RS500 World Championships – A real international leaderboard

by Michiel Geerling / Federico Maccari on 18 Aug 2017 We are seeing tough conditions in Gravedona for sailors and race committee.

Day one can be summarized with long waiting and no sailing. With heavy gust from every direction, shifts of 50’ to 110’. But off course the RS500 class made something great of this.

The Vikings from Sweden did a demonstration show. And it indeed showed it was a good decision to stay ashore.

Day two started with a bit of wind, then the wind disappeared to come back from the same direction, the North. With wind from the North the locals know, it is going to be touch. Windshifts and gusts appearing from everywhere.

It was very crowded on the start line during the first race. This resulted in a general recall and a blag flag. The second attempt everyone was more conservative and the ‘puzzle’ started. The first and second round were going well and the shifts were nice to react to. After that, during the third round, the top 10 was approaching the finish and the wind shifted almost 180’, resulting in abandoning the race.

The second attempt, the class could finish the race. Reading the water well and keep the boat fast was the thing to do. And that is what the locals Francesco Bozana and Andrea (ITA) did best, followed by Michiel Geerling and Esther (NED) and Martin and Axel Johanson (SWE).

The third race of the day was a copy of the first race. After two rounds the race was abandoned. And then a good breeze came in. And the fleet could have another good race.

End results: With two times a third place Swedish father and son Martin and Axel Johansson are leading followed by local expert brothers Federico and Fillipo Maccari (ITA). A couple of black flags and bad results of top-sailors a lot can (and will happen).

Day three was a day of no wind / very light wind from all directions, we sat and talked in the sun, listening to the ever-growing laughter in the cookery school and wine tasting out on by the club for the non-sailors. Kathyrn brought her infamous Games Night forward and, whilst awaiting the wind, six national teams engaged in hilarious combat. The youth and beauty of the Italian team was just pipped by the age and cunning of the UK team. Finally the no racing today signal sounded and the fleet headed to the bar.

Day four: The weather forecast finally should allow some good races with the typical Breva (south wind), but some remaindering of the previous days perturbations around the mountain makes the fleet wait on the shore, and then in the water for a good couple of hours. In the end, when hopes are fading, here it comes - a 6-8 knots south breeze, just about right to get the race started.

A short course and short starting line makes it tricky to come out from the start with full speed and in fact 10-15 boats are too “brave” and end up with a BFD in the first race. Second race exactly the same as the first one, crews are more conscious on the line bringing a clear start. Interesting race course very close to the east coast of the lake giving the impression you need to get down there, while the reality is different and closing to the windward mark left shifts gives advantages to that side of the course.

Federico and Filippo Maccari use all their local experience to come up with two bullets gaining the leadership on the race, behind all the others struggle to get constant results apart from Kikkert-Stapel (NED) who are very comfortable in these light winds bringing home four and a three, followed by Bozano-Dellepiane with 6-7. Disappointment for the Swedish Martin and Axel Johansson (BFD-5), Bokmark-Persson (BFD-6) and the locals Oppizzi-Frazzca (BFD-2), that starting line had its victims!

Day five: It seemed like the previous day, hot, sunny, no wind. Forecast is good again though so the fleets go out in the water hoping to catch the wind as soon as it comes. Finally after four days, the real Breva makes it appearance starting with 10-12 knots and growing with gusts of 14-16.

Great decision of the Race Committee to leave the course very short making races very close and intense from start to end. Race course strategy changed from the previous day and with good breeze coming in, the right side (and the coast) is actually the side to chase for the first two races while in the third and last race both sides are even giving chances also to those boats not having a good start and forced on the left side of the course.

As expected, as the wind grows, the Brits start showing their muscles with Russell-Snellgrove (5-6-1), Peter and James Curtis (6-2-UFD, which was a first!) and Saul-Caswell (3-7-6) taking the scene. Federico and Filippo Maccari though are well prepared in this conditions and with a 1-3 in the first two races secure their triumph in the Championship with still a race to go (fourth place).

The Swedish team pays the BFD of the previous day with a 21st in the last race, impossible to discard, leaving them with the bronze medal in favour of the Italians Bozano-Dellepiane, never as comfortable with strong wind as today (22-8-2), taking Silver and their first podium in a World Championship.

Has been a very interesting championship, we had all possible conditions and the level of the fleet is raising every year. Lots of new teams are coming in and fighting with more experienced ones. We all can’t wait already to be in Weymouth next year to have another great well of sailing….and partying (thanks Dutch as always)!!

RS500 Class - Results

Rank	Class	nat	SailNo	HelmName	CrewName	Club	Total	Nett
1st	RS500	GBR	1015	Federico Maria Maccari	Filippo Maccari	Circolo Vela Bellano	19.0	12.0
2nd	RS500	ITA	944	Francesco Bozano Gandolfo	Andrea Dellepiane	Circolo Nautico Ugo Costaguta	56.0	34.0
3rd	RS500	SWE	51	Martin Johansson	Axel Johansson	SS Kaparen	106.0	43.0
4th	RS500	GBR	1097	Richard Russell	Hannah Snellgrove	Lymington Town SC	107.0	44.0
5th	RS500	NED	1066	Michiel Geerling-van Susante	Esther Hopmans	W V Braassemermeer	114.0	51.0
6th	RS500	SWE	111	Peter Bokmark	Martin Persson	GKSS	118.0	55.0
7th	RS500	GBR	659	Peter Curtis	James Curtis	Grafham Water Sc	131.0	68.0
8th	RS500	ITA	1611	Alessandro Ballio	Ferrara Francesco	Persport SSD	92.0	72.0
9th	RS500	ITA	1032	Michele Oppizzi	Pietro Frazzica	Per Sport Colico	136.0	73.0
10th	RS500	NED	1003	Thomas Rot	Marloes Rot	WVA Vinkeveen	97.0	73.0
11th	RS500	SWE	821	Stephan Fassberg	Johanna Fassberg	SS Kaparen	146.0	83.0
12th	RS500	ITA	1609	Arturo Beltrando	Stefano Beltrando	AVNO	148.0	85.0
13th	RS500	ITA	1031	Cara Matteo	Pizzagalli Leonardo	Per Sport	108.0	89.0
14th	RS500	ITA	740	Mauro Finazzi	Walter Bragagnini	YCBG	123.0	93.0
15th	RS500	NED	1038	Anneke Kikkert	Floris Stapel	W V Braassemermeer	142.0	99.0
16th	RS500	CZE	1010	Anna Milerova	Klara Houskova	Sokol Dobrichovice	140.0	107.0
17th	RS500	NED	894	Bruno Goris	Edith Kanters	tbc	160.0	115.0
18th	RS500	GBR	1040	Mike Saul	Faye Caswell	Yorkshire Dales SC	179.0	116.0
19th	RS500	ITA	1604	Iacopo Roncuzzi	Federico Roncuzzi	Circolo Nautico Del Savio	183.0	120.0
20th	RS500	ITA	1617	Tommaso Marchesi	Isaia Del Rosso	Persport SSD	170.0	122.0