(Arzachena, Sardinia, Italy)- The great island of Sardinia, famous for
its fabulous sailing conditions, gorgeous azure blue Mediterranean
waters, and incredibly delicious hospitality simply delivered in spades
for the four dozen J/24 teams sailing the J/24 Italian Championship. In
the end, the reigning Italian Champions, Ignacio Bonanno on LA SUPERBA
won the event for the second year in a row. Meanwhile, the American
team of Mike Ingham on JULIA/ 11TH HOUR RACING and recent J/24 World
Champion Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz on BRUSCHETTA finished 1st and
2nd in the overall Open competition. Just behind them was American
Keith Whittemore from Seattle, WA sailing FURIO to 3rd.
It
was tough sailing amongst the highly competitive teams participating in
the four day event. Half the fleet was comprised of Italian J/24 teams
from all over the country vying for National honors, while the other
half of the fleet were participating as part of an Open Regatta that
was, in essence, a "pre-Europeans" for them-- great practice for the
European Championship following the Italian Nationals. After the first day of racing on Saturday, Alberto Gai's KIMBE led the Italian fleet and Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz sailing BRUSCHETTA was first amongst the Open fleet. The fleet was treated to a nice northeast wind varying in intensity from 8 to 10 knots with gusts of 15 knots. For the most part, those who favored the left side of the course performed better than those trying to play the middle or right hand side of the windward legs. "It was a good test for the crews" said Giorgio Battinelli, PRO of the RC. Adding that, "races were very technical, difficult for the shifts, and it highlighted the qualities of the best sailing teams in the field."
On
Sunday, the second day of sailing, the fleet had three good races. The
first race was the slowest of the day. With only 5 knots of
northeasterly wind, the teams took over thirty minutes to get to the
first windward mark. The air started to blow on the downwind leg at
around 13 kts. The second and third races were conducted with a more
constant wind, the same direction, but with an intensity of 7-8 knots.
The fleet, in both cases, were clearly divided between those who had
chosen the right side and left side of the race course. The two compact
groups arrived at the windward mark in very tight formation, much to the
delight of the many enthusiastic spectators who followed the race from
the beaches of Arzachena. The last race was the most beautiful of all,
especially in the among the top four contestants, with the winners
selecting the right side of the course. After five races the standings
saw the 2011 National Champion Ignazio Bonanno, representing Marina
Militare Italiana, in first place with LA SUPERBA.
Monday's
sailing, the third day of racing, saw the LA SUPERBA team continue to
consolidate their position atop the leader board for the Italian J/24
Championship. Two more races were sailed with Bonanno's team taking two
more 1sts. "We are quite pleased with the results obtained so far,
given that we are racing against three of the world's strongest foreign
boats. We had a little difficulty starting, the winds have been very
shifty, but tomorrow, hopefully we have more good conditions. Foreigners
are leading the overall standings, but we will not press on them, for
now we try to defend the National title," said Francis Linares, a member
of the LA SUPERBA team. Foreigners dominated the overall standings in
both races. The first race of the day (race #6) started in a west wind
around 14-15 knots. Always in the lead from the first beat was FURIO,
skippered by Keith Whittemore, followed by the German team on ROTOMAN
sailed by Kai Mares and the Brazilian Maurizio Santa Cruz on
BRUSCHETTA. In the second race (#7 overall), Ingham's JULIA/ 11TH HOUR
RACING took line honors, followed by the Greek team on EVNIKI sailed by
Athanasios Pachoumas in 2nd and Santa Cruz's BRUSCHETTA notching up
another 3rd place.
The
last day of sailing was simply "classic Sardinian" sailing conditions.
Two quick races were sailed in 12-15 knot Easterlies on the bay, making
for nearly perfect sailing with a slowly oscillating wind. In the end,
LA SUPERBA dominated the Italian competition, winning the Italian J/24
Nationals quite handily. Second on the podium was ALVOTORE sailed by
Francesco Cruciani. Third amongst the Italian teams was BOTTA DRITTA
skippered by Pasquale Mario di Fraia. Fourth was BOOMERANG sailed by
Filippo Masia and rounding out the top five was the early regatta
leader, KIMBE sailed by Alberto Gai. Amongst the Open Regatta winners
were American Mike Ingham on JULIA/ 11th HOUR RACING in 1st, Brazilian
Mauricio Santa Cruz on BRUSCHETTA in 2nd and American Keith Whittemore
on FURIO in 3rd. Fourth was German Kai Mares on ROTOMAN and 5th was
Greek Athanasios Pachoumas on EVNIKI. There were two well-sailed
women's J/24 teams sailing in the event, including one Italian and one
German team. Winners of the Top Women's Team were the German VEGA
RAGAZZA team skippered by Stephanie Koepcke, leading her Italian sisters
on EXPRESSIV sailed by Claudia Speziale. For more J/24 Italian Championship sailing information. Or, YC Arzachena sailing information.
