Audi Med Cup - Conde de Godo Trophy - Azzurra misses opportunity

by Giuliano Luzzatto on 16 Sep 2011 Audi Med Cup - In the Conde de Godo Trophy, Audi Azzurra Sailing Team missed their chance to close the gap on Quantum and were also overtaken by Bribon and Container who now are back in the game.

Dramatic turns of events are not rare in the Audi MedCup where victory today went to Container, who had previously seemed to have slowed following a positive start to the season. And so it was the turn of the German team to mount a challenge for overall victory in the circuit following yesterday's display by Bribon, who clearly intend to honour the boat's burgee of the Real Club Nautico di Barcelona in their home waters. The Spanish team took second place today after a difficult start to confirm their designs on the title.

Audi Azzurra Sailing Team is certainly going through a difficult phase in the Audi MedCup, however they are not alone and Quantum Racing finished seventh today while Azzurra, with an eight place, missed out on the chance to gain ground on the Americans. Due to the light and unstable air the second race was not held so any counter-attack has been postponed until tomorrow.

'We chose the right hand side,' said tactician Francesco Bruni, 'because it seemed like the right choice, so much so that in the Soto40 fleet that started ten minutes later, anyone sailing on the right was way ahead. Unfortunately, between windless holes and choppy seas it was a more difficult day for us than for some others. Today was a missed chance to get close to Quantum, but if we did it again we would make the same choice, we made the mistake half way through the windward leg when we realised the right side was no longer valid.'

Skipper Guillermo Parada commented: 'On difficult days like this I prefer to have stuck to the plan rather than getting carried away and changing without a real strategy. We fought to start at the committee boat end and go right, where the wind had rotated but there was higher pressure a bit further left which gave the advantage to those who were in that position, maybe even by chance. In any case we will continue to fight with determination.'

Only 12.5 points now separate four boats: Quantum, Bribon, Container and Azzurra. With as many as three races may be run tomorrow, weather conditions permitting, all is still to play for.

Audi Azzurra Sailing Team website
Audi MedCup website