Royal Cup Marina Ibiza - TP52 Azzurra to take part in Bart's Bash

by Azzurra Sailing Team on 17 Sep 2014 Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 17th, the Royal Cup kicks off, closing event of the Barclays 52 Super Series circuit, that runs until Sunday the 21st when Azzurra will take part in the Bart's Bash 'global regatta'.

The eight TP52 gathered in Marina Ibiza for the Zenith Royal Cup took part in the customary Practice race, held under a light breeze that topped 8-9 knots. Not counting towards the event, the practice race saw Azzurra finish in second place behind Ran, with Quantum coming third.

These will also be the three teams fighting for the title in the light breezes forecast throughout the week. Quantum is in the lead, followed by Ran and Azzurra. Twelve points separate first from third, an advantage that leaves no room for complacency to the leaders of the provisional scoretable.

This is what Argentinean Guillermo Parada, skipper of Azzurra, had to say: 'I have a good feeling about this week. This is a very difficult and very shifty race course. It is a complicated area and this will create many opportunities. We are very motivated to win the season. We still think we can do it and as a result, we will fight until the end. If we have a good week, we think we still have a shot at winning the championship.'

Not only will Sunday the 21st be the final day of the regatta, a race will also be held simultaneously around the world in memory of Andrew 'Bart' Simpson, the Olympic champion who tragically died last year in San Francisco during an America's Cup training session. The race aims at commemorating a sailor with a big heart and raising funds for the charitable initiatives of the foundation that bears his name.

Participation is open to anyone in the world, with any sailboat, by simply turning to one of the over 600 yacht clubs that organize the race simultaneously. The Guinness Book of World Records will certify whether this will have been the largest race held ever.

Vasco Vascotto, tactician: 'Azzurra will also will be in water for Bart's Bash, in memory of a friend to all of us, Andrew Simpson. This will also be the opportunity to contribute to the foundation that bears his name. We will do our part as crew and I invite our fans to 'get aboard' Azzurra.'

'Today's practice race, with many lead changes, showed again what a tough race course Ibiza is, with its light breeze. We are satisfied with the technical changes we made, we think we are in the right direction, although here it is more complicated to assess the actual effectiveness of the changes.'

Racing in full earnest starts tomorrow, September 17th, at 1pm local time. Races are streamed live with Virtual Eye and English commentary on Azzurra.

Barclays 52 Super Series – 2014 Racing Schedule
20- 24 May - Rolex Capri Sailing Week
10 - 14 June - TP52 World Championship, Porto Cervo
4 - 9 August - Copa del Rey, Palma de Mallorca
10-14 September – Royal Cup, Ibiza

Azzurra
Pablo Roemmers - Owner
Guillermo Parada - Skipper
Vasco Vascotto - Tactician
Bruno Zirilli - Navigator
Paul Westlake - Mainsail
Mariano Caputo - Bowman
Juan Pablo Marcos - Midbow
David Vera - Pitman
Maciel Cichetti - Trimmer
Grant Loretz - Trimmer
Mariano Parada - Trimmer
Gabriel Marino - Grinder
Alejandro Colla – Grinder
Pedro Rossi - Floater
Boat Captain: Pedro Rossi
Coach: Guillermo Baquerizas
Coach: Rod Davis