Giraglia Rolex Cup at St.Tropez, France - Day 2
by Rolex Media Centre 11 Jun 2007 14:23 PDT
Edimetra steals the show as Atalanta II falls behind in overall ranking
It's Bob Oatley's 79th birthday, and he could not have celebrated better than he did on the water today during the second inshore race of the 2007 Giraglia Rolex Cup. Taking first place today in both real and corrected time, the Australians move into the top 3 below Favonius and Magic Carpet, who have the overall rank of 1st and 2nd respectively after two days of inshore races. In the much disputed IMS Class Group A, Atalanta II lost her first place position to Edimetra VI, who came in 7th in the second race and who is now leading the overall ranking.
The lack of wind on the course made navigation difficult for the leaders of Group B. By 17.00 the results were still unknown, but Citta' di Genova, Betta Splendens and Calima came in 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively in the second race and the overall rankings saw Calima in 1st, Betta Splendens in 2nd, and Lima Golf 3 in 3rd.
Competitors and photographers alike were expecting a beautiful day here in Saint-Tropez after yesterday's weather prediction of stable wind in the area between the islands of Hyères and Cape Camarat. However, the race committee once again announced delays for this morning's start, which finally for the Super Maxis and the IMS Class A after a few moments of hesitation. The first race mark faced the port of Saint-Tropez, a unique set-up which allowed for direct speed comparisons between the maxis and which could not have made the tourists any happier.
A speedy return for Magic Carpet Squared, who today welcomed Maud Fontenoy on board, put Lindsay Owen Jones' Wally in 3rd place after the day's race and 2nd place overall in the IRC class. Alfa Romeo had a poor start and had to sail perfectly in order to join back up with the leaders of the pack, finally finishing 2nd today for a 4th place overall ranking. Wild Oats almost lost their comfortable advantage when they had a mishap involving a tangled spinnaker, but the quick reaction time of the crew enabled the team to limit the damages. Finishing the race was nothing more than a formality for the Australian boat, and at the end of 32.5 mile course, Wild Oats had a first in both real and corrected time, a perfect gift for her owner Bob Oatley, who is celebrating his 79th birthday. Today's results pushed Wild Oats from 5th place into 3rd overall. Tomorrow's races will be the essential factor for determining the overall inshore race winners as the 1st and 5th place boats are separated by a mere four points.
In the IMS Class Group A, the top three finishers were all French, two First 40.7s and an A-40, followed by the Italian fleet. Atalanta II lost a lot of ground in a short amount of time, while Edimetra VI managed to come in 7th in the second race, boosting their overall ranking to the top position in the class.
Gabriele Benussi (ITA), tactician on board Atalanta II commented on the day's race and Atalanta II's sudden falling in the ranks. "It was a 32.5 nautical mile costal race that was quite technical. We tacked a lot in the first part and we did quite well. According to the calculation of our navigator we were still leading the ranking. In the second part we stabilized with Edimetra's position, which is our first competitor as she is pretty similar in terms of boat characteristics and crew. Unfortunately, entering the bay of Saint-Tropez there was a completely lack of wind. All the boats behind us came in with more wind so we suddenly found ourselves packed in the fleet and as we are the biggest boat in the group we got penalized in corrected time. Basically we lost most of our advantage in less than one mile and that one mile was also the last of the race. We were a little bit disappointed but there is still once race left and the ranking sees us sticking close to Edimetra so we think we can still make it."
As the start of the Giraglia Rolex Cup looms close, teams are preparing in every way they can. "To prepare for the Giraglia we are trying not to get too tired as we know it's a very demanding race and there will be slight wind conditions," said Benussi. "We will turn over on board according to a fixed schedule to guarantee that all the crew will have the chance to rest and always be fresh. It is a very long race so we need to have fresh and reactive persons on board at the right time."
Pietro D'Ali (ITA), tactician on board Edimetra, was very positive about today's results. "Today was a great racing day. We had an excellent start and we worked so well in the last part of the race in the lack of wind. Fortunately we caught the right breeze and were able to get over Atalanta. Atalanta was unlucky as they suffered more from the lack of wind in the last part of the race than we did. We first tried to get the breeze positioning in the centre of the gulf but then there was a slight increase in the breeze close to the coast so that we closed up to the wind direction and exploited it until the arrival. In the last part it shifted again to the opposite side of the bay but we had practically arrived at the finish line already which allowed us to reduce our gap with Atalanta on the corrected time."
Unfortunately for Group B, the once strong wind died out after a couple of hours. The provisional leaders of the class find themselves in a delicate situation as the conditions put their top positions in jeopardy. By 17.00 the final results were still unknown but it is certain that many surprises await as anyone could move into the top positions.
Tomorrow June 12th, the participants should find themselves face to face with conditions similar to today's with light winds in the afternoon.
Focus on Reichel/Pugh
Known worldwide for their efficient and fast boat designs, the San Diego based American group Reichel/Pugh is incredibly well represented in this years' Giraglia Rolex Cup. Various designers around the world specialize in the conception and creation of multihulls or monohull, but this California group excels in the realization of Super Maxis and Maxi's capable of great performances.
There have been many champions in the history of the Giraglia Rolex Cup that have come from the Reichel/Pugh drawing boards including Alexia B, Alfa Romeo and Nokia Enigma. This powerful presence is once again confirmed here in Saint Tropez for 2007 through Alfa Romeo, Damiani Our Dream, Alexia B, and of course Wild Oats XI.
Provisional Results on Corrected Time (IMS System) - Giraglia Rolex Cup Race 2
IMS Class Group A (Top 3)
1. Sayann 2 - Leila Baillie - First 40.7 - 03:26:14
2. Lovin'It - Stephane Piot - First 40.7 - 03:26:52
3. Geranium Killer - Charles Metenier - A-40 - 03:30:41
IMS Class Group B (Top 3)
1. Citta' di Genova - Maurizio Postani / Orzapoggia Sailing - Vroljk 37 - 03:41:09
2. Betta Splendens - Orazio Olivio - First 36.7 - 03:53:57
3. Calima- Javier Pujol - Proto - 03:55:29
IRC Class (Top 3)
1. Wild Oats XI - Robert Oatley - Super Maxi - 04:30:15
2. Alfa Romeo - Neville Crichton - Super Maxi - 04:35:31
3. Magic Carpet - Lindsay Owen Jones - Wally 94.2 - 04:42:16
Provisional Results - Overall after two inshore races
IMS Class Group A (Top 3)
1. Edimetra VI - Ernesto Gismondi - Wally 65
2. Atalanta II - Carlo Puri Negri - Farr 70 Racer
3. Aria TX Active - Alberto Franchella - Comet 41S
IMS Class Group B (Top 3)
1. Calima- Javier Pujol - Proto
2. Betta Splendens - Orazio Olivio - First 36.7
3. Lima Golf 3 - Giorgio Gobbo - Mescal 31 MOD
IRC Class (Top 3)
1. Favonius - Roel Pieper - Swan 80
2. Magic Carpet - Lindsay Owen Jones - Wally 94.2
3. Wild Oats XI - Robert Oatley - Super Maxi