Early lead for Onorato

Mascalzone Latino five points ahead after day one of Rolex Capri Sailing Week

This morning, Capri greeted the 38 crews with beautiful sunshine for the opening day of the fifth Rolex Capri Sailing Week. The welcome, though, was limited to the clear sky. Two races were held in difficult conditions, with the wind eventually settling in a westerly direction but with little stability. Fragile breeze, meant fragile leads and this showed at times as some of the first leg leaders found themselves second leg losers. Class leaders this evening are: Vincenzo Onorato and Mascalzone Latino (ITA) in the Farr 40 (2,1); Nico Poons and Charisma (NED) in the Swan 45 (4,1); Enrico Scerni and Kora 4 (ITA) in the Swan 42 (1,1); Alessandro Nespega and Fral 2 (ITA) in the Comet 45S (3,1), and, Massimo Russo and Athanor (ITA) in the Comet 41S (1,1).

In the Farr 40s, it was Marco Rodolfi and TWT (ITA) that came out all guns blazing, after two aborted starts but with a 180 degree wind shift imminent, this left PRO Peter Reggio with little choice than to hold up proceedings for an hour and a half to allow the westerly flow to settle. Second at the first windward mark, Rodolfi and tactician Tiziano Nava made gains downwind and by the finish had done enough to sneak across the line a hair's breadth ahead of triple World Champions Mascalzone Latino.

Race two did not go so well for TWT, who were fourth at the first mark, but fell into a hole during the downwind leg that left them struggling to recover to seventh at the finish. Still, this was enough to put them in second overall, with Onorato and his team put in their usual performance in race two, leading from start to finish. Overall Mascalzone Latino already holds an five-point advantage after day one.

In the Comet 45S class, racing under handicap, Fral 2 and Saverio Bifulco's One Noi Di Notte (ITA) both have four points, having each secured a first and a third place today with Fral 2 leading on count-back. Elsewhere in this competitive class, I. Nova (ITA) is lying fourth. Sole female helm in the Comet fleet, Christiana Monina, and her virtually all-girl crew looked to have race one firmly in their grasp as they rounded the initial mark right on the tail of the more experienced Fral 2. Let down by their decision-making, they finished two minutes behind Fral 2 , but more importantly with three boats in between them pushing them down to fifth on corrected time.

In the second race, Monina aimed to avoid a similar mistake and led from the outset, and was first to the top mark, but she was overhauled by Fral 2just before the finish-line. A econd place on corrected time was just reward for good sailing in difficult wind. "Today was a beautiful day, although unfortunately the wind left a lot to be desired," said Monina. "Until the last mark we did quite well in the first race. Then we made a mistake in choosing the unfavoured side of the gate and did badly on the last beat (upwind). But the second race was really nice. We are a brave female team, all girls, all sailors with a great passion and great technical knowledge."

Monina feels no added-pressure racing against male-dominated opposition. "What the men have in strength, we have to make up for in technique," she maintains. And, in light winds any physical advantage is reduced, as she showed today, "the second race was more difficult than the first one. On the downwind leg there was less wind and it was difficult to understand the wind channels. Sometimes it is not only about being brave but also about being lucky. I am used to sailing dinghies in light winds and was able to keep the concentration."

In the Swan 45s, Charisma and Carlo Perone's Atlantica Racing (ITA) are also tied at the top with identical scorelines, but with two other boats also posting 5-point scorelines it is the Dutch boat that is ahead on count-back. It could have been different. Class world champions Earlybird (GER) looked to have race one sewn up, with a good lead after the first leg. Perone had done enough to be in third at this point, with Charisma in fifth. Downwind, though, it was the Germans who faltered, swopping places with the Italian crew on Atlantica, who squeezed over the line a nose ahead of Blue Nights (FIN), which had been close behind them all race.

In the second race Charisma led from start to finish, while Atlantica and Earlybird reversed roles, the German team moving from fourth to second, while the Italians slipped backwards.

Meanwhile, another of the lady-led teams here this week - Blue Nights, helmed by Tea Ekengreen-Sauren - was putting in another solid performance, capping a good day on the water by holding third all the way round the course. Ekengreen-Sauren is the first and, currently, only female helm in the Swan 45 class: "it was a very tough day with light, shifty winds. The four top boats have the same points, so it is very even. This will put us into a very interesting position tomorrow " This is Ekengreen-Sauren's second season in the Swan 45 and she clearly enjoys the type of cut and thrust experienced on the race course today: "for sure that is the fun of it. It is so competitive and there are five, six boats coming into the mark at the same time. We have a good chemistry in the crew, it's a fast boat, and we feel we have all the possibilities to win this regatta."

The other two classes seem to be in the hands of walk-away leaders. In the Comet 41S class, Athanor (ITA) took line honours in both races and also corrected out in first both times, in the second race with a four and a half minute advantage. Zoom (ITA) and Pedro Proiettile (ITA) who traded seconds and thirds look to have their work cut out to catch Massimo Russo and his crew.

Equally, Kora 4 appeared untouchable in the Swan 42 class. Strong performances in both races will have left second placed Kuujjuaq (FRA) scratching their heads overnight. Ludovic de Saint Jean and Leonardo Ferragamo ( Cuordileone) will have to up their games tomorrow if this regatta is not to be a one horse race. Maria Papadopoulou and the Greek crew of Aella will also be looking to improve tomorrow. The third of the female master and commanders here this week, Papadopoulou is also the most inexperienced. Her crew is completely Corinthian, epitomising the spirit of the class, and this is their first venture into international competition. Papadopoulou does not appeared fazed by this baptismal experience and although she finished last in both races today, she was by no means disgraced.