The coastal race gives Spanish leadership

The GP42 and TP52 classes suffered from the lack of breeze in their race area. After waiting for more than 2 hours for the wind to come, the race committee decided to move further south where the local southeastern “xaloc” was blowing at 9 knots.

The IRC and ORC sailed the first coastal races inside the Palma bay, in a day that proved tactically difficult due to the demanding wind conditions. After an initial windward/leeward leg, the fleet sailed to the Illetas islet and after rounding it

The first race of the TP52 was almost a repeat of yesterday’s first one. Once again, Platoon, helmed by Jochen Schuemann, led the fleet from the start and won with a 1-minute advantage over Mutua Madrileña and Desafío. The two Spanish boats took revenge in the day’s second race. Terry Hutchinson led Desafío to victory and Vasco Vascotto drove Mutua Madrileña to second place. John Cook’s Cristabella was third. Jochen Schuemann’s AUDI-sponsored boat is still on top of the fleet but his breathing space is shrinking.

In the GP42 fleet Franck Noël’s Near Miss, helmed by Bertrand Pacé, prevailed in the first race. José Maria Van der Ploeg’s MADRID sailed a tight race, finishing just 20 seconds behind the Swiss, while Canarias Puerto Calero finished third in a 1-second photo finish. Nothing seemed that could stop Near Miss. They won the second race with a 1-minute lead over AIRIS while MADRID showed again consistency by crossing the finish line 3rd. Near Miss has now increased its overall lead.

Aifos, the former TP52 yacht scored another bullet in the IRC 1 class and after the 31-mile long coastal race they have increased their leadership. Sir Peter Ogden’s Spirit of Jethou and Philip Mecklenburg’s Moana continue second and third overall, respectively.

After their 23-mile race inside the Palma bay, the leader board in the IRC 2 class got tighter. Give me five is still ahead but her lead has now diminished to a mere point over second-placed Tony Buckingham’s Ngoni. Jesus Turrós’ Sercotel Hotels is now 3rd overall after finishing 3rd in the coastal race.

The top of the score table in the SWAN 45 class suffered an upset in the third day of racing after the poor performance of Danilo Salsi’s DSK-Comifin and Codecasa’s and Battistela’s Jeroboam Ca’Nova, now second and third respectively. Both paid the price of one bad race during the day and the fleet is now led by the day’s best performer (three 2nd places) No Limits-Bolidt, owned by RW Bol.

In the X-35’s, Thorckild Juncker’s Cool Runnings is still the leader with a healthy 11-point advantage, after a 2nd and a 6th in today’s races. Thanks to its consistency (two 4th places) Stefano Trifiro’s X-Trifix stole second place overall from John Parker’s Perfect Ten that paid dearly the 11th place in the 2nd race.

In the ORC 670 class Jesús Pintos’ Navantia regained leadership and Vell Marí, the best-performing locals in this regatta, climbed to second overall. Daniele Augusti’s Cometal-Ferrobeton slipped to third due to an 11th in the coastal race.

The coastal race had as result the intrusion of the first Italians in the top three spots of the ORC 570. Icaro, owned by Carles Rodríguez, is the overall leader with yet another bullet. Second position is held by Gustavo Martínez Doreste’s Hempel-Power Plate, and the new third placed is I.NOVA, helmed by Giancarlo Simeoli.

Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE – Provisional standings

TP 52
1. Platoon, Jochen Schuemann, 1-3-1-6, 11 points
2. Bribón, Dean Barker, 5-1-4-4, 14 points
3. Mutua Madrileña, Vasco Vascotto, 2-8-2-2, 14 points
4. Desafío, Terry Hutchinson, 4-7-3-1, 15 points
5. Matador, Alberto Roemmers, 3-4-7-8, 22 points

GP 42
1. Near Miss, Bertrand Pacé, 6-1-1-1-1, 10 points
2. Airis, Sandro Montefusco, 1-7-2-7-2, 19 points
3. Desafío, Laureano Wizner, 2-2-5-6-5, 20 points
4. MADRID, José Maria Van der Ploeg, 7-4-4-2-3, 20 points
5. Canarias Puerto Calero, José María Ponce, 5-3-6-3-6, 23 points

IRC 1
1 Aifos, Jaime Rodríguez Toubes, 1-1-1-1-1, 5 points
2 Spirit of Jethou, Sir Peter Ogden, 2-3-3-2-2, 12 points
3 Moana, Philippe Mecklenburg, 3-2-7-3-3, 18 points
4 CAM, SAR Felipe de Borbón, 4-4-4-6-7, 25 points
5 Plis Play, Vicente García, 7-5-2-7-5, 26 points

IRC 2
1. Give me five, Arya Yatchs Venezia, 2-2-1-5-2, 12 points
2. Ngoni, Tony Buckingham, 5-1-5-1-1, 13 points
3. Sercotel Hotels, Román Turró, 4-3-4-4-3, 18 points
4. Itaca IX, Manuel Gallego, 3-6-3-2-6, 20 points
5. Kora 4, Enrico Scerni, 1-5-6-6-7, 25 points

ORC 570
1. Ícaro, Carles Rodríguez, 1-8-2-1-1, 13 points
2. Hempel-Power Plate, Gustavo Martínez Doreste, 2-6-3-3-5, 19 points
3. I. Nova, Giancarlo Simeoli, 8-7-4-4-4, 27 points
4. Pasión x Castellón, Ernesto Vera, 4-12-1-5-7, 29 points
5. San Miguel, Enrique Terrol Ferrero, 7-1-8-8-6, 30 points

ORC 670
1. Navantia, Jesús Pintos, 2-2-1-7-2, 14 points
2. Vell Marí, Teo Matheu, 1-7-4-1-5, 18 points
3. Cometal-Ferrobeton, Daniele Augusti, 2-1-2-2-11, 22 points
4. Vindio, Alfonso Pascual, 3-4-5-8-3, 23 points
5. Telefonica, Pedro Campos, 8-3-6-6-6, 29 points

X-35
1. Cool Runnings, Thorkild Juncker, 1-3-4-1-2-6, 17 points
2. X-Trifix, Stefano Trifiro, 9-1-3-7-4-4, 28 points
3. Perfect Ten, John Parker, 5-13-2-3-1-11, 35 points
4. Who’s Next-Gaastra, Alwin Van Daelen, 6-6-10-9-6-1, 38 points
5. Quantum Racing, Nic Bol, 2-2-19-5-5-7, 40 points

SWAN 45
1. No Limits-Bolidt, RW BOL, 9-6-4-2-2-2-2, 27 points
2. DSK-Comifin, Danilo Salsi, 2-5-5-5-5-1-11, 34 points
3. Jeroboam Ca’Nova, Codecasa / Battistella, 5-2-3-4-4-12-4, 34 points
4. Talj, Vittorio Ruggiero, 6-3-1-7-11-3-6, 37 points
5. Blue Nights, Tea Ekengren-Sauren, 1-4-6-17-3-5-5, 41 points