Although they finished 10th and 8th in Scarlino, respectively, John Kilroy's Samba Pa Ti and Vincenzo Onorato's Mascalzone Latino lie first and second in the regatta series, ahead of Audi Fratelli Giacomel in third place
The winners: Alessio Marinelli's Audi Fratelli Giacomel, with Riccardo Simoneschi as tactician. Image copyright Images by Max Ranchi - http://www.maxranchi.com
by Justin Chisholm
The final day of the 2011 Melges 32 Audi Sailing Series regatta at Marina di Scarlino, Maremma Tuscany, Italy saw the competition come to a thrilling conclusion over two intense and tightly fought races. Turning in a boat of the day performance which saw them win the first race and place fourth in the final heat, Italy’s Alessio Marinelli along with tactician Ricardo Simoneschi aboard Audi Fratelli Giacomel, leapfrogged themselves from sixth overall at the start of the day to take the overall regatta win.
An eighth and a third on the final day was enough for fellow Italian Filippo Pacinotti and tactician Daniele Cassinari aboard Brontolo HH to maintain their second place overall, just one point behind the winners. Having led the regatta since the first day, Jason Carroll and his tactician Cameron Appleton on the US boat Argo initially looked good to maintain their place at the top of the leaderboard when they placed third in the first race of the day, but a twelfth in the final race ultimately dropped them down to third overall, a margin of three points behind the winners.
With just five points separating the top six teams, there was an underlying mood of tension and anticipation as the fleet left the dock for the final day of racing. The first race of the day was sailed in a patchy six to eight knot land breeze, which presented the tacticians with some head scratching moments throughout. Soon after the start, the fleet spilt left and right into two almost equal packs and with big wind variations in both pressure and wind direction it was impossible until the final stages of the leg to determine which side would come out on top. In the end it was regatta leader Jason Carroll on Argo who had made most sense of the tricky conditions, and came in from the right to lead the fleet around the first mark and along the spreader leg, closely followed by a tight group of about six boats.
At the spreader mark Carroll initially chose to hoist his gennaker and stay on starboard gybe, allowing second placed Stuart Robinson (GBR) on Highlife to gain the advantage by rolling into a neatly executed gybe set. When the rest of the pack began to follow suit, Carroll quickly realised his mistake and gybed himself, but the damage was already done and by the mid point of the leg Argo was down to sixth or seventh place. Highlife led the race at the bottom gate and rounded the left hand mark. As the land breeze began to soften, the second beat was even more tricky than the first, with the fleet again breaking left and right.
Alessio Marinelli's Audi Fratelli Giacomel hit the left hand side the hardest and was rewarded with some seemingly exclusive extra breeze which took them past Highlife and into the lead at the second windward mark. Refusing to see the overall regatta lead slip away at this point, the Argo crew sailed a stellar leg which saw them move back up to third place at the windward mark. Despite the now rapidly failing breeze, the final downwind leg saw no place changes amongst the leaders, with Audi Fratelli Giacomel comfortably taking the gun, ahead of Highlife in second and Argo in third.
Just one more race now feasible inside the final day time limit, and at this point Jason Carroll (USA) on Argo held a six point lead over Marinelli in second with Filippo Pacinotti (ITA) on Brontolo HH a further two points behind in third.
After waiting patiently for a ten to twelve knot thermal sea breeze to establish itself, the race committee swapped the course through almost 180 degrees and set up for the sixth and deciding race of the series. Following an initial General Recall, the fleet got away cleanly second time, with some significant bias in the line bunching the boats at the committee boat end of the line. This congestion allowed reigning Melges 32 World Champion Luca Lalli (ITA) on B-Lin Sailing to get away cleanly nearer to the pin end and he ultimately led the fleet around the first windward mark. Close behind was John Kilroy (USA) on Samba Pa Ti in second, Antonello Morina (ITA) on Sei Tu 32 in third and Filippo Pacinotti (ITA) on Brontolo HH in fourth. Most significantly, in the battle for the overall title, second placed Alessio Marinelli had squeezed in at the top mark in twelfth, with regatta leader Carroll five places back in seventeenth.
The downwind leg served only to compress the leading pack, with B-Lin Sailing narrowly leadingSamba Pa Ti and a large gaggle of boats around the leeward gate. On the second beat the boats who had got themselves out to the right of the course came out on top. New race leader Brontolo HHwas virtually locked together with Sei tu 32 as they simultaneously gybe set and headed off down the final run. With Carroll back in eleventh, Marinelli was now on a charge for the regatta win and had moved up into fourth place, close behind Edoardo Lupi (ITA) on Torpyone in third.
At the end of an fierce battle amongst the race leaders on the final leg, Morina took the win followed by Lupi in second and Pacinotti in third. Marinelli came home in fourth and with Carroll finishing back in eleventh. This meant that a clearly delighted Marinelli had stolen the regatta win on the final race and by a margin of just one point. The ever consistent Pacinotti took second place, just one point away from taking victory himself, and after leading the regatta for so long, a rueful Carroll had in the end to settle for third overall.
In Italian:
AUDI Fratelli Giacomel di Alessio Marinelli e Riccardo Simoneschi alla tattica vince la seconda tappa delle Audi Sailing Series ospitate nel week end al Marina di Scarlino. Secondo posto assoluto, ad un solo punto da Audi, per Brontolo di Pacinotti/Cassinari seguito dagli americani Carrol e Appleton su Argo.
Quella di oggi è stata decisamente una giornata conclusiva che ha regalato ancora grandi emozioni e notevoli cambi al vertice della classifica che vedeva, alla vigilia della quinta prova, sei team (tutti nel giro di cinque punti) in lotta per il gradino più alto del podio, con tutti i giochi ancora aperti e una classifica tutta da scrivere e così è stato.
La quinta prova è stata corsa con vento sui sei nodi nella fase della partenza che ha girato notevolmente dopo la prima bolina obbligando il comitato di regata ad effettuare un cambio di percorso. Al primo giro di boa c’è Argo seguito da Highlife, Fantastica, Mascalzone Latino e Audi Fratelli Giacomel. Il vento porta la flotta a scegliere la sinistra per il secondo lato mentre solo Argo si allunga troppo a destra facendosi così sorpassare da Highlife, Fantastica e Audi. La seconda bolina paga la scelta tattica di Audi Fratelli Giacomel che sceglie la sinistra e gira primo l’ultima boa con circa tre minuti di vantaggio su Highlife, Argo e Opus One. Il vantaggio all’ultima bolina porta il team dell’Audi Italia Sailng Team a vincere a mani basse e mantenendo i tre minuti di vantaggio su Highlife, Argo, Opus One e Fantastica.
Richiamo generale e 12 nodi per la sesta prova che permette l’utilizzo dello scarto. Dopo la partenza la flotta si separa. Prende subito la testa B-LinSailing seguito da Samba Pa Ti, Sei Tu e Brontolo. Alla bolina successiva nuovo cambio nella testa della regata con Brontolo, Sei Tu, Torpyone, Audi e B-LinSailing. Brontolo in issata si fa passare da Sei Tu e Torpyone, ma continua a controllare Audi che è quarto.
La corsa dell’ultima poppa con 13 nodi d’aria vede tagliare per primo l’arrivo Sei Tu, seguito da Torpyone, Brontolo e Audi che con questo quarto posto finale vince per un solo punto su Brontolo la classifica over all della seconda tappa delle Audi Sailing Series.
“Abbiamo fatto due belle regate – ha raccontato un sorridente Riccardo Simoneschi al rientro in banchina – la vittoria finale di tappa è un successo del nostro equipaggio, abbiamo saputo fare gruppo, restare uniti e concentrati con il solo obiettivo di portare a casa il miglior risultato finale. Abbiamo lavorato tutti bene quindi complimenti al nostro timoniere Alessio Marinelli , a Gabriele Benussi alla randa, a Paolo Mangialardo, Nello Pavoni, Alfredo Di Giuseppe, Marco Serafini, Francesco Bassi, Peppe Alpini e alla nostra prodiera Lucia Giorgetti.”
Durante la cerimonia di premiazione, il responsabile per l’Italia di Cuervo Y Sobrinos, timekeeper ufficiale delle Audi Sailing Series ha consegnato al team cecoslovacco di Black Mamba un magnifico orologio gioiello Cuervo y Sobrinos, il solo orologio svizzero dall’anima latina.
La classifica generale della seconda tappa delle Audi Sailng Series Melges 32
(6 prove con uno scarto)
1st 23 ITA 1 Armonia AUDI Giacomel CV Portocivitanova Marinelli Alessio Simoneschi Riccardo 5.0 (12.0) 3.0 8.0 1.0 4.0 33.0 21.0
2nd 28 ITA 667 Brontolo HH SEF Stamura Pacinotti Filippo Cassinari Daniele 4.0 (13.0) 4.0 3.0 8.0 3.0 35.0 22.0
3rd 32 USA 128 Argo YC Larchmont Carroll Jason Appleton Cameron 6.0 1.0 2.0 (14.0) 3.0 12.0 38.0 24.0
4th 18 ITA 487 Torpyone Varazze CN Lupi Edoardo Brcin Branko (7.0) 5.0 6.0 6.0 7.0 2.0 33.0 26.0
5th 77 GBR 121 Highlife Beaulieu Robinson Stuart Scott Ruairidh 10.0 7.0 1.0 10.0 2.0 (14.0) 44.0 30.0
6th 02 ITA 212 Fantastica YC Torri Cirillo Lanfranco Vascotto Vasco 1.0 (16.0) 12.0 7.0 5.0 9.0 50.0 34.0
7th 62 ITA 179 Sei tu 32 CN Rimini Morina Antonello Cian Paolo (13.0) 11.0 5.0 9.0 11.0 1.0 50.0 37.0
8th 21 ITA 2121 Mascalzone Latino CN Roma Onorato Vincenzo Bruni Francesco 8.0 14.0 11.0 1.0 6.0 (15.0) 55.0 40.0
9th 03 ITA 187 Rush Diletta SEF Stamura Mocheggiani Mauro Ivaldi Matteo 14.0 4.0 8.0 2.0 12.0 (16.0) 56.0 40.0
10th 13 USA 13131 Samba Pa Ti Waikiki YC Kilroy John Wilmot Natan 2.0 2.0 10.0 (21.0) 21.0 6.0 62.0 41.0
11th 95 ITA 23 B-Lin CN Marina Carrara Lalli Luca Bressani Lorenzo (16.0) 3.0 9.0 13.0 14.0 5.0 60.0 44.0
12th 45 ITA 177 Cuervo y Sobrinos CVE Battistella Ferdinando Casale Andrea 11.0 8.0 13.0 5.0 (19.0) 11.0 67.0 48.0
13th 99 NED 209 Roark WSV Noorbeveland Kaan kees Bouwe Bekking 12.0 10.0 7.0 11.0 (16.0) 10.0 66.0 50.0
14th 69 USA 169 Bliksem NYYC Tasellar Pieter Wilmot Jeremy 3.0 6.0 14.0 (19.0) 10.0 18.0 70.0 51.0
15th 19 ITA 19 Atlantica YCI Perrone Carlo Bodini Lorenzo (21.0) 15.0 17.0 17.0 9.0 8.0 87.0 66.0
16th 27 ITA 172 Janas YC Cagliari Pardini Roberto Giusti Paolo 18.0 (20.0) 16.0 15.0 17.0 7.0 93.0 73.017th 16 GER 205 Opus One Stolz Wolfgang Jesp Radich (20.0) 18.0 20.0 12.0 4.0 20.0 94.0 74.0
18th 22 ITA 25021 Framartina YCCA Pavesio Edoardo Felci Andrea 15.0 9.0 15.0 18.0 (20.0) 19.0 96.0 76.0
19th 04 CZE 204 Black Mamba YC Brno Knetig Martin Kozelsky Jakub 19.0 (21.0) 18.0 4.0 15.0 21.0 98.0 77.0
20th 17 FRA 202 Teasing Machine Marseille Cruette Jean Francois Ponthieu Christian 9.0 17.0 (21.0) 16.0 18.0 17.0 98.0 77.0
21st 78 GER 225 Immac SV Itzchoc Soyca Christian Bolvig Hansen Peter 17.0 19.0 19.0 (22.0) 13.0 13.0 103.0 81.0
22nd 12 ITA 182 H2SO4 CVG Serena Francesco Bianchi Nicol? (22.0) 22.0 22.0 20.0 22.0 22.0 130.0 108.0
La classifica generale Audi Sailing Series :
1. Samba Pa Ti - Kilroy/Wilmot 59pts
2. Mascalzone Latino - Onorato/Bruni 65pts
3. Audi Fratelli Giacomel – Marinelli /Simoneschi 65pts
Melges 32
