Quality turnout for Rolex Farr 40 European Champs

by Key Partners (KPMS) on 6 Jun 2007
With a little under three months to the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, small wonder a large, highly competitive fleet has gathered to contest the class European Championships which is being held during the Rolex Settimana delle Bocche in Porto Cervo, Sardinia.

Hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda for the second time, this is the 8th edition of the Europeans and it has attracted one of the biggest fleets in the event's history.

At a close-fought Farr 40 Mediterranean season opener in Capri, Jim Richardson (Class President) and the crew of Barking Mad led by tactician Bouwe Bekking won by a convincing margin of 9-points despite not posting a single first place bullet during the seven race programme.

The coming four days will see 21 yachts from nine nations do battle for the European Championship crown over a scheduled eleven race series comprising short windward-leeward courses that will once again test the tactical prowess of the afterguard, the concentration of the owner/driver helms and the physical endurance of their crew in this strict One-Design class.

Richardson is clearly delighted to be in Sardinia, 'We're thrilled to be here in Porto Cervo for the Rolex Farr 40 Europeans. We have 21 boats, representing a lot of different countries and some really terrific sailors. We raced in Porto Cervo in 2003 in the Worlds when they were here and we are looking forward to coming back in a couple of years to the 2009 Worlds.

Porto Cervo is a great venue - probably the nicest yacht club I've ever seen in my life and they do a good job here. It's usually pretty breezy and that makes for some fun entertainment for the crews and for the owners and anyone watching. I was told that today was supposed to be a light air day and it was blowing 20 to 24 [knots] out there. I hate to see what happens when it gets windy!'

Richardson is a two time World Champion in the Farr 40s and has been one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the class from its early days. Since the beginning of 2007, the Farr 40 Class has been sailing with masthead spinnakers, a change that Richardson is greatly excited about; 'the introduction of masthead spinnakers has been a huge success. The boats plane so much earlier than they did before and they are really, really fun to sail.'

Rolex Capri Sailing Week marked the beginning of a European circuit that will culminate in the Worlds later this year. All the Capri fleet are competing, along with five newcomers some of whom have considerable pedigree.

Take Mascalzone Latino for one. Winner of the 2006 Rolex Farr 40 Worlds in Newport, along with the 2006 Europeans in Mahon and a string of other regattas during the season, Vincenzo Onorato is back once again in the Class he enigmatically described as 'the best offshore boat in the world, she's beautiful, she's like a nice blonde'. Fresh from his exploits in Valencia and the America's Cup, Onorato has brought with him tactician Adrian Stead who was a key ingredient in the success of last year.

Another team joining the circuit at this point is Wolfgang Stoltz and Opus One (Germany). Stolz should not be overlooked after narrowly missing out on the 2006 Worlds podium following a disappointing final race. Stratis Andreadis and Atalanti XI are part of the Greek sailing dynasty, which has alreadyshown form this year when George Andreadis finished second in the Farr 40 Class at Acura Key West. For this event, Stratis is sailing with Olympic Gold Medallist Sofia Bekatorou as tactician.

Giovanni Maspero & Joe Fly are familiar names in this part of the world and may be more at home with the conditions on the Costa Smeralda than Eduardo de Souza Ramos and Old Boys who have come all the way from Brazil. Ramos is an experienced yachtsman and has been racing for many years. He took part in the 2006 Farr Worlds in Newport finishing 30th out of 38 in a chartered boat. Undeterred he is back this year hoping for better and at the 2007 Farr 40 North Americans he finished 5th.

A further indication of intent is the appointment of Gastao Brun, a former Soling World Champion and two -time Olympian, as his tactician. Apparently, the name Old Boys reflects the age of some of the crew.

Elsewhere in the fleet and heading an expected four-boat assault on the worlds from down-under are two Australian crews - Matt & Lisa Allen's Ichi Ban and Lang & Sue Walker's Kokomo. Both were at Capri, where neither achieved a strong finish although Kokomo did open the week in exemplary style posting two first places and is current Australian Farr 40 Championship, whilst Ichi Ban may point to second place overall in the 2006 Worlds as an indication of their true potential. Both are delighted to be in Sardinia and have their sights set on Copenhagen at end of August where the Farr 40 Worlds celebrate its 10th anniversary.

Third in Capri in May, Massimo Mezzaroma & Nerone are entitled to come to the regatta with some confidence having won the Rolex Farr 40 World Champions here in 2003. With the effervescent Vasco Vascotto calling tactics for the series, nothing should be discounted.

Vascotto and Adrian Stead are not the only racers from the current America's Cup present in Sardinia. Paolo Cian (Team Shosoloza) is tactician on Gianluigi Serena's Enfant Terrible and Tommaso Chieffi (also Team Shosoloza) is calling the shots on Alessandro Barnaba's Fiamma.

Racing at the Rolex Settimana delle Bocche, for the Rolex Farr 40 European Championships, takes place between 6th & 9th June 2007. First race is scheduled for 12 noon tomorrow. The forecast is for south-easterly winds of 7 to 8 knots.