Conditions improve for Rolex Capri Sailing Week

by Jill Campbell and Vincenzo Frigo on 1 May 2006 The fleet of Swan 45’s, Farr 40’s, Mini-Maxis and Comets competing in the Rolex Capri Sailing Week, organised by the Yacht Club Capri and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, enjoyed sunshine and blue skies and even slightly stronger and more stable winds than the Mediterranean isle had provided up until today.

The Race Committee took note of the difficulties experienced by the Comet and Mini-Maxi fleets in the previous days and set a shorter coastal course of around 18 miles which took the fleet from the start off Capri, south around the Faraglioni Rocks, and back up to a windward mark before heading back south. To finish jut off the port of Capri. The Swan 45’s and Farr 40’s raced a further two windward-leewards, bringing them up to a total of seven races out of a possible nine.

The Farr 40 fleet saw the crew of Mascalzone Latino, owned by Vincenzo Onorato with tactician Russell Coutts on board, take victory for the fourth time in 3 days of racing in today’s first windward-leeward. In the second race of the day Germany’s Struntje Light, owned by Wolfgang Schaefer, overtook Manfredo Toninelli’s Mukka Express (which had led from the first mark) in the last 100 metres to claim first place. Today’s results mean that, with a maximum of just two races to be competed tomorrow, the overall scoreboard sees Mascalzone Latino retaining the lead she has held from day one on 21 points, followed by Struntje Light and Marco Rodolfi’s TWT.

Among the Swan 45’s Francesco Martino gained his first victory of the regatta with T…Too in today’s first race followed by a second behind Stefano Polti’s Mintaka in the final race of the day. With a sixth place and a third in today’s races Leonoardo Ferragamo’s Cuordileone holds onto the overall lead by just one point over Mintaka which in turn is four points ahead of Carlo Perrone’s Atlantica Racing.

Following two days of frustrating weather conditions the Mini-Maxi and Comet divisions took advantage of today’s 10-12 knot southerly winds to complete today’s course, for the most part, in around two hours. Both of these divisions have now completed four races, the maximum scheduled for the event, and today’s results decided the overall winners of the event.

The Mini-Maxi’s were led by Aleph, owned by Giorgio Ruffo which had been sitting in second place overall, just one point behind Massimo Violati’s Ops 5. Violati’s Baltic 60 came in second today leaving both boats on 6 points and both with two firsts and two seconds apiece. Aleph’s victory in the last two races sees her take the overall Rolex Capri Sailing Week Trophy for the division ahead of Ops 5 and Antonello Morina’s Sei Tu II in third. The Comets on the other hand were dominated by Guido Morisco’s Nur which claimed her third consecutive victory today to win the overall title in the division with six points. Domenico Accica’s Ola took second place overall on eight points ahead of last year’s winner Andromeda, owned by Antonio Roncone in third.

Cloudy skies and light, south-easterly winds are forecast for tomorrow. Racing for the Farr 40 and Swan 45 classes is scheduled to begin at 12 midday while the Mini-Maxi and Comet divisions will compete on a windward-leeward course in a race which will not affect today’s final overall results.