TWT dominates Farr 40s

On the final day of Rolex Capri Sailing Week

With three days of superb racing conditions and smooth operations by the organisers, the Race Committee (headed by Sandro Ricetto) and the International Jury (headed by Michel Clough), only one race was left for the final day of the Rolex Capri Sailing Week, the maximum number of races, according to the sailing instructions, being nine.

After a long postponement due to the lack of wind, the northwesterly breeze finally filled in, gradually increasing to 10 knots. The Race Committee was able to drop the answering pennant at 13.45, just 15 minutes before the cut off time set by the sailing instructions.

Among the Farr 40s, Marco Rodolfi's TWT (27 points total) won the series with a large margin over Vincenzo Onorato's Mascalzone Latino (47 points), the latter tied with Massimo Mezzaroma/Antonio Sodo Migliori's Nerone. Thanks to his two wins in the series, Mascalzone Latino was able to take second place, Nerone having scored only one victory.

Marco Rodolfi, owner of TWT, commented on his team's win: "After our third at the worlds in Sydney, we made some good progress. We trained a lot and we now have a good feeling for the boat and sail fast. Our tactician Tiziano Nava did a great job here in Capri and made no mistakes. In the series we had one race where we were leading the whole way, but I enjoy most those races when you are able to fight back from a bad position - you must never give up. This year the weather in Capri was a great surprise, with a strong northwesterly breeze on day one and three days with steady moderate winds. Our next big event will be the European championship in Saint Tropez, France."

In the Swan 45 fleet, DSK won the series with one point lead over Francesco Martino's T. Too. Leonardo Ferragamo's Cuordileone, with Paul Cayard calling the tactics, finished third, two points behind T.Too. Danilo Salsi, owner of DSK, commented: "We are extremely happy. We had a great week, it's been a very competitive event with nine races sailed in great weather conditions. In the last day there were four Swan 45s all within one point, and the final outcome was still open. We are now looking forward to racing at the Invitational in Porto Rotondo, Italy, and at the Rolex Settimana delle Bocche in Porto Cervo, Italy, in September."

In the IMS fleet, Andromeda (Comet 51s) won the overall title, followed by Daniela Raponi's Vahinè 5 (Grand Soleil 40 R) and Vincenzo Clericò's Lusi (Grand Soleil 45).
"We had lots of fun" commented Massimo Guardigli, co-owner of Andromeda with Antonio Ronconi. "It was our first time here in Capri and we loved everything - the organisation, the races, the weather, the location. Our boat is quite large compared to the rest of the fleet and we have better speed with stronger breeze. We suffered quite a lot on the days with short and irregular waves, and in today's light breeze we were still able to take line honors. We are a new team and we still need to learn a lot, we hope to keep improving."

In today's Farr 40 race Mascalzone Latino with British America's Cup sailor Adrian Stead calling the tactics, was able to take an early lead with a good start and wise tactical choices, winning with a comfortable margin. Manfredo Toninelli's Mukka Express sailed very well ending up second, his best score since the start of the series. German entry Struntje Light, owned by Wolfgang Schaefer, finished third. Nerone and French entry Twins 2 had to fight hard for fourth place, with Nerone crossing the line only 3 seconds ahead of the French.

In today's Swan 45 race, DSK dominated throughout the entire race, closely followed by T. Too. Cuordileone was able to gain one position during the first downwind run, finishing third. Vittorio Codecasa's Jeroboam, who still had a chance of winning (being only one point behind DSK after race eight), was over the line early and lost his chance.

In the IMS division, on corrected time, Vahinè 5 won today's race over Lusi and Andromeda, the latter taking line honors.

A few women were sailing in the Rolex Capri Sailing Week, among them Sofia Bekatorou (2004 and 2002 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year and gold medalist in the 470 class at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games - see image below), tactician on the Greek Farr 40 Atalanti XI, owned by George Andreadis. "It was really interesting after Miami to get to know the Mediterranean fleet, there were some very good sailors here in Capri and we had some highly competitive races" commented Sofia, adding "I also thoroughly enjoyed the weather and Capri. This was a very challenging event for us as we are a new team - all Greek - and we are looking forward to competing in other events in the future. We are trying hard to improve our level. On board Atalanti XI I sail as tactician, it's half the job that I normally have on the 470 where I helm. It's a very challenging role and I am still learning. The Farr 40 is a much bigger boat and there are many things that need to be adjusted when the conditions on the course change. Part of my job is also to motivate the crew and make sure that everyone knows how each role is important for the final outcome of the race. Finally, I wish to add that with the Atalanti team we look forward to trying to raise an all Greek challenge for the America's Cup in the future."



Gianfranco Alberini, Commodore of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda was very satisfied with the event. "The weather conditions were excellent and enabled us to run highly competitive races. The Farr 40 fleet, with 16 entries, provided plenty of action," commented Alberini. "Unfortunately some of the Swan 45s pulled out of the event at the last minute and we had only six boats on the start line. However, the competition was fierce even within such a small fleet. At the end of race 8, with only one race to go before the finish, the top four Swan 45s had only one point of difference between them, with the final outcome still open. I am satisfied with this trial run and as Yacht Club Costa Smeralda we will repeat the one design format during the Rolex Settimana delle Bocche in September, with the participation of the Farr 40 class, the Swan 45s and a third division that is still under study. I am sure that Rolex, title sponsor of the Capri event, is also very satisfied with this inaugural edition. At the end of the season we will define next year's calendar and Capri will be, once again, one of the chosen venues."

At the closing Rolex Prize Giving Ceremony, held in Marina Grande, the winners of each division were awarded with Rolex Trophies and a coveted steel and gold Rolex Submariner Date watch. Grand finale of the Rolex Capri Sailing Week is the Rolex Party at the Certosa of San Giacomo, one of the oldest examples of Caprese architecture. The open-air courtyard of the convent provides a fantastic candlelit setting for an evening spent enjoying the best of the local Caprese food and entertainment.

Rolex Capri Sailing Week 2005 - Final Results (top three)

Farr 40
Pos, Yacht Name, Country, Owner, Points
1. TWT, Italy, Marco Rodolfi, 27 (1-4-1-1-3-3-3-3-8)
2. Mascalzone Latino, Italy, Vincenzo Onorato, 47 (5-1-2-4-4-12-6-12-1)
3. Nerone, Italy, Massimo Mezzaroma/Antonio Sodo Migliori, 47 (2-11-4-8-1-2-13-2-4)

Swan 45
Pos, Yacht Name, Country, Owner, Points
1. DSK, Italy, Danilo Salsi, 23 (1-2-5-1-5-3-1-4-1)
2. T. Too, Italy, Francesco Martino, 24 (5-4-2-2-2-1-5-1-2)
3. Cuordileone, Italy, Leonardo Ferragamo, 26 (2-1-3-5-3-4-2-3-3)

IMS
Pos, Yacht Name, Country, Owner, Points
1. Andromeda, Italy, Antonio Ronconi, 15 (1-1-2-2-2-1-1-2-3)
2. Vahinè 5, Italy, Daniela Raponi, 21 (2-4-1-1-1-4-4-3-1)
3. Lusi, Italy, Vincenzo Clericò, 28 (5-2-4-6-4-2-2-1-2)

The Rolex Capri Sailing Week is organized by the Yacht Club Capri in conjunction with the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, with the support of the Italian Sailing Federation (FIV) and the Unione Vela Altura Italiana (UVAI).