Rolex IMS Offshore World Championships in Menorca - Day 2
by Rolex Media Centre 15 Jul 2005 07:51 BST
13-17 July 2005
Azur de Puig and Jaime Mascaro leading on handicap in the race around the island
On the second day of racing of the Rolex IMS Offshore World Championship, the competitors had the chance of taking a close look at the beautiful island of Menorca. The Race Committee, this morning, opted for course number 9 (out of 11) - a 70-mile offshore race that would lead the competitors clockwise around the island, with the start line positioned outside the narrow entry of the fjord-like natural port of Mahón. After a short 2 mile windward leg, the fleet would round the Isla del Aire to starboard, sail all the way around the island and back to the finish line positioned just off the opening to Port Mahón.
According to the 6.00pm report from the Race Committee, the fleet had just begun to reach Ciudadella, on the West side of the island, when the southerly breeze started to die. The bulk of the fleet, therefore, was able to close the gap on the three leaders, Tau Ceramica, Cam and Azur de Puig.
According to the 6.30pm positioning report, Azur de Puig was leading on handicap in the Non Corinthian fleet and the local Rodman 42 Jaime Mascaro in the Corinthian division. With still 35 miles to go before the finish line, and a dying breeze, it could be a long night for the crews at sea. According to the Race Committee, the first boats could reach the finish from 2am onwards.
After an initial postponement of 10 minutes, the Race Committee was able to fire the start at 12.50pm local time, with a light southeasterly breeze of around 5 knots. At the start, the fleet split into two distinct groups, with the Non Corinthian division preferring the pin end, and the Corinthians choosing the Committee end. Tau Ceramica (JV57), with double Olympic gold medalist (1992 and 1996 in the 470 class) Theresa Zabell at the helm, decided to stay on the far left side of the course, sailing in clear air and reaching the first windward mark ahead of the fleet. Azur de Puig (B&C49), with America's Cup veteran Dee Smith calling the tactics, followed closely, together with Cam (Farr 54) of Olympic medal winners Fernando León and Kiko Sánchez Luna.
Quite a big gap separated the rest of the fleet from the top three. Stefano Martini's Sky, the Italian Event 46 skippered by Gabriele Benussi, rounded the mark fourth with the bulk of the fleet following at a short distance.
By 2pm local time, the fleet was parading under spinnaker in front of the lighthouse of Isla del Aire, with the top three boats still well ahead of the fleet - Tau Ceramica leading and Cam in second place having overtaken Azur de Puig. In the second group, Sky led Pedro Campos' Telefonica Movistar, with Matador, Puerto Calero-Hesperia, La Maison de l'Elephant and the smaller GS42R Movistar and Zurich following in a tight pack.
With the southeasterly breeze wind reaching 12 knots, the fleet was able to cover good ground at a steady pace. By 3.40pm, the leaders were 15 miles away from Ciudadela, the second largest city of the island and Menorca's original capital dating back to 450BC, located on the western side of the island. Tau Ceramica, Cam and Azur de Puig were still leading with a good margin over the rest of the fleet.
At around 5pm the fleet was approaching the gate of Cabo de Banyos off Ciudadella, still sailing downwind at a steady pace. Joaquin Gonzalez Devesa, member of the Race Committee, commented: "The fleet is now halfway around the course, having covered 35 miles since the start at 12.50pm. Tau Ceramica is in the lead followed by Cam. The fleet is sailing in 9-12 knots of breeze, but after Ciudadela the will change their heading and will have to tackle a long upwind beat, so the pace will slow down. I think the first boat will finish around 2am, although it's hard to make any predictions as the wind might die and it's a known fact that during the night anything may happen."
If all competitors complete the offshore course by 4.00am, tomorrow (July 15) the Race Committee will run a windward/leeward race at 4.00pm.
The Rolex IMS Worlds, organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the Club Marítimo de Mahón, runs over five days from July 13 to July 17. The event is open to IMS Cruiser/Racer and Racing boats with a minimum length overall of between 9.8 and 17.5 meters and a GPH of between 635 and 495. Boats with only amateur crew (with a current ISAF Group 1 classification) will make up the Corinthian category; boats which include more than one sailor of Group 2 or 3, will make up the Non-Corinthian category. The World Champion title will be awarded to the winner in each category, together with a coveted Rolex time piece. Forty two yachts are competing in the event, with crews representing Argentina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and Uruguay.