Casales leads Sardinia J/24 Winter Series at Windsurfing Club Cagliari
by J/Boats 8 Feb 2019 00:52 PST
J/24 fleet © jboats.com
In the waters of the Golfo di Poetto, the Windsurfing Club Cagliari hosted the first event of their winter series on the beautiful waters off Sardinia for a fleet of ten boats. Prior to the start of the series, mistral-like conditions buffeted the island with steady 30 knots of winds, gusting to 45 knots. However, by the weekend, the Race Committee of the WCC, chaired by Betty Lai, managed to run three races on Saturday.
The starts were close, tightly packed, and the first windward legs were, in particular, very shifty, making it hard for boats to remain consistent race to race. The one exception appeared to be Andrea Casale, an Italian J/24 Champion and also two-time J/24 World Champion. His team managed to round all marks in the lead and start out the series in first place.
Behind Casales' team on Aria Della Lni Olbia in the first race was Aurelio Bini's Vigne Surrau in second and Giuseppe Taras' Dolphins in third. In the second race, Dolphins took second followed by Sergio Contu's New Mollica in third place. In the last and final race of the weekend, New Mollica took second in a close duel with Casales, with Vigne Surrau taking third.
At the end of the racing, the J/24 crews met to talk with the Genovese champion- Casales- who, in addition to describing the sails he represents, gave excellent advice on the boat's handling and on the tactical choices to be competitive in conditions like those on the weekend. The arrival of pasta and delicious Sardinian wine offered by the WCC gave the right conclusion to a beautiful day at sea and sport.
The overall standings (after the first 5 races) have ITA 443 Aria Della Lni Olbia leading with a 6-2-1-1-1 record, followed by ITA 405 Vigne Surrau from the Circolo Nautico Arzachena with a 3-1-2-9-3 tally in second, then Giuseppe Taras' ITA 401 Dolphins sitting in third with a 2-6-3-2-5 scoreline.
The next event for the Sardinian J/24 fleet is scheduled for February 16th and 17th. More Sardinia J/24 fleet sailing information available here.