Melges 24 World Championship - Day 4

by Fiona Brown, IMCA Press Officer on 31 Aug 2006
The overnight gales may have abated but there was no shortage of thrills and spills on day four of the Melges 24 World Championship in Hyeres as the 119 crews completed the final two of six round robin races to decide the gold and silver fleets.

The overall standings are extremely close with just 11 points separating first to tenth places. At the top of the leader board Italy's Alina Helly Hansen, helmed by double Mumm 30 World Champion Luca Valerio and owned by Maurizio Abba, shares 15 points with the 2004 Melges 24 World Champion DRP Partner & Partners from Marseille, skippered by Philippe Ligot and now helmed by Francois Brenac.

On count back DRP Partner & Partners/Brenac are in second. Two points behind is the reigning Melges 24 North American Champion Full Throttle, helmed by owner Brian Porter with 2002 Melges 24 World Champion Harry Melges calling tactics. Fourth on 18 points is GEBL, helmed by Italian Amrica's Cup sailor Sandro Montefusco and owned by Cesare Bressan.

Britain's Gill, helmed by Stuart Rix and owned by Quentin Strauss, is in fifth place overall on 20 points and we have an interesting fraternal battle developing as Team Gill, helmed by Irish Olympian Mark Mansfield and owned by Quentin's brother Simon Strauss, lies in sixth on 22 points. The Italian Bette team, helmed by Nicola Celon and owned by Ezio Amadore, is the fourth placed filling in the Strauss sandwich on 21 points.

The race committee had hoped to run one further race late this afternoon after the protest from races five and six were heard and the gold and silver fleets allocated, but sadly time ran out. Six gold and silver fleet races are still scheduled for the remaining two days of the championship with racing currently due to start at 11:00 tomorrow.

For the last of the round robin races the wind went north and was extremely shifty and variable ranging from 8 to 25 knots. Today it was course Alpha, set to the east of Hyeres, which had the stronger winds, in particular on the first run of race five when a squall of 25 knots hit just as the boats were approaching the leeward mark.

A number of crews were caught unawares and there were several nasty broaches including one where a running boat broached into a beating boat, breaking their spinnaker pole and holing the other boat. Several boats broached so violently that their crews ended up in the water although fortunately none of them lost contact with their boats. At the other end of the spectru the final lap of race six on course Bravo was a tricky light airs affair in an extremely shifty 8-12 knots.

On course Alpha race five was won convincingly by Full Throttle/Brian Porter. He got a nice start just down from the committee boat, tacked off immediately and played the shifts, keeping to the right of the pack, which went left. As well as being in the right place he was also blisteringly fast and by the first weather mark had an impressive lead which he extended through the race to finish over a minute ahead.

With Porter long gone the final run battle for second place was what caught the spectator's attention with Bette/Luca Valerio, eventually beating Siste Stein, helmed by Eivind Mellaby and owned by Lars Horn Johannessen from Norway, by just a few feet on the line.

Race 6 on course Alpha was to be a much closer affair. At the first mark GEBL/Sandro Montefusco led the fleet, closely followed by Poizon Rouge/Jean Marc Monnard. Monnard clipped the weather mark as he rounded and had to take a penalty turn on the spreader leg allowing Siste Stein/Eivind Mellaby, to pass him. Full Throttle/Brian Porter slotted in to fourth with Sogeti Hyeres, helmed by Antoine Frickey and owned by Benjamin Cohen, fifth.

Montefusco and Monnard were neck and neck on the second lap with Monnard just leading at the second windward mark. Meanwhile Alina Helly Hansen/Luca Valerio was rapidly moving up the fleet after a mediocre first leg to round third just ahead of Porter.On the final leg Montefusco held his position despite constant threats while Valerio climbed to second leaving Monnard third with Frickey fourth. Porter lost out and had to be content with sixth.

Racing got underway slight later on course Bravo and as a result the heavy squall went through this circle just as the boats were starting and without the same violent gusts. Again it was to be an American benefit with California's Dave Ullman aboard Pegasus controlling the race from start to finish.

Behind him the pack changed places regularly as the wind flicked around. Eventually it was Alina Helly Hansen/Luca Valerio who took second place sailing a very impressive race to come from tenth at the first mark. Third place went to FR Environnement Nautique, helmed by FFV Champion of France Bruno Jourdren with Team Gill/Mark Mansfield fourth.

As race six got underway on course Bravo the wind was around 12 knots but it gradually dropped off to 8 on the final lap. At the first mark it was Alina Helly Hansen/Luca Valerio with a narrow lead from the Norwegian team Lek, helmed by Geri Dahl Andersen and owned by Hans Faeste, with FR Environnement Nautique/Bruno Jourdren third and DRP Partner & Partners/Francois Brenac fourth.

Valerio and his crew went into overdrive on the second lap and built a huge lead which they defended to the finish despite a light and difficult final run. By the second weather mark Brenac was in second and Quentin Strauss's Gill, helmed by Stuart Rix, had moved from seventh to third with the two boats rounding overlapped and set for a classic dog fight all the way to the finish. Rix eventually got the upper hand to take second with Brenac third and Dahl Andersen fourth.

Leading positions after day 4, 119 entries:

1  ITA 409 ALINA  HELLY HANSEN  15
2  FRA 571 DRP-PARTNER-PARTNERS  15
3  USA 600 FULL THROTTLE  17
4  ITA 580 GEBL  18
5  GBR 431 GILL  20
6  ITA 643 BETTE  21
7  GBR 592 TEAM GILL  22
8  SUI 599 POIZON ROUGE  23
9  SUI 521 BLU MOON  26
10  ITA 583 SHEREKHAN  26
11  FRA 601 SOGETI HYERES  28
12  FRA 639 EURO VOILES  30
13  USA 505 PEGUSUS  32
14  GBR 634 EXCELLENT  37
15  GBR 435 WILD THING  37.2
16  ITA 584 RUNA  38
17  ITA 438 ALTEA  39
18  EST 646 LENNY  48
20  FRA 612 ENCORE  53.6