2016 Melges 32 World Championship - Newport nor'easter

by Melges 32 on 30 Sep 2016 There are many attractions that Newport offers for sailors around the world - an iconic sailing venue with a rich sailing history, great entertainment and of course, world renowned clam chowder. One unique Newport characteristic that greeted Melges 32 competitors on the first day of the 2016 Melges 32 World Championship hosted by Sail Newport was the front edge of a strong nor'easter that brought 20-27 kt winds on the race course and provided a wild, thrilling day of racing.

Typically lasting four - five days, nor'easters bring strong winds in a northeast to southwest direction and can be accompanied by heavy rain. Fortunately, the rain held off and once the fleet became acclimated to the blustery conditions, it didn't take long for the leaders to find their speed and assert their positions. Starting near the leeward end, two-time World Champion (2013, 2014) Jason Carroll's Argo used solid speed to maintain a lane to the left corner and hooked into a nice left shift to lead at the top mark. Starting just below Carroll, was Ryan DeVos' Volpe who hung close, followed closely by his brother Rick DeVos on Delta.

With spinnakers set and pulling hard, the fleet blasted to the leeward gates and after another lap-and-a-half, Carroll hung on for the win. It was a close battle with Ryan DeVos finishing second and Richard Goransson's Inga from Sweden charging in to take third.

Post racing, Carroll summed up the day. 'I think we are pretty good shape. It was a windy day in Newport, which I think everyone was happy with. Some puffs caught people off guard, especially downwind. Our goal is to tighten it up for Day Two.'

Wasting no time in getting Race Two started, PRO Anderson Reggio squared his starting line and began the sequence. With a building chop, it looked as if the fleet would be late to the line. As the clocked ticked down, the fleet approached quickly with 2009 World Champion Pieter Taselaar sailing Bliksem and Ryan DeVos finding themselves OCS. The remainder of the fleet blasted to the windward mark in a slowly building breeze.

Picking a few shifts and getting left at the top of the course was Christian Schwoerer's La Pericolosa. Leading wire-to-wire, Schwoerer nailed every tack and gybe to get the win, followed in close pursuit by defending World Champ Alessandro Rombelli on STIG, then Giangiacomo Serena Di Lapigio's G-Spot.

A third race was scheduled for the day, however once teams began to assemble for the warning signal the breeze continued to build touching into the low 30s. Reggio wisely abandoned racing for the day with a slightly tamer forecast for Day Two.

Tied in points with Schwoerer for the overnight lead, Rombelli enjoyed the challenges of Day One. 'We are very pleased with the results we have. The first two days of a world championship are the most important. Day one is not the day to win races, it's the day to minimize risks and damages,' said Rombelli.

Three races are scheduled for Day Two which will bring the third day that the nor'easter has been present over Newport. Friday's conditions will be very similar to today, and the teams that can avoid big mistakes, handle the huge puffs and sail smart will potentially find themselves on the podium.

They are happy

2016 Corinthian U.S. National Champion Chris Wientjes on Stormvogel enjoyed a nice day on the water in Newport to lead the amatuer division after two races. As somewhat expected, Morgan Kiss at the helm of Hydra for Project Sail hung in to finish the day in second, followed by Jeremy Alexis on Lucy.

Top Five Overall Results (After Two Races)

1.) Christian Schwoerer/Karol Jablonski, La Pericolosa; 5-1 = 6
2.) Alessandro Rombelli/Terry Hutchinson, STIG; 4-2 = 6
3.) Jason Carroll/Cameron Appleton, Argo Team; 1-6 = 7
4.) Ryan DeVos/Mark Mendelblatt, Volpe; 2--7 = 9
5.) Andrea LaCorte/Gabriele Benussi, Vitamina; 6-4 = 10

Full Corinthian Results (After Two Races)

1.) Chris Wientjes, Stormvogel = 17 pts.
2.) Morgan Kiss, Hydra = 18 pts.
3.) Jeremy Alexis, Lucy = 28 pts.

2016 Melges 32 World Championship - Preliminary Cumulative Results

Bow Sail Number Yacht Name Yacht Design Owner/Skipper Race 1 Race 2 Total World Championship Racing One Design Division Melges 32 1. 111   GER 229 La Pericolosa Melges 32 Christian Schwoerer 5 1 6.0 2. 65   ITA 65 STIG Melges 32 Alessandro Rombelli 4 2 6.0 3. 128   USA 128 Argo Melges 32 Jason Carroll 1 6 7.0 4. 18   USA 180 Volpe Melges 32 Ryan DeVos 2 7 9.0 5. 201   ITA 201 Vitamina Melges 32 Andrea Lacorte 6 4 10.0 6. 12   USA 1215 Delta Melges 32 Rick DeVos 9 5 14.0 7. 181   MON 181 G-Spot Melges 32 Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio 14/DSQ 3 17.0 8. 322   SWE 322 INGA Melges 32 Richard Goransson 3 14/DNF 17.0 9. 155   USA 155 Stormvogel (Corinthian) Melges 32 Chris Wientjes 7 10 17.0 10. 151   USA 151 Dark N'Stormy Melges 32 Edward Tillinghast 8 9 17.0 11. 512   USA 120 Hydra (Corinthian) Melges 32 Project Sail 10 8 18.0 12. 69   USA 169 Bliksem Melges 32 Pieter Taselaar 11 14/RET 25.0 13. 131   USA 131 Lucy (Corinthian) Melges 32 Jeremy Alexis 14/DNC 14/DNC 28.0   2016 Melges 32 World Championship - Corinthian Teams - Preliminary Cumulative Results Bow Sail Number Yacht Name Yacht Design Owner/Skipper Race 1 Race 2 Total World Championship Racing One Design Division Melges 32 1. 155   USA 155 Stormvogel Melges 32 Chris Wientjes 7 10 17.0 2. 512   USA 120 Hydra Melges 32 Project Sail 10 8 18.0 3. 131   USA 131 Lucy Melges 32 Jeremy Alexis 14/DNC 14/DNC 28.0