Possible record fleet for M30 Worlds

by Sail-World.com on 23 Sep 2007 Mumm becomes M now that Champagne Mumm are not longer sponsors.... but the Farr designed 30 footers still go fast. Event organizers report entries for the Moby M30 World Championship 2007 are approaching record levels with 44 boats enrolled to date.

The event, organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS), will take place in Porto Cervo from 1st to 7th October with the participants, currently from 15 nations, doing battle in windward-leeward races on the renowned regatta course off the north-eastern coast of Sardinia.

This is the 11th edition of the M30 World Championships and the third time the event has been held in Italy. The record for participants is 45, which was reached at the 2001 Championship held in Cagliari, Sardinia, yet with any last minute additions for the 2007 event, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda could very well blaze a new record.

Current World Champion Erik Maris will be present aboard Twins (FRA) to defend his title against entrants from Australia, Estonia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Monaco, Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and USA.

Among the 15-strong Italian contingent will be Federico Strocchi’s Cheyenne, winner of the Italian M30 Circuit 2007. Cheyenne will be up against strong competition from Matrix Arca TX Active, owned by Luigi Melegari and Gianmarco Rinaldi, with America’s Cup Veteran Tommaso Chieffi calling tactics.

M30 one-design racing is very competitive and sailors to watch will also include reigning Farr 40 World Champion and former M30 World Champion (2000) Vincenzo Onorato with his Mascalzone Latino (ITA) and American Deneen Demourkas, who placed sixth behind Maris at last year’s M30 Worlds, with her boat Groovederci.

Jim Richardson, President of the Farr 40 class, will also compete with his Barking Mad alongside Terry Hutchinson, America’s Cup tactician and former J/24 World Champion.

Many of the Italian boats have just completed an event at nearby Porto Rafaele and have had a chance to come to grips with conditions off Porto Cervo, but the Pre-World competition scheduled to take place on 2nd and 3rd October should iron out any advantage the home teams may have gained.

'The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is delighted to be able to close our sailing season at Porto Cervo, in this our 40th Anniversary year, with a World Championship of this calibre,' affirmed YCCS Commodore Gianfranco Alberini. 'With so many top-class sailors coming to our shores we expect a week of racing that will be not only very intense but also a great deal of fun.'

The first Farr designed M30 was launched in August 1995, and in the 12 years since more than 200 boats have been built. The boat was designed with simplicity, speed and above all fun sailing in mind.

The size of the fleet due to assemble in Porto Cervo is a reflection of the M30’s popularity and the boat's ability to provide great racing for both amateur and professional sailors.

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