TP52 World Championship - Azzurra aims to assert leadership in Miami

by Giuliano Luzzatto on 5 Mar 2013 March 5th marks the commencement of racing for the yacht flying the colors of Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. Alberto Roemmers, Azzurra's owner, will be the at the helm, Guillermo Parada will skipper while Vasco Vascotto, 20-time world champion, will be calling tactics.

For the first time in the history of the TP52 class, the world championship will be twice as significant: the score of each single race will count towards the overall leaderboard of the 52 Super Series. Double goal, as a result, for Azzurra: Win the 2013 worlds but also assert its leadership in the championship, that after the initial stage in Key West sees the boat of Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in the lead with a 5-point advantage over second-placed Interlodge. Ran is in third place, seven points behind, while Quantum, Azzurra's direct adversary, holds fourth overall, eight points lower.

The TP52 fleet is growing and in these Worlds two additional entries will be racing: Jim Swartz's Vesper (the former Quantum) with Gavin Brady calling tactics and Marc Blees' Gaastra Pro (the former Bribon) with a nearly all-Dutch crew, where Jan Postma, Olympic Finn sailor, stands out. The crew onboard Azzurra hasn't changed since Key West with the exception of the owner Alberto Roemmers who will be on the helm, assisted by skipper Guillermo Parada. After the Gaastra 52 World Championships, the TP52's will be shipped to the Mediterranean, where racing will resume in Barcelona, at the Trofeo Conde de Godò, at the end of May.

Shortly after a day of training, Azzurra's skipper Guillermo Parada commented:

'Miami is truly a great place to sail and we are happy to be here in order to race for the 2013 Worlds. This is an important year for the TP52 class which, after a transitional period, is starting to consolidate again. In Key West there were six boats, here we are eight and undoubtedly in some of the Mediterranean events of the 52 Super Series there will be more than 10. The fact we won the 52 Super Series in 2012 and the first 2013 regatta in Key West doesn't mean anything. We have to demonstrate we sail well from the first day in order to get the result. This time, our owner Alberto Roemmers will also be our helmsman. We are all eager to offer him the best satisfaction and to reach that we are simply going on with our jobs. We analyze the errors so as to not repeat them and achieve a constant improvement. This way we will be back in Europe in the best shape to win the 52 Super Series, which remains our main objective.'

Racing for the Gaastra 52 World Championship will kick off on Tuesday, March 5th at 12:30am local time (6:30pm Italian time).

52 Super Series – 2013 Racing Schedule
20 - 25 January – Quantum Key West Race Week
5 - 9 March - Gaastra 52 World Championship, Miami
23- 26 May - 40th Trofeo Conde de Godo, RCNB, Barcelona
3 - 6 July - Royal Cup, Ibiza
29 July - 3 August - Copa del Rey, RCNP, Palma de Mallorca
10-14 September – Audi Week of the Straits, YCCS, Porto Cervo

Azzurra
Alberto Roemmers - Helmsman
Guillermo Parada - Skipper
Vasco Vascotto - Tactician
Tomislav Basic - Strategist
Bruno Zirilli - Navigator
Paul Westlake - Mainsail
Mariano Caputo - Bowman
Juan Pablo Marcos - Midbow
David Vera - Pitman
Maciel Cichetti - Trimmer
Mariano Parada - Trimmer
Simon Fry - Trimmer
Gabriel Marino - Grinder
Alejandro Colla – Grinder
Nicola Pilastro - Grinder
Boat Captain: Pedro Rossi
Coach: Guillermo Baquerizas

Owner: Mr. Alberto 52 Super Series website
Azzurra website