Russell Coutts' Team Omega wins Malcesine Cup

by Media PR on 14 Jul 2007 The professional sailors were back at the helm this afternoon in Malcesine for the match-racing event. A complete round robin got completed in superb sailing conditions (10-15 knots).

On great form, Cameron Appleton (Team Aqua) and Russell Coutts (Team Omega) left absolutely no chance to their opponents, winning all their starts and regularly inflicting penalties to their opponents.

The final match - between Team Aqua and Team Omega - reached summits as the two teams were competing for victory a few meters away from the shore, providing an extraordinary show to the public. Team Aqua took the best start and controlled the first beat. But Team Omega benefited from a nice gust of wind and a good strategy during the downwind leg to take the lead. Despite Appleton's numerous attacks, Team Omega remained in the lead, controlling the situation and winning the match and the round robin.

Cro-A-Sail, with Jesper Radich at the helm, finished third after winning its matches against Team Magia Carbon Affairs and Antigua Ekipa 44. Having changed part of his crew recently, Miroslav Reljanovic was expecting a better result. But once again, the teams with most experience proved to be difficult to beat.

Both Team Antigua Ekipa 44 and Magia Carbon Affairs made the same analysis at the end of the day; both of them were sailing with new crewmembers, who were discovering the class and match-racing at this level. Team Omega and Team Aqua were clearly out of reach for them.

Once again, Malcesine and Lake Garda proved to be one of the best locations in the world to host a top level sailing event.

Tomorrow, the RC 44 teams will set sails at 6:30 AM and sail freely in the strong morning breeze for television purposes, before competing a coastal race and a fleet race.

What they said:

Russell Coutts, Team Omega:
'I am absolutely thrilled by this event. Malcesine is just one of the best places I know in Europe for sailing. The breeze is steady and strong and the scenery is superb. I really want the whole fleet to come back here next year.'

David Lees, International umpire & judge:
'It is very interesting for me to work with this class, because the level of racing and boat handling is much higher than in the other classes I usually work with. The racing is very close and come-backs are always possible because of the speed of the boats. On top of this, the RC 44's are lovely and they have an aggressive look, which makes it even more pleasant.'

Jesper Radich, Cro-A-Sail:
'This boat is very rewarding when it is being sailed well. Indeed, it needs to be trimmed constantly; there is nothing static and it requires constant effort and concentration. I am discovering it, so I feel that I have a lot to learn. But it is great fun.'

Rasmus Kostner, Team Magia Carbon Affairs:
'If you are not having fun on this boat, then you should seriously consider doing another sport. It’s absolutely awesome. And the venue is great. This morning, we were having coffee at 11:30 and the lake was as flat as a mirror. However, we all knew that the breeze was going to come soon and of course it did. It’s magic!'

Match racing: Final results after one round robin:

1) Team Omega (4 wins / 0 defeats) 4 points
2) Team Aqua (3 /1) 3 points
3) Cro-A-Sail (2 / 2) 2 points
4) Antigua Ekipa 44 (1 / 3) 1 point
5) Magia Carbon Affairs (0 / 4) 0 point