Altea hangs on

Light day at the Melges 24 European Sailing Series in Portoroz

Day two of the Melges 24 European Sailing Series regatta in Portoroz was dominated by light winds. Slowly but surely, the sea breeze started appearing in the Bay of Piran around noon providing the fleet with another great day of racing.

The race committee left the harbour on schedule with the intention of making the most of the day. As soon as the wind from the west increased from four to seven knots, the show was on.

The first race entirely belonged to Croatian Tomislav Basić, who led the pack from start to the finish with a considerable advantage. Storm Capital Sail Racing (NOR) delivered a fantastic performance as well and was rewarded with a second place, while Altea (ITA) placed fifth, but managing to maintain the lead overall.

"We had another great day," said Altea's Andrea Racchelli. "In the first race we started badly and had to catch up, however in the next one we were precise and collected our first victory. We don't have any particular strategy for tomorrow's final races. With seven points of advantage and a fifth place discarded, we don't feel under pressure. So, we will keep taking one day at a time and concentrate to give our best,"

Lenny (EST) has climbed to second position overall after scoring a fourth and a third today. "This is our first regatta in six months," said the said Toniste brothers, ready for tomorrow's merciless finale. "We last raced in September and we are surprised how well we're doing. We came here to have fun but since we're on top of the chart, our appetites have increased."

The battle will be particularly intense for the third place, as Storm Capital Racing (NOR) and Audi team (ITA) only a point apart. Audi skipper Riccardo Simoneschi commented: "The wind was quite light and changing a lot so it was very hard to read. I'm glad we are still in the game for the podium because the boat returned from Australia only recently and its settings are not optimal yet."