2015 Argentario Sailing Week – Final day with a splash!

by Tessa Wiechmann on 22 Jun 2015 Perfect weather conditions for the final day of sailing of the 16th Argentario Sailing Week, the third round of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge held in Porto Santo Stefano, Tuscany. After Saturday night’s storm, the Grandes Dames of the Sea sailed under crystal-clear skies with great visibility and the breathtaking scenario of the Tuscan archipelago as they headed out to the race course.

Neck to neck with Leonore and just before the final mark rounding, the well-known Swede Goran Rutgerson fell overboard from Manitou. The 72-year old crew member holding a sheet in his hands, with incredible determination managed to pull himself towards the 1936 Olin Stephens designed beauty where the crew helped him back onboard, losing only 15 seconds in the process. Back on the docks, Goran Rutgerson stated “Shit happens…”. Rutgerson took part in two America’s Cups in 1977 and 1980 on Sverige (SWE) and founded Rutgerson Marin AB at the beginning of the '70s. Bravo Manitou, who also won in her division and won the Olin Stephens Centennial Cup awarded by the Sparkman and Stephens Association.

The Race Committee positioned the line just off the pristine beach of La Giannella with a westerly breeze at seven knots. The fleet sailed first across the bay tacking very close to Porto Santo Stefano in order to reach windward mark, their bows on the Island of Montecristo, known worldwide for being the setting of the adventure novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

After rounding mark one, the Classic Beauties headed towards the hamlet of Talamone, spinnakers high as the wing strengthened veering to a 10-12 knot north westerly. As the thermal breeze increased, so did the chop with the first whitecaps making their appearance on the crystal blue waters of the Argentario. A picture perfect beat up the course with Giglio Island on port and the Island of Elba on starboard. The final run to the finish line saw gusts to 13 knots. A perfect ending to three memorable days of racing in Maremma.

The Final results of the Argentario Sailing Week 2015
Spirit of Tradition: 1°. Mida (ITA) - Alessandro Porcelloni; 2°. Wind and Wine (ITA) - Francesco Kovarich; 3°. Pyxis (ITA) - Pierpaolo Perrotto
Classic >145: 1° Sagittarius (FRA) - Thierry Laffitte; 2°. Naif (ITA) - Ivan Gardini; 3°. Chin Blu III (ITA) - Giuseppe Caruso
Classic < 145: 1° Il Moro di Venezia (ITA) - Massimiliano Ferruzzi ; 2° Corsaro II (ITA) SVMM, 3° l. Stella Polare (ITA) SVMM
Vintage > 150: 1° Cholita (ITA) - Maria Linda Nettis; 2 Jalina (ITA) - Luciano Frattini; 3° Aleph (ITA)
Vintage < 150: 1° Manitou (USA) - Phil Jordan; 2° Chinook (ITA) - Paolo Zanoni; 3° Rowdy (GBR) Howard Dyer

The overall winners of the Regatta received a Officine Panerai timepiece: Manitou (Vintage), Sagittarius (Classic) and Mida (Spirit of Tradition).