J70 EuroCup Riva del Garda overall

by Paul Cayard on 10 Sep 2016 I am here in Italy training with the team that I will race with at the J70 World Championship later this month in San Francisco. It is an Italian team and this weekend were are racing the final event of their annual circuit.

Three days and nine races will be sailed here in Riva conducted by the Fragile della Vela-Riva. I last raced here in 1989 in my Star. At that time I gave a speech to the juniors who were all optimist sailors. Yesterday a I guy who is racing against us came and asked me to take a picture with him. He then told me he was at that speech I gave to the Opti sailors in 1989 and he was eight! Nice story but I guess that means I am getting down the road.

37 J70’s are competing here in the EuroCup. We had three races yesterday in wind from 12-7 knots. It was a non typical Garda day in that the left side paid. Usually this is a go right race track and I had that in my mind too much. A big part of our goal this weekend, as it is our first time sailing together, is to get our communications down and for me to figure out my jobs in the maneuvers. The rest of the crew is very proficient at what they do as they have been racing in the class for three years and have been second in last years World Championship.

The team is called LightBay Sailing Team and sponsored by Calvi Network. Carlo Alberini is the skipper and owner of the boat. We have two-time Slovenian Olympic 470 sailor Karlo Hmeljak trimming the mainsail and Sergio Blosi trimming the kite and cleaning up after my messes with the jib sheets. I am tactician and responsible to tack the jib an hoist and drop the kite. Upwind, Sergio and I sit with our legs over the side to windward and only two crew members are allowed to “hike”. We have two great coaches: Irene Bezzi and Branko Brcin. Branko is the usual tactician for the team but has a conflict for the Worlds in SF so I am taking his place. Irene is a great sailor and super athlete.

We had a decent day with scores of 4, 6, 8 on Friday to put us in second place over all. The team leading the Italian Circuit, L’elagain ,skippered by Franco Solario, had scores of 1, 5, 1. I made quite a few mistakes yesterday tactically, believing too much in the “typical” winds here which favor the right side. We had three excellent starts which is important in the foundation we are building for the worlds.

Yesterday after sailing, she and I hiked-ran up the side of a cliff, 2000? vertical, to a little church called Santa Barbara.

Irene took it easy on me and waited for me. Hear best time is 35:40. I made the climb in 39:30 which was three minutes faster than I did it on Wednesday evening. Always good to be chasing someone!

Riva and Lake Garda are beautiful places. Usually Tuscany, Rome, florence get all the ink followed by Capri Venezia, etc. But these lakes in northern Italy, surrounded by very tall and steep mountains are spectacular! The town of Riva is very charming. And of course, the food is excellent.

No	Numero	Nome	Punti	1	2	3
1	ITA 629	SOLERIO FRANCO, 6, YACHT CLUB SANREMO L'elagain	7,0	1	5	1
2	ITA 456	ALBERINI CARLO, 11, COMPAGNIA DELLA VELA PESARO CALVI NETWORK	18,0	4	6	8
3	ESP 961	TORCIDA JOSE MARÍA, 63, RCM SANTANDER Noticia	20,0	3	10	7
4	ITA 853	ROSSI CLAUDIA, 16, SEF STAMURA ANCONA Petite Terrible	20,0	9	7	4
5	MON 674	FASSITELLI LUDOVICO, 7, YACHT CLUB DE MONACO JUNDA	28,0	22	3	3
6	ITA 725	DOMENICI LUCA, 8, XXX NOTARO TEAM	31,0	6	1	24
7	ITA 710	BERAHA MARIO, 13, YC CHIAVARI Sasha Grey	31,0	2	27	2
8	MLT 441	RIPARD SEBASTIAN, 64, Corinthian, RMYC CALYPSO	32,0	13	4	15
9	ITA 724	GALLI MICHELE, 9, YCS b2	35,0	20	9	6
10	ITA 570	MOLLA ALESSANDRO, 21, UNIONE VELICA MACCAGNO VIVA	37,0	12	20	5
11	ITA 572	NOE GIANFRANCO, 22, Corinthian, YACHT CLUB ADRIACO White Hawk	37,0	7	8	22
12	ITA 1047	RAVIOLI/LEPROUX LUIGI, 72, Corinthian, LNI ANZIO Alice	39,0	15	15	9
13	ITA 262	PACINOTTI FILIPPO, 28, SEF STAMURA ANCONA PENSAVO PEGGIO	40,0	8	11	21
14	ITA 455	ZAMPORI ALESSANDRO, 20, Corinthian, CNAM ALASSIO Magie DAS Sailing Team	47,0	29	2	16
15	ITA 261	VENTURI IVAN, 27, YACHTING CLUB TORRI Enjoy 1.0	47,0	25	12	10
16	GER 797	NICKEL GORDON, 60, Corinthian, TRANS OCEAN Just in Time	47,0	10	19	18
17	ITA 922	QUERIN ALESSIO, 5, Y.C. HANNIBAL Mummy One - LAB.MET:	47,0	14	13	20
18	SUI 920	JEAN-FRANCOIS DE CERJAT, 50, Corinthian, CV NEUCHATEL L'Algoine	49,0	5	16	28
19	RUS 1	KOVALENKO VALERIYA, 41, XXX ARTTUBE	50,0	11	22	17
20	GER 254	SWADE ALEXANDER, 65, DÜSSELDORFER YACHTCLUB Jetpack	52,0	21	18	13
21	SUI 1045	STETTLER ALAIN, 68, Corinthian, REGATTA CLUB OBERHOFEN	55,0	27	17	11
22	RUS 269	GRIGUL EVGENY, 56, OSTWEST JUNO	67,0	19	23	25
23	BRA 403	SANTA CRUZ MAURÍCIO, 61, I.C.R.J Mandachuva	68,0	16	ocs	14
24	ITA 888	LORO PIANA GIACOMO, 1, YCCS MARY J. (516)	68,0	24	21	23
25	SUI 834	SIMON THOENEN, 67, Corinthian, REGATTA CLUB OBERHOFEN Tscheieli	72,0	18	28	26
26	ITA 106	DIFINO MATTEO, 18, Corinthian, LNI MILANO JEDI 70	74,0	31	31	12
27	ITA 948	BATTISTELLA FERDINANDO, 19, CV ARCO DIVA	74,0	33	14	27
28	ITA 475	OSS PIERGIORGIO, 29, TAVOLONI Intoxica	76,0	28	29	19
29	RUS 916	MARKAROV ALEXANDER, 25, Corinthian, AVRORA YC MOSCOW MAJIC	78,0	17	25	36
30	POL 986	KREMPEC KRZYSZTOF, 66, N/A Mag racing	82,0	26	26	30
31	ITA 105	DI MAURO VITTORIO, 10, CIRCOLO VELA BELLANO Tanspance	84,0	23	30	31
32	ITA 474	SCANDOLERA MATTEO, 24, Corinthian, YACHT CLUB SANREMO Irruenza	88,0	30	24	34
33	GER 773	MARGALE RUE, 70, Corinthian, SEGEL-CLUB-SORPESEE-ISERLOHN RDF	96,0	32	32	32
34	SUI 1060	BEZEL MARA, 71, SEGLERVEREINIGUNG THALWIL	100,0	36	35	29
35	ITA 1058	NOSOV PETR, 69, N/A	101,0	34	34	33
36	GER 864	SCHWARZ FLORIAN, 57, Corinthian, STEINBERGER YACHT-CLUB Der Steinberger	105,0	35	33	37
37	ITA 22	ANTONIAZZI LUCA, 62, Corinthian, Y. C. H. ITA 1059	108,0	37	36	35