Rolex Capri Sailing Week - Day 3

by Farr 40 Class Association on 13 May 2017 Competitors in the Farr 40 class have been treated to a wide range of wind conditions during Rolex Capri Sailing Week. After racing in extremely heavy air on Thursday, the fleet adjusted to light and moderate breeze on Friday.

Italian entries Enfant Terrible and Pazza Idea continue to set the pace in every velocity and will go into the final day of action fighting for the overall victory. Meanwhile, American boat Flash Gordon 6 made a strong move on Friday and will be battling MP30+10 for the final podium placement as the four-day regatta wraps up on the Bay of Naples.

Skipper Alberto Rossi steered Enfant Terrible to line honors in the first race on Friday then tacked on a couple seconds to remain atop the standings after three days of action. Pierluigi Bresciani and the Pazza Idea team also had a strong day on the water with a two – one - three score line and trails Enfant Terrible by just one point.

Meanwhile, owner-driver Helmut Jahn led Flash Gordon 6 to its best day of the regatta with a win in race eight lifting the Chicago boat into third place, four points ahead of Luca Pierdomenico and his crew aboard MP30+10.

Principal race officer Peter 'Luigi' Reggio intends to run two races on Saturday to complete a 10-race series that has provided a rousing start to the 2017 International Circuit for Farr 40 class.

Jahn, a renowned architect and longtime Farr 40 owner, was pleased with his boat's performance on Friday. Flash Gordon 6 posted consecutive thirds before winning its second race of the series.

'We won the last race today because we had the best start. That is very important in a fleet this size,' Jahn said. 'We timed it perfectly and hit the line at full speed. We were able to control the fleet and did not have to bail out early as we have in some of the other races.'

Evan Jahn steers Flash Gordon 6 at the starts and going upwind while his father takes the helm for the downwind legs. Both drivers performed splendidly as Flash led from start to finish.

'We accelerated well off the line and built a nice lead at the top mark then extended it on the run,' Helmut Jahn said. 'Everybody on the boat did their job well and it was just a great way to finish the day. Hopefully, we can have another good day tomorrow and hang on to third.'

Veteran professional Morgan Reeser is calling tactics on Flash Gordon 6, which has been stored in a shed in Ancona, Italy since placing fourth at the Farr 40 European Championship last summer. The Jahns chartered a boat to capture the North American Championship in their hometown of Chicago last September.

'We keep the boat in top shape and know how to set it up properly as far as rig tension and so forth,' Jahn said. 'The team is coming together and we will continue to work to improve our speed leading up to the worlds. It is all about the world championship. That is our focus for this season.'

The 20th anniversary Rolex Farr 40 World Championship will be held off Porto Cervo in mid-July and hosted by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. There will be one more regatta leading up to worlds with the Farr 40 Gaeta Open being held June 8-10.

Pierdomenico is feeling much better about his boat as a result of its performance at Rolex Capri Sailing Week. MP30+10, a Corinthian entry in its second season on the International Circuit, has placed second in two races and also notched a third.

'We have new sails, which has helped a lot. Our crew is learning more about the boat every day and we are very encouraged,' Pierdomenico said. 'We have definitely improved since last year. I thought the team did a great job in strong wind on Thursday.'

MP30+10 led the opening race on Friday for two legs, but fell out of phase when the wind dropped on the second run. A gybing duel with Enfant Terrible ensued and MP30+10 wound up crossing the line in fourth.

'We figured out that our rig was too tight when the pressure dropped,' Pierdomenico said. 'We have to learn how to adjust the rig to changing conditions.'

Struntje Light, the German boat owned by Wolfgang Schaefer, has withdrawn from the regatta after sustaining damage to the backstay in race five on Thursday.

So it is down to the final day with four boats in contention for podium placements.

'It's really been a great regatta with varying wind conditions and very close racing,' Farr 40 class representative Brady Stagg said. 'Four different boats have won a race and the mark roundings have been quite tight. Another Farr 40 regatta is going to come down to the last day, which is par for the course.'

Visit www.RolexCapriSailingWeek.com for more details on the regatta.

Farr 40 Class Standings

1, Enfant Terrible, Alberto Rossi, Ancona, Italy, 5-1-2-3-1-1-2-2=17
2, Pazza Idea, Pierluigi Bresciani, Verona, Italy, 3-3-3-1-2-2-1-3=18
3, Flash Gordon 6, Helmut & Evan Jahn, Chicago, 1-4-4-4-4-3-3-1=24
4, MP30+10, Luca Pierdomenico, Civitanova Marche, Italy, 4-2-5-2-3-4-4-4=28
5, Struntje Light, Wolfgang Schaefer, Lueneburg, Germany, 2-5-1-5-7/DNF-7/DNC-7/DNC-7/DNC=41
6, Arctur, Vasyl Gureyev, Kiev, Ukraine, 6-6-6-6-5-5-5-5=44