Small but perfectly formed

Nine boats to contend the Rolex Farr 40 Europeans in Mahon

For the nine Farr 40s gathered in Mahon, Menorca for the Rolex Farr 40 European Championship - the fifth time the championship has been held - today was an opportunity for final testing interspersed with the formalities of measurement and crew-weighing.

Although the fleet is small, a number of the teams are using the event as preparation for the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds scheduled for Newport, Rhode Island, in September; so some good competition is anticipated. Organising Club, the Club Maritimo de Mahon (CMM), is hoping to run 11 races over the next four days; a seemingly brutal schedule that even the America's Cup regulars who are here in abundance may find draining. Manuel Nadal, Technical Director of the Championship and all sailing events hosted by the CMM, endorsed the quality of the competition: "For us, it's really important the fact to host the Rolex Farr 40 European Championship. On the start line we will have 9 boats; maybe it isn't too much but the level of the fleet is quite impressive, and among the crew list you can find a lot of sailors coming from the America's Cup."

With midday temperatures hovering in the low thirties, keeping weight down has probably proved quite straightforward for those of the crew who have been hard at work preparing their boats over the past couple of days. The biggest worry may well be keeping fluid levels sufficiently up. The weather forecast shows high pressure dominating the region, and the expectation is for the heat to remain and light winds from the north or northeast for the period of the regatta. Principal Race Officer for the event is Pedro Palay Artigues and, despite the forecast, he remains optimistic that the planned racing programme will be achieved, "with 8 to 10 knots and courses lasting around one hour, I am hopeful we will see the full 11 races."

While the favourites on paper would no doubt include Alinghi, Mascalzone Latino and TWT, the nature of Farr 40 racing is such that the overall winner could come from anywhere in the fleet. Stringing a series of good, consistent results together is the key rather than necessarily having to win every race, or indeed any at all. One relative newcomer to Farr 40 racing is Enfant Terrible and its owner, Serena Gianluigi, "This year is the first time on the Farr 40 circuit. It is a good class and much harder here I think with the little fleet," he says

Gianluigi plays down his chances, but his record suggests he might do quite well: A long-time IMS sailor - Gianluigi won the Giraglia Rolex Cup in 2001 - and his one-design record is also impressive. In 2005, he won the Italian Mumm 30 Championships, so is no stranger to tight racing. Recognising the Farr 40 to be a step up, Gianluigi has brought in a familiar name to call the shots: "Our tactician is Paolo Cian of Team Shosholoza, who has sailed with us in the Mumm 30". As a guide to Gianluigi's Farr 40 form, he and his crew finished 5th in the recent three-event Mediterranean circuit.

Despite winning the Worlds in 2001, the Alinghi team could take time to find its feet again in this competitive class. Brad Butterworth, tactician for the week, has not sailed on a Farr 40 since the 2000 Worlds in Newport, when he was with Vincenzo Onorato. Bertarelli has not set foot in the class for around two years. Add in the fact that three of the crew are catamaran sailors from Lake Geneva and results for one of the pre-regatta favourites look less predictable, but Butterworth is clearly happy to be here: "It's a little while since we've been in the fleet, but we really enjoy sailing in the Farr 40 and think it's a great class and good fun. We're looking forward to some good racing here even though its going to be quite light for the first few days."



Of the mix of crew, Butterworth is equally relaxed: "We've got three other Swiss guys that sail with us and they all sail on the [Decision 35] catamaran with Ernesto on Lake Geneva. They do a lot of sailing, though not necessarily on the sea. They are cat sailors so the Farr 40s a bit slower and a little bit more docile. They enjoy it, the racing is closer of course and little mistakes mean a lot."

TWT also seem to feel that they could have done with more practice given the level of competition. "The fleet here is not so big but the level remains strong, with Mascalzone Latino one of the fast boats, they have a good chance. Ernesto Bertarelli comes back to the fleet with a terrific crew. Barnaba [Fiamma] is sailing with Tommaso Chieffi, so he is in good place too," commented tactician Tiziano Nava. Nava is looking forward to some good racing, "It's nice place, nice port and probably nice conditions for racing. Today is not so nice forecast but we find enough wind to probably 12 knots which make a good race. Pretty stable but with some shifts so you can play the tactics."

In contrast to those short on recent experience, Mascalzone Latino is apparently participating in their seventh Farr 40 event of the season and the team's eyes are very firmly set on converting its early season form into success at this event.

Racing at the Rolex Farr 40 European Championships starts tomorrow, 13th July, and continues until Sunday 16th July. First start each day is at 1230 CEST.

Entires: Team/Owner & Helm

Alinghi/Ernesto Bertarelli
Cannonball/Dario Ferrari
Enfant Terrible/Serena Gianluigi
Fiamma/Alessandro Barnaba
Game On/Carlo Alberini
La Marachella/Sandro Pantaleo
Mascalzone Latino/Vincenzo Onorato
Mukka Express/Manfredo Toninelli
TWT/Marco Rodolfi