Azzurra ready to defend the 52 World Championship title in Minorca

by Azzurra on 13 Sep 2016 The boat flying the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda's burgee is ready to defend the 52 World Championship title she won last year in Puerto Portals.

Everything is ready in Port Mahon for the 52 World Championship where Azzurra is defending champion. The event also counts as the fourth stage in the 2016 52 Super Series. This is the first time that the most competitive event for Grand Prix keel boats has come to the spectacular natural port of Mahon, famous since ancient times for its strategic position.

There will be a fleet of 12 TP52s fighting both for points in the 52 Super Series and for the world champion's title and all of the teams are determined to leave nothing to chance. Azzurra is defending world champion and second in overall provisional results in the 52 Super Series. Today the boat is performing as well as her historic rival, Quantum Racing, but any team in the fleet could always come out from the pack to win.

'This week the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is hosting the 17th edition of the Swan Cup which also celebrates the yard's 50th anniversary,' said YCCS Commodore Riccardo Bonadeo, 'so, unfortunately, I won't be able to be present in Port Mahon to watch Azzurra defend her title. I want to thank the entire team for their hard work and determination and wish them the best of luck in the upcoming days. I also want to give special thanks to the Roemners family for making it possible for Azzurra to keep racing successfully in the TP52 Class.'

Phoenix is back though with a new owner and Paul Cayard aboard as skipper and Peter Holmberg as tactician.
Racing will begin Wednesday, September 14th at 1:00 PM. The forecast calls for turbulence and southerly winds at up to 20 knots.

Quotes of the day:
Guillermo Parada, skipper: “This World Championship is the perfect chance to consolidate our second place in the 52 Super Series and to confirm the title we won a year ago. We are very motivated and ready to do our best!'

Vasco Vascotto, tactician: “We're making good use of the time before the Championship starts to fine tune the excellent work done up to now on the boat's set up. We all know that sailing is a sport that can bring some surprises, some of which you just can't control, so it's not the time for making predictions. But we are defending champions and, most importantly, in second place in the 52 Super Series: there's no denying that we're among the favorites to win and we fully intend to try.'