Italians lead Moby M30 Worlds day One

by Jill Campbell, Porto Cervo, Italy on 5 Oct 2007
After a few days of pre-worlds racing to get teams representing 14 nations acquainted with the weather and sea conditions off Porto Cervo, the Moby M30 World Championship is off to a flying start with three windward leewards completed under the direction of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s Race Committee.

After today’s racing the overall leaderboard has Assotubi Mummyone (ITA), owned by Antonio Mingozzi and Lauro Bonora in first place followed by Yoann Richomme’s Ann Be (FRA) in second and Lorenzo Santini’s Uka Uka (Ita) in third.

'We came here looking to do well after coming second in the Italian Circuit.' commented Bonora. 'Today was a good day for us with some good starts. In the first we didn’t get off to a great start but in the second we made up for it, we started well and were always in the lead from start to finish. In the third we had a good start as well but the teams are really fierce and we ended up coming in fourth, that’s the way it goes.'

The first race of the day started on time at 11.35 in a south south-easterly breeze of approximately 8 knots. Cheyenne led the fleet from the off and rounded the first windward mark ahead of Day One (FRA) and Groovederci (USA).

By the leeward mark Groovederci, with Bouwe Bekking calling tactics, had moved up to second but was overtaken on the second windward leg by Enfant terrible (FRA). At the second windward mark Cheyenne had increased her lead to over 30 seconds ahead of Enfant Terrible immediately followed by Groovederci: all three held their positions right up to the finish line.

By the start of race two the wind had picked up to approximately 12 knots and it was the turn of Assotubi Mummyone to lead the other 38 M30s around the marks. At the first windward mark she was followed by Bred (FRA) and Optimumm (AUS).

During the leeward leg New Caledonia (FRA) moved up to second and stayed there right to the finish while a battle for third place went on between another two French boats - Bred and Ann Be - which Ann Be would ultimately win.

Race three started in a breeze of 11 knots which had shifted slightly right to approximately 135° and would build throughout to reach a maximum of 15 knots.

Once again the crew that won the start was able to hold onto the lead for the duration: Guy Stennings Optimumm, from Australia dominated in this race and was followed across the finish line by Matrix Arca TX Active (ITA) and Uka Uka.

Former Star Class world champion and tactician on board Enfant Terrible, New Zealand's Hamish Pepper, explained their varied day which got off to a promising start with a second place in the first race before they placed 30th in race two and seventh in race three to leave them in tenth pace overall. 'It’s extremely close racing and every inch counts and the people that are leading are the ones that are the most consistent and they deserve to be there.

'In race two we had a bad start and kind of got back half way in in the first beat and then in the second beat I made a few bad decisions and got caught out with little wind and we didn’t do so well. The crew’s great, these guys have been together for a long time and they’re extremely talented sailors and it’s a Worlds competition and little mistakes cost you big-time. Tomorrow is another day.'

On the standard of the competition at this World Championship: 'It’s always gonna be an extremely tough regatta and there are world class sailors here, fleet racers, match racers, America’s Cup and Volvo Sailors and all sorts really, along with some excellent amateurs as well, so it’s a credit to the M30 class that it attracts such good sailors and we have such strong competition.'

Tomorrow’s forecast predicts similar wind conditions to today with 12-14 knots of south southeasterly breeze. Showers are likely in the afternoon.

Racing is scheduled to start at 11.30.

M30 – Provisional Summary Results

M 30 - Summary Results (Provisional) - as of 04 October 2007 at 17:38
Boat		Race 1		Race 2		Race 3
Owner/Helmsman	Sail No.	Pl	Pts	Pl	Pts	Pl	Pts	Total	Place
2 ASSOTUBI MUMMYONE	ITA 3003	12	12	1	1	4	4	17	1
Mingozzi / Bonora/Fracassoli Carlo
44 ANN BE	FRA 18325	4	4	5	5	10	10	19	2
Yoann Rihomme/Vincent Aillaud
41 UKA UKA	ITA 3049	9	9	9	9	3	3	21	3
Lorenzo Santini/Luca Valerio
27 NEW CALEDONIA	FRA 988	7	7	2	2	13	13	22	4
Vincent Portugal/Pierre Loic Berthet
24 MATRIX ARIA TX ACTIVE	ITA 3111	15	15	12	12	2	2	29	5
Melegari / Rinaldi/Luigi Melegari
30 OPTIMUMM	AUS 7151	21	21	8	8	1	1	30	6
Guy Stening/Guy Stening
6 CHEYENNE	ITA 13078	1	1	11	11	18	18	30	7
Federico Strocchi/Federico Strocchi
4 BARKING MAD	USA 65	5	5	6	6	21	21	32	8
James B. Richardson/James B. Richardson
26 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC MAGI	ITA 3064	25	25	3	3	6	6	34	9
Franchini \ Gasperoni \ Zaoli/Marco Franchini
14 JOE FLY	ITA 3005	11	11	18	18	9	9	38	10
Giovanni Maspero/Giovanni Maspero
10 ENFANT TERRIBLE	ITA 3078	2	2	30	30	7	7	39	11
Serena Gianluigi/Serena Gianluigi
37 THULE	MON 1	18	18	15	15	8	8	41	12
Fausto Rubbini/Farnetti Francesco
8 DANGEROUS BUT FUN	MON 2003	14	14	16	16	12	12	42	13
Michele Perris/Michele Perris
11 GROOVEDERCI	USA 706	3	3	28	28	17	17	48	14
Deneen B. Demourkas/Deneen B. Demourkas
40 TWINS	FRA 7	17	17	14	14	19	19	50	15
Erik Maris/Erik Maris
22 MAMMY	IRL 30	30	30	10	10	11	11	51	16
Diarmuid Foley/Diarmuid Foley
12 HIROSHI	ITA 3023	19	19	17	17	16	16	52	17
Armando Giulietti/Armando Giulietti
23 MASCALZONE LATINO	ITA 2121	23	23	25	25	5	5	53	18
Vincenzo Onorato/Vincenzo Onorato
5 BRED	FRA 1	27	27	4	4	28	28	59	19
TBC/Claudio Recchi
34 SPIRIT OF SIMONE - MASER	ITA 3020	16	16	21	21	22	22	59	20
Jacopo Bianchetti/Furio Monaco
43 ZUXU	EST 381	32	32	13	13	14	14	59	21
Peter Sharashkin/Peter Sharashkin
25 MEZZA LUNA	FIN 10581	6	6	33	33	23	23	62	22
Harri Roshier/Anssi Lyden
15 JOULES ASTERIX	GBR 3093R	26	26	7	7	30	30	63	23
Louis Browlle/David Evans
18 LA MARACHELLA DI DRI DRI	ITA 3076	13	13	26	26	25	25	64	24
G.Leopoldo, P. Marco/Pecorella Marco
32 RAIN BOW	GER 4640	33	33	19	19	15	15	67	25
Bent B. Dietrich/Bent B. Dietrich
38 TOPAS	GER 5373	28	28	23	23	20	20	71	26
Harald Bruning/Harald Bruning
3 BAGUA	ITA 3036	20	20	20	20	32	32	72	27
Andrea Ceccetti/Andrea Ceccetti
9 DILETTA	ITA 3063	22	22	22	22	31	31	75	28
Mauro Mocchegiani/Mauro Mocchegiani
7 DAY ONE	FRA 18386	8	8	OCS	40	34	34	82	29
Philipp Schoeller/Philipp Schoeller
19 LE COQ	ITA 3081	34	34	24	24	26	26	84	30
Carlo di Borbone/Carlo di Borbone
28 OGUZHAN JR	TUR 9992	10	10	37	37	38	38	85	31
Sedat Gulcaglayan/Sinan Sumer
21 MAGA JOANNA	ITA 3087	29	29	29	29	27	27	85	32
Luigi Parente/Paolo Parente
36 TENDER TO RAPETOUS	FRA 18309	37	37	27	27	24	24	88	33
Jean luc Pronier/Romain Gibon
35 STORM SYSTEM	ITA 3040	24	24	36	36	33	33	93	34
Pier Luigi Loro Piana/Pier Luigi Loro Piana
42 WHITE SHARM	GBR 30R	36	36	34	34	29	29	99	35
Geof Gibbons/Geof Gibbons
29 OMEGA PLANET OCEAN	SUI 309	35	35	31	31	36	36	102	36
Patrick Ducommun/Patrick Ducommun
20 LETTO DI PLETTO	SWE 2	31	31	38	38	35	35	104	37
Jan Hagg/Cristian Backhausen
33 RARA AVIS	RUS 18306	38	38	32	32	37	37	107	38
Arkadly Sverlov/Anna Basalkina
16 JUGA 2	RUS 6335	39	39	35	35	39	39	113	39
Los Victor/Bryuzga Sergey