Recchi scores his discard

But his Team 93 continues to lead at the Audi Melges 32 World Championship

Sunshine and blue skies finally returned to the sailing paradise of Porto Cervo today , and the one-design fleet of 30 boats competing in the Melges 32 World Championship managed to fit in the maximum three daily races for the first time in the series. With six races now completed, a discard permitted and four more races scheduled, the leader board of the Audi Melges 32 World Championship, organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, has begun to take a more definite shape. Claudio Recchi’s Team 93 (ITA), overall leaders since day one, took a third place and a bullet today and discarded an 11th in the final race to increase their lead over second-place Bliksem (USA) to nine points. Pieter Taselaar’s (New York, N.Y.) Bliksem in turn sits 13 points ahead of Giovanni Maspero’s Joe Fly (ITA) while a battle for third place is assured with only 3 points separating the boats in the third through eighth place.

Race Four, the first of the day, started at 12.05 in approximately 10-12 degrees of breeze from 025° with well formed waves. Joe Fly,with Francesco Bruni on tactics, took a good start and rounded the first windward mark ahead of Red (GBR), owned by Joe Woods and Pilot Italia (ITA), owned by Francesco Martino. By the leeward mark Pilot Italia had moved up to lead the fleet with Joe Fly in second place ahead of Team 93 and Bliksem. The American boat continued to make up ground on the last two legs to cross the finish line in first place ahead of Pilot Italia and Team 93. 2009 Audi Melges 32 sailing series winner Calvi Network appeared to return to form, gaining a fourth place ahead of Joe Fly.

Wind and sea conditions remained unchanged for the start of Race Five which saw Bagua 753, owned by Andrea Cechetti and with Vasco Vascotto on tactics, lead the fleet for the first time in the series. Cecchetti’s team was followed around the first windward mark by Team 93 with Joe Fly in third. Rush Diletta (ITA) with Ray Davies of Emirates New Zealand fame on tactics, rounded in fourth. The top three boats held their positions around the leeward mark but by the finish line it was Team 93 that took its second bullet of the series ahead of Joe Fly and Bagua 753.

For the start of the third and final race of the day the course was shifted to 030° and then adjusted to 040° while wind speeds remained constant at approximately 13-14 knots. Calvi Network was out in front this time round and was followed around the windward mark by Vincenzo Onorato’s Mascalzone Latino and Bagua 753. Calvi Network held her lead throughout the race and was chased across the finish line by Filippo Paccinotti’s Brontolo, with Frederik Loof calling tactics, and Uka Uka Racing, owned by Lorenzo Santini and Alessio Marinelli with Lorenzo Bressani on tactics.

Gabriele Benussi, tactician on Calvi Network and winner of the Audi Melges 32 Series in 2008 and 2009, was understandably pleased today, “It was a positive day for us; it was important to break the negative cycle. We have good spirit and today we raced with the determination and ability which allowed us to win the Audi Melges 32 series. Today’s racing was great, very challenging for all of the tacticians. The course was very open and the wind continued to jump which allowed us to use pre-tactics. Today the right side was on, and so when we were on that side downwind we were able to gain important places.”

Racing is scheduled to continue tomorrow, Saturday 26th September, at 12 midday with a maximum of three races to be held. Winds are expected to increase tomorrow to 20 to 22 knots from north, north east. Racing will conclude on Sunday 27th September.

Results:

Pos	Boat (Bow No.)	Owner/Helmsman	Sail no	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Tot
1	TEAM 93 (93)	Claudio Recchi/Claudio Recchi	ITA 93	2	1	2	3	1	11	9
2	BLIKSEM (69)	Pieter Taselaar/Pieter Taselaar	USA 169	6	2	1	1	14	8	18
3	JOE FLY (46)	Giovanni Maspero/Giovanni Maspero	ITA 999	3	12	20	5	2	9	31
4	MASCALZONE LATINO (21)	Vincenzo Onorato/Vincenzo Onorato	ITA 2121	12	3	5	14	7	5	32
5	RED (66)	Joe Woods/Joe Woods	GBR 500	1	6	11	11	4	20	33
6	UKA UKA RACING (78)	L. Santini & A. Marinelli/Armando Giulietti	ITA 1	4	11	19	6	9	3	33
7	PILOT ITALIA (13)	Francesco Martino/Francesco Martino	ITA 161	8	8	4	2	24	12	34
8	BAGUA (08)	Andrea Cecchetti/Andrea Cecchetti	ITA 753	5	7	18	10	3	10	35
9	CALVI NETWORK (11)	Carlo Alberini/Carlo Alberini	ITA 186	13	20	14	4	10	1	42
10	MATARAN (99)	Stefano Di Properzio/Stefano Di Properzio	ITA 651	7	4	3	12	16	23	42
11	FANTASTICAAA (02)	Lanfranco Cirillo/Lanfranco Cirillo	ITA 164	9	5	13	7	12	22	46
12	MATRIX (88)	Luigi Amedeo Melegari/Luigi Melegari	ITA 181	21	13	16	9	5	4	47
13	ARGO (32)	Jason Carroll/Jason Carroll	USA 128	10	10	6	17	6	15	47
14	BITIPI (09)	Savino Formentini/Savino Formentini	MON 1999	11	17	9	8	20	7	52
15	BRONTOLO (28)	Filippo Pacinotti/Filippo Pacinotti	ITA 667	14	15	DNF	13	11	2	55
16	RUSH DILETTA (25)	Mauro Moccheggiani/Mauro Moccheggiani	ITA 187	17	16	23	16	8	6	63
17	OPUS ONE (16)	Wolfgang Stolz/Wolfgang Stolz	GER 205	20	9	22	15	13	18	75
18	JANAS CITTA' DI CAGLIARI (27)	Roberto Pardini/Pietro Fois	ITA 172	16	DSQ	8	27	15	17	83
19	SEI TU 32 (10)	Antonello Morina/Antonello Morina	ITA 179	15	14	15	24	21	26	89
20	HIGHLIFE (77)	Peter Rogers/Dave Cowell	GBR 121	19	26	12	18	DSQ	16	91
21	BIG BANG HUBLOT (45)	Battistella & Curtis/Cesare Curtis	ITA 177	22	18	26	20	18	14	92
22	TEASING MACHINE (15)	Jean Francois Cruette/Jean Francois Cruette	FRA 202	26	24	7	23	23	19	96
23	TORPYONE (18)	E.Lupi & M.Pessina/Edoardo Lupi	ITA 487	23	21	10	22	22	25	98
24	BLACK MAMBA (04)	Martin Knetig/Martin Knetig	CZE 204	27	22	17	21	17	21	98
25	SHAKEDOWN (17)	Geoffrey Pierini/Geoffrey Pierini	USA 178	24	23	25	25	19	13	104
26	TEAM BARBARIANS (07)	Stuart Simpson/Fred Kemp	GBR 84845	18	19	24	19	25	24	104
27	FRA MARTINA (22)	Edoardo & Vanni Pavesio/Edoardo Pavesio	ITA 141	25	28	21	26	26	27	125
28	I.NOVA2 (33)	Carlo Pesenti/Carlo Pesenti	ITA 100	28	25	28	28	27	29	136
29	LEA (23)	Aamalia De Lana/Ernesto Faraco	ITA 185	29	27	27	29	28	28	139