Moby M30 World Championship

by PR on 4 Oct 2007
The 39 boats assembled in Porto Cervo for the Moby M30 World Championship 2007 have had an interesting few days of pre-world races on the race course off the north-eastern coast of Sardinia. Racing in the World Championship, organized by the Yacht Cub Costa Smeralda, starts tomorrow and continues through Sunday 7 October with a maximum of 11 windward-leeward races scheduled.

After two days of pre-world races in which the fleet completed four windward-leeward races Jim Richardson’s Barking Mad (USA) headed the overall pre-world classification ahead of Guy Stenning’s Optimumm (AUS) and Gianluigi Serena’s Enfant Terrible (ITA), all of whom have their share of experienced sailors on board. Richardson’s decision to bring his long-time Farr 40 tactician, America’s Cup veteran Terry Hutchinson, to the M30 team appears to have been a good one.

'It was a good day for us.' commented Hutchinson after the first day of racing, which saw the feet complete two windward-leewards of around seven nautical miles each in approximately eight knots of easterly breeze.

'We were just starting to practice and get a feel for things today; we have a new team for the M30 and it was quite enjoyable. I don’t know that much about this class but I’d have to say from what we saw on the water today that it is very competitive. The sailors are all very competitive and I can see the class is very strong and alive and kicking here in Europe. There are some very good teams here.'

Hutchinson is no stranger to Porto Cervo and is finding this week’s conditions infinitely preferable to last week's strong mistral winds and beating rain. 'I was here for the Rolex TP52 Global Championships last week and today was by far the nicest day we’ve had in the past two weeks for sailing: nice light southeasterlies, it was warm and beautiful, probably everything you’d expect from Porto Cervo at this time of year.'

Although relatively new to the M30 class, Guy Stening, who heads the only Australian team competing in this World Championship, took fourth in the M30 Australian Championship this year and his crew includes Australian Olympic sailor Stephen McConaghy. Calling tactics on Enfant Terrible is New Zealand’s Hamish Pepper, a former Star class world champion who has already won an M30 World Championship aboard Cheyenne in 2003.

The current world champion, France’s Erik Maris, was farther back in the pre-world classification, sitting in 18th place but is certain to step up a gear once competition for the World Championship begins tomorrow. Other former M30 world champion skippers competing in Porto Cervo are Vincenzo Onorato (2000) with Mascalzone Latino (ITA) and Claudio Recchi (2003) on Bred (FRA). Onorato is current Farr 40 World Champion and has Vasco Vascotto on tactics whereas Luna Rossa’s Francesco De Angelis is calling tactics on Bred.

De Angelis is new to the fleet but is excited about the week ahead: 'This is the first time on the M30s for me, it’s a fantastic fleet, a really exciting regatta. I hope the wind picks up because I think it’ll be even more exciting then. I’m just discovering the class from a technical point of view, so I’m having fun, and I hope we’ll have a great championship. These are all boats with strong, well-prepared teams. They are all fast, so both the quantity and the quality is high here.'

Racing is scheduled to begin at 11.30 tomorrow, Thursday 4 October 2007. Tomorrow’s weather forecast gives southeasterly winds of 12 to 16 knots for the afternoon with partially cloudy skies.

Moby

Moby is the largest cruise-ferry company in the Mediterranean and transports approximately five million passengers to Sardinia, Corsica and Elba Island every year. Its fleet, consisting of around 50 units, includes cargo vessels, supply vessels and anchor-handling tugs, all sailing under the Italian flag.

Moby was founded in 1982 by Vincenzo Onorato who represents the fourth generation of an Italian ship-owning family. The 2007 edition of the M30 Worlds is the second sponsored by Moby.