Rolex Farr 40 Worlds 2011 - Two to Tango on final day

by www.Sail-World.com on 25 Feb 2011 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship 2011.

After day 3 of the championship Antonio Sodo Migliori and Massimo Mezzaroma' Nerone, the defending Rolex Farr 40 World Champion, leads Guido Belgiorno-Nettis' Transfusion by a single point with just two races to sail in the 2011 World Championship. Nerone grabbed the race 8 win today.

There were some minor score adjustments last night after the jury disqualified Wolfgang Schaefer’s Struntje Light and Chris Way and Ian Burns' Easy Tiger from race 6 after incident with Transfusion.

This morning PRO Peter Reggio again held the 20 boat Farr 40 fleet ashore until the sea breeze kicked in.

When race 7, after a general recall, was eventually gunned away, in an 8-10 knot north easter, it was another excellent start from the Transfusion tactician John Kostecki. With the wind going left, they led at the top mark from Struntje Light and Bill Douglass' Goombay Smash. Mid fleet was Nerone and a couple of paces further back was Lisa and Martin Hill’s Estate Master. The lead places remained unchanged at bottom mark where there was a course change to 025.

At the second top mark Struntje found a small shift that allowed her to sail into first place ahead of Goombay Smash with Transfusion now up to third.

After the final run tactician James Spithill made a good gybe call and Goombay Smash won the race from Struntje Light, with Lang Walker’s Kokomo sailing through Transfusion. Fifth was New Zealand's Brett Neill on White Cloud, then Nerone, Alex Roepers' Plenty, Hooligan, Easy Tiger and Barking Mad. A horrible 12th for Estate Master who was now fading back into the fleet, the new Class President's 2011 World Championship hopes now clearly gone too.

The wind had swung further left by the start of race eight, to 005 and it was a postcard 12-15 knots with blue skies.

Where else would you be today?

Triple Farr 40 World Champion Jim Richardson was fast out of the box on Barking Mad and led at the top mark from Nerone with Helmut Jahn’s Flash Gordon, Marcus Blackmore’s Hooligan and the consistent Transfusion team.

At the spinnaker drop Nerone had the lead from Flash Gordon with Blackmore sailing into form after a three year break from Farr 40 campaigning now third and ahead of Barking Mad and Transfusion.

At the top mark for the second time Nerone was just a length ahead of Barking Mad, then came Flash Gordon, Transfusion and Hooligan. The 'Hooligans' surfed into third on the run bringing a big finishing line smile from Marcus Blackmore.

Rolex Farr 40 Worlds Day 3 Standings:

1. Nerone 30 pts;
2. Transfusion 31;
3. Flash Gordon 51.

Given the tightness of the racing the same two crews that duelled to the death in the Dominican Republic at the last Worlds are set to tango off Sydney on Saturday.