Beugen II and Sugar lead ORC Sportboat Europeans into the last day

Three races were held today on the third day of racing in the ORC Sportboat European Championship, organized by Diporto Nautico Sistiana. Six are now on the scorecards for the fleet of 21 boats from 6 nations, with one final day of racing tomorrow to conclude the regatta.

The morning's first race started early at 9:15 AM and was sailed in an easterly bora wind of about 10 knots. The Race Committee, chaired by Dodi Villani, kicked off the second race at 11:00 AM with the breeze already dropping to 6-8 knots, prompting a course shortening from 5.36 to 3.92 miles. Taking advantage of a 6-7 knot southwesterly in the afternoon, the Race Committee then ran a third race on a short course of 3.58 miles.

The running of a fifth race in the series allowed for each team’s worse result to be discarded, so results have been shuffled from previous standings.

With this and the cumulative results of six races, Liam Pardy’s all-carbon SB4 BEUGEN II from England (shown above) has moved to the top of the Division A standings.

"The crew sailed really well today, said Pardy, “and we were comfortable in the weather conditions we encountered with our carbon boat with square top mainsail that we are racing with for the first time."

The division runner-up is yesterday’s leader, David Tomasin’s Melges 24 IL GRIGIO, helmed by Francesco Crichiutti. In the third place is Davide Rapotez’s Melges 24 RAFFICA.

"In today's first race we were ahead of the starting line and had to repeat it,” said IL GRIGIO helmsman Francesco Crichiutti. “Fortunately in the second race we sailed better and won it. In the last day tomorrow we will face it calmly and hope to have fun."
With two first-place finishes on the day in the first and second races, and a discard of their seventh place from the long distance first race, Estonian Ott Kikkas’s Corsa 915 SUGAR (shown above) has vaulted into a huge 14 point lead in Division B. This team is the defending Division B ORC Sportboat Europeans champion from last year’s event in Istanbul.

"Today I am happy for the results, but also enormously saddened by the passing of Roberto Vencato,” said SUGAR helmsman and ex-Olympian Sandro Montefusco. “For all the guys in the 470 class of my generation he was like a father. We definitely spent the best years of our careers with him.

"As for our regatta today, in the first two races sailed in fresh wind we had a fairly easy time being the ones with the biggest boat in Division B. In addition, Matteo [Ivaldi] on tactics always guessed all the wind shifts which allowed us to win easily. In the third race with light wind we suffered a bit more, but we still finished second and we certainly cannot complain.

“Tomorrow the forecast still indicates light wind, but we will face the final day without too much stress and without the intention of having to cover our rivals tightly, on whom we have a good lead in the standings, and which we will manage in the calmest way possible."

Ugo Guarnieri's Delta 84 CHARDONNAY helmed by Marco Gallo and representing the host club Diporto Nautico Sistiana, finished first in today's third race and is second in the Division B standings. Four points back in third is Lorenzo Bertini’s Platu 25 URSA MINOR.

"Today was a difficult day,” said CHARDONNAY helmsman Marco Gallo, “but in the last race we managed to have our say, with the wind conditions favored by the characteristics of our boat. After six races we are happy to have finally put our bow in front of SUGAR, which seems to be uncatchable. Tomorrow we have little to do if we think about the fight for first place. It will be better to focus on defending second place, with URSA MINOR quite close to us in third."

Tomorrow is the closing day of the ORC Sportboat European Championship. To once again take advantage of the bora wind expected in the morning, the Race Committee decided to bring forward the warning signal of the first race to 9:30 AM.
Tomorrow to take advantage of the bora wind expected in the morning, the Race Committee has again decided to bring forward the warning signal for the first race to 9:30 AM.