US Melges 24 - Bombarda Racing makes debut in Miami

by Daniela Clark on 23 Nov 2015 Andrea Pozzi’s Bombarda Racing team made their US debut in the Melges 24 class this week at the Miami Yacht Club Melges 24 Invitational Regatta. The team came from Italy to compete in their first of a series of US Melges 24 regattas planned over the next 12 months, culminating with the 2016 Melges 24 World Championship next November.

Pozzi is a seasoned Melges 32, Melges 20, and RC44 sailor, but 2015 is his first year in the Melges 24. Team Bombarda stepped aboard ITA 841 for the first time this March in Genoa, sparring with Riccardo Simoneschi’s Audi Italia Sailing Team in some late winter training sessions. An aggressive spring and summer program for Bombarda included Italy’s three-part Audi Tron Sailing Series and the 2015 Melges 24 World Championship in Denmark in July.

Here in Miami, Pozzi and team had their sights set on some heavy wind racing on the Atlantic Ocean. A warm front kept the conditions unstable and mostly light for the first two days, and only today did the 20 competing teams see some stronger wind and bigger wave action. The fleet sailed two races in 10-15 knots from the south, with lumpy seas and passing squalls.

Bombarda finished the six-race regatta in ninth place in a very competitive fleet. Bruce Ayres in Monsoon (USA 747) took first, followed closely by Conor Clarke’s Embarr (IRL 829) and Martin Kullman’s New Wave (USA 515).

Andrea Pozzi commented on the experience: “It was a training event for us—preparation, naturally, for Worlds. And these conditions are very different from those we’re used to in Europe. This was a key step in our path to the World Championship and therefore we’re really happy as a team to have this experience. We’ll be here again in January for Key West Race Week, and also for another regatta here in March. Training here with these strong American teams gives us a real opportunity to improve.”

Bombarda’s Miami Invitational team consisted of Andrea Pozzi at the helm, tactician Giulio Desiderato, trimmer Stefano Ciampalini, pitman Francesco Pozzi, and Carlo Zermini on the bow. Coach Nico Celon, shore team members Federico Valenti and Paolo Figini, and cook Fabio Alfieri helped support the team. Pozzi and Team Bombarda sail for Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.

Bombarda Racing wears Helly Hansen gear, and is sponsored by Wide Care Services and Generali Italia.

For more information, visit website or contact press@bombardaracing.com.

2015 Miami Yacht Club Melges 24 Invitational - Preliminary Cumulative Results

Sail Number Yacht Name Yacht Design Owner/Skipper Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 5 Race 6 T O Total Miami Yacht Club Invitational Racing One Design Division Melges 24 1. USA 747 Monsoon Melges 24 Bruce Ayres 6 1 5 1 1 5 [6] 13.0 2. IRL 829 Embarr Melges 24 Conor Clarke 8 2 1 6 3 1 [8] 13.0 3. USA 515 New Wave Melges 24 Martin Kullman 1 5 2 7 4 2 [7] 14.0 4. USA 848 Lucky Dog / Gill Race Team Melges 24 Travis Weisleder 3 6 4 11 2 3 [11] 18.0 5. NOR 732 Team RRH Melges 24 Team RRH 4 17 3 4 7 4 [17] 22.0 6. GBR 850 Black Seal Melges 24 Richard Thompson 10 3 6 3 6 8 [10] 26.0 7. USA 533 High Voltage (Corinthian) Melges 24 August Hernandez 2 7 7 5 13 11 [13] 32.0 8. USA 805 Decorum (Corinthian) Melges 24 Megan Ratliff 5 9 14 2 10 10 [14] 36.0 9. ITA 841 Bombarda Melges 24 Andrea Pozzi 11 4 8 10 8 6 [11] 36.0 10. CAN 629 Zingara Melges 24 Richard Reid 12 8 9 14 5 7 [14] 41.0 11. GER 624 Kleine Rainbow Melges 24 Bent Dietrich 7 10 13 8 11 9 [13] 45.0 12. USA 839 The 300 Melges 24 Steven Boho 13 14 15 9 9 13 [15] 58.0 13. USA 587 Obsession Melges 24 Gary Schwarting 9 12 11 12 14 22/DNS [22] 58.0 14. USA 687 Firewater (Corinthian) Melges 24 George Haynie 15 11 12 13 17 15 [17] 66.0 15. USA 414 Zoo Melges 24 Christoph Kalinski 14 19 20 15 12 12 [20] 72.0 16. USA 419 Apex Melges 24 Kent Picknell 16 18 10 19 15 22/DNS [22] 78.0 17. USA 292 Shaka (Corinthian) Melges 24 KC Shannon 19 15 16 16 18 14 [19] 79.0 18. USA 720 Relentless Melges 24 Scott Foxman 17 16 19 17 16 22/DNS [22] 85.0 19. USA 610 Hermes Melges 24 Tony Stanley 20 13 17 18 22/DNF 22/DNS [22] 90.0 20. USA 21 Mayhem Melges 24 Chris Chadwick 18 20 18 20 22/DNS 22/DNS [22] 98.0 21. USA 344 Dorothy Kate Melges 24 Eric Schwab 22/DNS 22/DNS 22/DNS 22/DNS 22/DNS 22/DNS [22] 110.0    2015 Miami Yacht Club Melges 24 Invitational - Corinthian Teams - Preliminary Cumulative Results   Sail Number Yacht Name Yacht Design Owner/Skipper Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 5 Race 6 T O Total Miami Yacht Club Invitational Racing One Design Division Melges 24 1. USA 533 High Voltage Melges 24 August Hernandez 2 7 7 5 13 11 [13] 32.0 2. USA 805 Decorum Melges 24 Megan Ratliff 5 9 14 2 10 10 [14] 36.0 3. USA 687 Firewater Melges 24 George Haynie 15 11 12 13 17 15 [17] 66.0 4. USA 292 Shaka Melges 24 KC Shannon 19 15 16 16 18 14 [19] 79.0