Dubai’s Team Aqua leads after first day at SLAM Cup
by PR on 8 Sep 2007
Omega with Corrado Isenburg from Portofino at the helm SLAM
http://www.slamanz.com
Yesterday was the first day of regattas at the RC 44 SLAM CUP, the sailing contest being held in Santa Margherita Ligure which will conclude on Sunday 9 September.
Four spectacular fleet trials took place, with stiff winds around 15-18 knots marking the inauguration of the event. The protagonist was Dubai’s Team Aqua with Scott Kennedy at the helm and Cameron Appleton on tactics: the United Arab Emirates’ boat is lying top in the rankings, having had three partial wins and one second place.
A positive debut too for the new entry, Team Ceeref, Igor Lah’s new team from Slovenia, with ex Luna Rossa star, James Spithill, at the helm and Michele Ivaldi also in the cockpit. Third place for team Omega with Corrado Isenburg from Portofino at the helm, flanked by Russell Coutts on tactics.
'We are really satisfied with this first day’s performance' – James Spithill declared – 'the boat is a lot of fun even if it demands a great deal of physical effort. We hadn’t even considered the possibility of being second, given that we’d only had 4 days in training.'
Aboard the Japanese Team Beecom – fourth overall – there was also the model Keyla Espinoza (the face of Corona beer) who said: 'I had never sailed in a regatta; it was truly magnificent'.
Today will see the Match races with a change of roles in the cockpit: the boat owners – who took the helm for today’s regattas – will shift to the role of tacticians. Class rules, in fact, make it obligatory for the owners to take the helm during fleet regattas whilst, during match races, the professionals from the speciality are free to substitute the boat owner at the helm.
Everyone is on tenterhooks as they await the contest between Russell Coutts and James Spithill, even if the other Teams – like the competitive Aqua can hold their own.
The match races start at 12:00 hrs.
RC44 Slam Cup - Positions after day 1 - Fleet regattas
1. Team AQUA (UAE-1-1-1-2)
2. Team CEEREF (SLO, 4-2-2-3)
3. Team OMEGA (SWITZ, 3-4-4-1)
4. Team BEECOM (JPN, 6-3-3-4)
5. Team MAGIA LIGHTBAY (ITA, 2-5-5-5)
6. Team CRO-A-SAIL (CRO, 5-6-7-6)
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