Melges 32 Audi Sailing Series - Robertissima on top after day 1

by Joy Dunigan on 1 Jun 2013 The third act of the 2013 Melges 32 Audi Sailing Series hosted by Lega Navale Italiana Portoferraio officially got underway on Friday with two difficult races under light and shifty conditions. Roberto Tomasini Grinover aboard Robertissima is currently seated in first overall, followed by American Jason Carroll on Argo in second, and Vincenzo Onorato's Mascalzone Latino is third.

The racing, from a tactical standpoint could not have been more complicated. A quick review of the scoreboard reveals that the top three boats were the only ones able to stick single-digit finishes.

Fourth-place finisher Edoardo Lupi aboard Torpyone was among the few able to gain some redemption by winning Race Two. Longtime Melges 32 owner and helmsman Mauro Mocchegiani at the helm of Audi Ultra Giacomel managed a nice third in Race One.

Overall Series leaders, Andrea Pozzi's Bombarda and Lanfranco Cirillo's Fantastica, finished the day in seventh and eighth respectively, holding firm.

Gaeta champ Valentin Zavadnikov from Russia on Team Synergy GT completed the day in a disappointing twelfth place. Naofumi Kamei on Mamma Aiuto! finished the best of the three participating Japanese teams in thirteenth.

Racing in Portoferraio will resume tomorrow and the forecasts are already calling for potentially more challenging conditions.

The next event takes place in Torbole (Event No. 4 on 12-14 July). The final event will be the 2013 Melges 32 World Championship on 18-22 September in Porto Rotondo, Audi Sailing Series website