LVPS: Luna Rossa Challenge versus Greece and South Africa

by Luna Rossa media

02/02/2009 - Greek Challenge (GR) vs Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA)

Wind: SW 10 knots
Course: Windward - leeward of 1.4 miles (2 laps)

Start: Luna Rossa enters from the Committee Boat and, although Gavin Brady manages to escape the dial up, Peter Holmberg keeps in control and forces him to tack just a few metres before the starting line. Luna Rossa starts with good speed and both boats prefer the left side of the course, racing parallel with Greek Challenge slightly upwind of Luna Rossa. The two boats reach the layline from the left, and Luna Rossa rounds the mark 27s ahead.

Both start the downwind leg on the port gybe. Halfway through the leg Greek Challenge gybes to attack and moves to the right, but Luna Rossa jibes back in control between his opponent and the mark, keeping a lead of about 150 meters. Greek Challenge attacks Luna Rossa again but the Italian boat promptly responds. Both boats sail towards the gate port tack, Luna Rossa keeping his control position.

At the gate, the two boats choose to round the left mark, with Luna Rossa leading by 29s. In the second windward Greek Challenge tries to attack Luna Rossa, first tacking to the right side of the course, then to the left, but Peter Holmberg promptly responds, firstly by putting Gavin Brady in his dirty wind, then controlling at a distance.

At the second windward mark Luna Rossa stretches his lead to 46s and starts the last leg port gybe and responds to Gavin Brady’s attacks throughout the downwind leg finishing with a 54s lead, and scoring his first point at the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series.

02/02/2009 - Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA) vs Team Shosholoza (RSA)

Wind: SW 10 knots
Course: Windward - leeward of 1.4 miles (2 laps)

Start: Luna Rossa enters the box from the pin end and avoids the dial-up. During the pre-start circling it appears that both teams want the right.

Luna Rossa manages to start at the Committee Boat, pushing Shosholoza to the left of the course.

Halfway the windward leg, Luna Rossa is slightly ahead of Shosholoza, but after a short tacking duel – including some fake tacks – Shosholoza takes the lead and the right.

Shosholoza is slightly ahead at the windward mark, but Luna Rossa manages to roll the South Africans, taking a narrow lead. It is a very close match, the two boats sailing downwind side-by-side and jibing simultaneously for the gate. Luna Rossa manages to keep a few meters lead and to round the mark ahead of Shosholoza; during the rounding maneuver a penalty for failing to give room to Luna Rossa is imposed on Shosholoza. Luna Rossa tacks to the left while Shosholoza keeps the right; Luna Rossa then tacks safely towards the right, but Shosholoza manages anyway to take a one boat length lead.

At the windward mark the match is again very close and tactical. Shosholoza luffs Luna Rossa head-to-wind a number of times and, after rounding the mark, does not hoist the spinnaker and tries to equal the penalties by attacking Luna Rossa with a series of jibes and/or luffs. In doing so the South African Team incurs in a second penalty, that they have to compensate immediately.

At this point Luna Rossa hoists the spinnaker and takes a 150m lead, that Peter Holmberg will keep until the finishing line. Luna Rossa wins with an advantage of 1m 09s (Shosholoza having to compensate its other penalty), scores the second point in the Series and is included in the Gold Fleet for the second Round Robin.

Luna Rossa Challenge