40th J/24 World Championship in Riva del Garda, Italy - Day 3
by Elena Giolai 29 Aug 2018 12:26 PDT
23-31 August 2018
Another day on Lake Garda brought ideal conditions to the J24 World Championships: more sun and wind, and two races, for a total of seven thus far in the event program organized by Fraglia Vela Riva in collaboration with Italian and International J24 Class, as well as with the Federation Italian Sailing. After three days, the first positions begin to take shape. The American Will Welles (204 World Champion), but carrying the two Italian Andrea Casale Giuliano Cattarozzi, has after the uncertainties on Wednesday recovered the most, producing two partial seconds and stretching over rivals taking now with 7 points ahead of the second.
"It went well compared to Wednesday, especially because we were able to get a good start, the first real difficulty with such a crowded starting line," commented tactician Kaster Andrea Casale just on shore.
"The lake now has not had the conditions standard: the first round (sixth overall) was to do all right on the west side, while the second - with a longer route with three full revolutions. It was a very tactical test, because there were two twenty fighting, one that came from the Monte Baldo and another more right. There were in fact many changes of positions between the first and last upwind such as the Japanese Siesta that from early on the first beat then came seventh because of later. With Kaster after a good start we have shown to have great speed upwind, which enabled us always to race in the top and close with two very important partial seconds," said Casale.
The Japanese Siesta with Nobuyuki Imai at the helm have thus gained a position in the overall standings, taking second after a first and a seventh day. It was also an excellent day for German JJone with the champion of the J/24 World (Japan 2016) Daniel Frost at the helm: a quarter and a third is third overall, but with a lead of one point over other US Furio, with Keith Whittemore the bar, so definitely in great recovery after a third and a first. It was a bad day for the Hungarians of J.Bond037, who dropped to fifth. If Wednesday was a big day for the Japanese, that today has seen steady and in leading positions both the Americans and the Germans: in addition to JJone who moved up to fourth place, the other German boat with Schwere Jungs Stefan Karsunke at the helm, he always turned in the top; with a fifth and fourth partial marked its best day of the Championship.
On Thursday the weather forecast does not bode well, but on the Garda even in bad weather conditions the wind usually comes easily with the opposite direction to that in which it has competed so far, and then from the north: the Race Committee has scheduled two more tests with more and departure to 13:00.
Complete results may be found at www.j24worlds2018.it/results and photos are available on photos.app.goo.gl/goYfD9Xwyho4RkhV8 or the J/24 Class Facebook page.