Azzurra back in home waters for Audi Sailing Week - 52 Super Series

by Azzurra on 20 Jun 2017 Azzurra is back in her Costa Smeralda home waters for the Audi Sailing Week, the fourth event in the 2017 52 Super Series that will be held from June 21st to 25th.

The boat that is the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s sporting symbol is ready to begin the Audi Sailing Week, fourth event in the 2017 52 Super Series that will be held in the waters around Porto Cervo and will be organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in collaboration with Title Sponsor Audi, partner of the YCCS since 2008.

There are eleven TP52s docked in Porto Cervo ready to begin the Audi Sailing Week. Platoon, who recently won the World Championship, is also current leader in the 52 Super Series and is ahead of Azzurra by just four points. Quantum, Azzurra’s longtime rival, is seven points behind the boat that flies the YCCS burgee going in to this event. But the level of competition is very stiff and no team racing in this highly profession fleet can be taken lightly.

In today’s Practice Race, held in thermal breezes at 10 to 11 knots, Azzurra showed herself to be in excellent fighting form, getting a start right on the pin and controlling the fleet all the way to the finish. Which she chose not to cross so as not to jinx her chances in the rest of the event. Just behind Azzurra, and first over the finish line, came Gladiator, followed by Quantum.

The event will include a maximum of ten Windward/Leeward and Coastal races and will end on Sunday, June 25th. The weather forecast calls for light winds up to a maximum of twelve knots in the first part of the event, but conditions should change on Friday with winds shifting to the north by Saturday. Racing is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 1:00 PM CEST with a Coastal race along the islands of the Maddalena Archipelago.

Quotes of the day:
?Riccardo Bonadeo, YCCS Commodore had these words: 'I would like to welcome the whole 52 Super Series family, we are very happy to have you here for the Audi Sailing Week in this, our 50th anniversary year. The fact that Azzurra, the TP52 that belongs to our friends and club members the Roemmers and that flies the YCCS burgee, is here in Porto Cervo together with the 52 Super Series, the most competitive mono hull circuit, is proof of the good work that the YCCS is doing, both on land and in the water. I also want to thank Audi for the enthusiastic support they offer to so many YCCS sport and social programs. This is sailing at its best; we'll see some top-level racing and I want to wish everyone fair winds.'

Azzurra's Skipper Guillermo Parada comments: 'We need to improve our consistency a little bit. We need to be sure in Porto Cervo that we are consistent every day. I think there are a couple of good boats to keep looking at now rather than just Quantum, so we have to keep working all the time. We really just need to focus on ourselves, on what we are doing rather than who is on what boat; we look to do the very best we can, and if we do that we should be in a position to win.'

Vasco Vascotto, Tactician: 'The Costa Smeralda area offers the best coastal racing there is. Tomorrow we’ll start the event with a winding course through islands and rocks in light to medium light breezes- what a way to begin an event! The boat is tuned and we are ready, we still aren’t totally satisfied and are still trying to improve so that we can do our best tomorrow. If the weather changes a bit and we get some breezes in from the north I think that’ll be just fine with all the teams that are racing here.'