MedCup Region of Sardinia Trophy - The return of Azzurra

by Giuliano Luzzatto on 24 Jul 2011 At the Audi MedCup’s Region of Sardinia Trophy 2011, Audi Azzurra Sailing Team have achieved both a second and a third place in the day’s races. The Azzurra Team has now successfully returned to form after some disappointing performances over the past few days in Cagliari.

Two races were held today - a windward-leeward and a coastal race - as per yesterday's updated schedule, with Mistral winds of approximately 20 knots and gusts of more than 25 knots. In the first race, held to regain the second windward-leeward that was not held yesterday, Azzurra showed iron determination to take a fantastic second place behind Container.

The team's unlucky streak was thus broken and Audi Azzurra Sailing Team started the long race, worth 1.5 times the points awarded, reinvigorated. On the first leg Azzurra commanded the fleet after choosing the right side of the course but the group remained compact and competitive and, with the entire fleet contained within 100 metres, it only took seconds to slip back to last place.

During the long upwind leg which brought the fleet past the Poetto beach, however, Azzurra made a spectacular comeback choosing to sail close to the coast where the wind was gusting more and was trickier to manage but where the crew showed that they really know how to handle their boat. This choice together with those that followed allowed the boat that represents the YCCS to regain ground to cross the finish line, spectacularly placed in the port of Cagliari, in third place.

'Things went well,' according to skipper Guillermo Parada, 'we got two results that reflect how we sail. This proves that conclusions can only be drawn at the end of the season. We had two negative days, for various reasons, but with such a high level of competition you can go from the top of the fleet to the bottom in a matter of seconds. We sailed the same way today as we did yesterday; tomorrow we need to stay concentrated, conscious of our own value and that of our adversaries.'

Vasco Vascotto and Francesco Bruni echoed these sentiments: 'We sailed with heart and finished with our heads held high. They were difficult and tiring races with a lot of wind but they were great, especially the long race. We took a few risks and made some small errors, but that's the right way to race: not being afraid to take risks and forgetting yesterday's bad luck.'

The last two races are scheduled for tomorrow. However with the Mistral expected to increase the crews could be forced to stay ashore, leaving the classification unchanged. The French-German team Audi All4One is currently in the lead in the Region of Sardinia Trophy.

Azzurra Sailing Team website