Azzurra is in third place at Audi Settimana delle Bocche

by Azzurra on 1 Jul 2016 52 Super Series - Audi Settimana delle Bocche - Azzurra is having a hard time keeping up with Quantum, currently in the top position on the scoreboard, but is fighting hard and is still in third place. Ran is in second place.

On the fourth day of racing in Costa Smeralda winds were light, never over ten knots. The start of today’s two windward/leeward races was postponed until 2:40 PM when the fleet of twelve TP 52s competing in the 52 Super series held within the Audi Settimana delle Bocche finally got their start after a first attempted start was abandoned.

Azzurra got a good start on the Committee Boat but couldn’t build up the speed she needed to get out of the pack lead by Quantum. The American team won handily followed by Alegre and Platoon. Even though she recovered positions well on the downwind runs and showed good tactics upwind, Azzurra finished seventh.

The second race saw the boat flying the YCCS burgee get an excellent start on the pin while Quantum crossed the line too soon and got an OCS penalty. On the left side of the course Alegre kept Azzurra at a minute beyond the layline. This let Ran get ahead, a lead she kept to the finish. Azzurra was fifth, then rounded the first downwind gate third only to slip back again to fifth place when Quantum, clearly the fastest boat to date, re-entered the race after her penalty. The debutante Sorcha sailed very well, reading the wind changes perfectly and coming in second in this race.

Tomorrow, July 2nd, will be the final day of the Audi Settimana delle Bocche. Two windward/leeward races are scheduled to start at noon.

Quotes of the day:

Guillermo Parada, skipper: “It was another day of asking ourselves what’s wrong with the boat. We’re still looking for the way to make the boat go faster and we haven’t found the answer yet. We didn’t feel comfortable and need to find the reason why. All of the data we have been analyzing hasn’t given us an obvious answer. We have to stay calm, find the reason why we are not performing our best and come back strong.”

Vasco Vascotto tactician: “We just have to face the facts that we’re seeing out on the race course: there’s a boat out there that’s much faster than we are. The TP 52 Class is a Box Rule, it’s not a One Design, only part of the difference in team’s performance is in the sailing. The other part is in the set up of the boat. Last year we got it, this year we’re still trying.”

Bruno Zirilli, navigator: “We’re still working on our boat speed, we’re doing well downwind and suffering upwind. I have been up late every night analyzing data trying to get to the bottom of our problems, but I have to hand it to Quantum: they’re just faster and anywhere they sail they come out on top.”

52 Super Series - Audi Settimana delle Bocche, Standings after day four
1 Quantum Racing, USA (Doug DeVos USA) (9,1,3,6,1,1,4) 25 pts
2 Rán Racing, SWE (Niklas Zennström SWE) (2,6,10,2,2,4,1) 27 pts
3 Azzurra, ITA (Pablo/Alberto Roemmers ARG) (8,4,1,4,6,7,5) 35 pts
4 Platoon, GER (Harm Müller-Spreer GER) (7,2,7,9,9,3,3) 40 pts
5 Provezza, TUR (Ergin Imre TUR) (3,3,11,1,8,6,11) 43 pts
6 Bronenosec, RUS (Vladimir Liubomirov RUS) (1,11,8,3,4,10,12) 49 pts
7 Alegre, GBR (Andrés Soriano USA) (10,5,9,5, DNF/13,2,6) 50 pts
8 Xio/Hurakan, ITA (Marco Serafini ITA) (6, DNS/13,2,7,5,8,9) 50 pts
9 Sled, USA (Takashi Okura JPN) (11,7,6,10,3,5,8) 50 pts
10 Gladiator, GBR (Tony Langley GBR) (5,8,4,8,11,9,7) 52 pts
11 Sorcha GBR (Peter Harrison GBR) (4,9,12,11,7,11,2) 56 pts
12 Paprec FRA (Jean-Luc Petithuguenin FRA) (12,10,5,12,10, 12, 10) 71 pts