Armin Strom puts in solid performance at the GC32 Malcesine Cup 2016

by Armin Strom Sailing Team on 11 Jul 2016 With no racing on the final day of the Malcesine Cup, Armin Strom Sailing Team wrapped up the second event of the GC32 Racing Tour 2016 in sixth place. After two events, the team lies in fourth place in the tour standings, two points behind Gunvor Sailing.

Held in conjunction with Foiling Week, the Malcesine Cup was scheduled to comprise three days of short-course fleet racing and one 20-mile distance race, which would not count towards the regatta score. Despite losing a day’s racing and being unable to match the third place achieved in Riva in May, the team came away reasonably satisfied with their result, emphasising their potential by securing a couple of third place finishes in the nine-race regatta.

A key element to achieving good results at Malcesine was the importance of starting well and getting to the first mark in front and in clear air.

“Basically, if you didn’t have a good first reach you’d be out the back door. Boats in the lead would take off and extend. The tussle among the following bunch was tough to break out of,” explained former Olympian Sharon Ferris-Choat, Team Manager and Mainsheet Trimmer for Armin Strom Sailing Team.

On occasion, tension during the pre-start was heightened with the race committee’s decision to start a number of races under a black flag, meaning any boat over the line at the start would be disqualified from the race.

With the breeze tending to build rapidly and clocking to the south as it did so, the two completed days of fleet racing were fast-paced, tight and challenging.

“We’d leave the dock with two knots, and within an hour we’d have 21 knots,” commented Sharon. “It was incredibly close racing with the whole fleet finishing within half a minute of each other.”

As predicted ahead of the regatta, wind shifts were another big factor, some of which were up to 40 degrees. Add to that the course location’s proximity to the lake shore and the tactician’s role was intense to say the least.

“Layline calls are hard to judge when you’re travelling at high speed and close in to land. You have to pre-empt the layline decision as it can take up to 30 seconds to gybe and regain speed. If you get your timing wrong you can easily overshoot the mark,” commented Sharon.

Keeping the GC32 on the foils was another tricky task to manage, with the wake from other boats capable of creating cavitation around the foils and causing crews to drop off the foils.

“Staying focused and keeping manoeuvres smooth, especially when boosting along at 30 knots, is a prerequisite achieving good results. We’ve identified areas to work on ahead of the next event, and will use our experiences in Malcesine to make us stronger,” said Sharon, in closing.

Flavio Marazzi, Armin Strom Sailing Team skipper, assessed the event, “We are a strong group of sailors, but there is absolutely no margin for error or let up in performance in this fleet. You have to sail fast and accurately all the time to reach the podium. As a new crew combination we struggled for consistency on the first day and paid the price. On Friday we showed signs of what we are capable of, so it was a shame to lose the final day. That said, I fully endorse the decision made in conjunction with the organisers.”

An incident between Malizia – Yacht Club de Monaco and a press RIB on Friday, led the Fraglia Vela Malcesine and the GC32 International Class Association to make the sensible but disappointing decision call off the short-course racing planned for the final day.

Next up for the GC32 Racing Tour is the 35th Copa de Rey Mapfre, from 3 – 6 August in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The Bay of Palma is another of the world’s top regatta venues, renowned for its consistent sea breeze and perfect for demonstrating the art of foiling.

Armin Strom Sailing Team thanks their sponsors Armin Strom, Marinepool, Forward

Sailing, ProTect Tapes and Kaenon for their support.

Provisional final standings at the GC32 Malcesine Cup

Team Tilt
Norauto
Gunvor Sailing
Argo
Malizia - Yacht Club De Monaco
Armin Strom Sailing Team
Mamma Aiuto!
Team Engie
RealTeam
Orange Racing

Standings after the two GC32 Tour events:

Team Tilt
Norauto
Gunvor Sailing
Armin Strom Sailing Team
Argo
Malizia - Yacht Club De Monaco
Team Engie
Spindrift Racing
Mamma Aiuto!
RealTeam