46	47	39	25	47	368
44	Hooligan	GBR534	Norman Broom	Norman Broom	39	39	44	30	41	35	41	42	46	32	40	383
45	Ramshackle	GBR453	Steve Williams/Dave Farrimond	Paul Owen	26	43	43	27	42	48	40	46	50	44	49	408
46	Wild Thing	MLT435	David S Franks	David S Franks	48	51	49	41	51	44	44	39	25	51	26	418
47	Henri Lloyd	GBR377	Tony Jaffa	Tony Jaffa	46	30	46	45	51	40	47	38	43	46	43	424
48	www.formulacars.co.uk	GBR478	Tim & Steve Jones	Tim Jones	36	46	48	35	45	45	48	44	49	43	44	434
49	Speed'eau	FRA272	Antoine Jeu	Antoine Jeu	44	51	45	37	48	46	45	48	34	47	48	442
50	Boorinsla	SUI270	August Schram	Ann-Kathrin Hoh	47	44	41	38	40	47	49	45	47	48	50	446