J-24 World Championship, cambio al vertice
J-24Vela 7 Maggio 2009 Zerogradinord 0
J-24 World Championship – Annapolis – Si va avanti con passo lento al Mondiale J-24 di Annapolis. Tre prove in tre giorni sono il magro bottino reso possibile dalle condizioni di vento leggero, a tratti impalpabile, che sta mettendo a dura prova i nervi di organizzatori e partecipanti.
Dopo l’annullamento di ieri, il Comitato di Regata sperava di riuscire a portare a casa almeno tre manche, ma si è dovuto accontentare di un solo risultato valido. Buon per Anhony Parker, visto che il suo Bangor Pocket, grazie a un secondo di giornata, ha preso la testa della classifica, seguito dai messicani di Glaceau Vitaminwater e dai canadesi di Clear Air.
Risale in classifica Fiamma Gialla, quinto grazie a un ottavo, ma i parziali raccontono di un avvio in salita per l’imbarcazione italiana, impegnata nel tentativo di difendere il titolo conquistato lo scorso anno in Sardegna.
Scivola nelle retrovie Bruschetta; il leader della prima ora è appesantito dal pessimo risultato rimediato oggi nelle difficili acque statunitensi.
J-24 World Cha,pionship, day 3
1° – Bangor Packet, Anthony Parker (USA), 5-22-2, pt. 29
2° – Glaceau Vitaminwater, Jorge Xavier Murireta (MEX), 16-10-5, pt. 31
3° – Clear Air, Rossi Milev (CAN), 21-5-6, pt. 34
4° – Three Bond, Tetsuya Matsunaga (JAP), 12-3-23, pt. 38
5° – Fiamma Gialla, Andrea Casale (JAP), 21-9-8, pt. 38
seguono 77 scafi
J-24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, BANGOR POCKET TAKES THE LEAD
[J-24 World Press Release] With continued light air, this time from the southeast, the sailors competing in the 2009 J-24 World Championship saw only one race completed, and although the air went nearly flat in mid-race, the time limit was met and everyone was able to finish. The conditions did result in some startling upsets for some of the early leaders, while those who were able to capitalize on good decisions early made out well.
Taking second in the day’s race was Washingtonian Tony Parker, whose Bangor Packet team moved to the top of the 79-boat fleet. Sailing with Parker, a long-time J-24 veteran with plenty of successes on his resume, are Dave Schoene, Geoff Ewenson, John McCabe and Mattie Farrar.
“We started at the midline boat,” Ewenson said, “and had a clean start. One thing we really work for is to control our own destiny for the first five minutes, which means, for example, that if we want to tack, we have room to do it.
“With the breeze as light as it was, we knew the current was going to be the biggest factor. The left side had more favorable current, and we found a fortuitous breeze line halfway up the first beat. We really worked hard to play the left side, and it turned into a one-way race track up that side.”
In addition to the current, reading the wind also figured into the team’s success. “It was very spotty,” Ewenson explained. “The shifts were happening so fast, it was really all about staying in the pressure, and there always seemed to be more pressure on the left.”
“It built to about 6-1/2 to 7 knots right before the scheduled start,” said Principal Race Officer Sandy Grosvenor. “To my astonishment, and despite about a knot of current setting them into the course, they got off a clear start with only two boats over early, and they came back.”
Grosvenor said that before the race, she expressed concern about the current to IJCA Technical Committee Chair Lorne Chapman. “He said to me, ‘These are the best J/24 sailors in the world. They’ll figure it out.’ And they did.”
Grosvenor said that the breeze flattened down to about 2 knots during the race, but never completely died.
“The guys who were not on the favored side had a hard time in no wind,” said Canadian Rossi Milev, whose Clear Air crew moved into third with a sixth-place finish today. “If you were ahead, you could go around the bottom mark and into the favorable current, while the other guys were still fighting the current to get around.”
Racing will continue through Friday. A worst-race throwout will factor into the scoring once a total of five races has been reached. Wind forecasts for Thursday and Friday are more favorable, so that goal should be attained or exceeded by the regatta’s end.
J-24 World Cha,pionship, day 3
1° – Bangor Packet, Anthony Parker (USA), 5-22-2, pt. 29
2° – Glaceau Vitaminwater, Jorge Xavier Murireta (MEX), 16-10-5, pt. 31
3° – Clear Air, Rossi Milev (CAN), 21-5-6, pt. 34
4° – Three Bond, Tetsuya Matsunaga (JAP), 12-3-23, pt. 38
5° – Fiamma Gialla, Andrea Casale (JAP), 21-9-8, pt. 3
followed by 77 boats
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