Melges 32 Gold Cup, a imporsi è un debuttante
Melges 32MonotipiaVela 8 Dicembre 2009 Zerogradinord 0
Melges 32 Gold Cup – Ft. Lauderdale – Si è svolta a Ft.Lauderdale, in Florida, l’edizione 2009 della Gold Cup Melges 32. A imporsi, con un vantaggio di nemmeno un punto su Red di Joe Woods, è stato Ramrod, lo scafo del debuttante Rod Jabin che per l’occasione ha avuto accanto un talento come Gavin Brady.
All’evento, disputato nel corso della settimana passata e articolatosi su otto prove caratterizzate da condizioni di vento medio, hanno preso parte alcuni tra gli equipaggi più quotati della classe internazionale. Il podio è stato completato dal campione statunitense Rougarou di Andy Lovell, incalzato da Ninkasi e da roXanne. Buon settimo è finito l’unico italiano presente alla manifestazione: Fantastica di Lanfranco Cirillo, che ha impreziosito la propria partecipazione con un finale in crescendo.
Melges 32 World Championship
1. Ramrod, R.Jabin, 1-2-16-7.14RDG-7-4-16-4, pt. 41.1
2. Red, J.Woods, 9-19-3-1-16-6-4-3, pt. 42
3. Rougarou, A.Lovell, 3-1-9-7-14-2-14-11, pt. 47
4. Ninkasi, J.Taylor, 6-3-8-3-15-8-6-14, pt. 48
5. roXanne, K.Meadows, 10-6-4-6-3-20-1-19, pt. 49
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MELGES 32 GOLD CUP, ROD JABIN FROM ANNAPOLIS TAKES HOME THE TROPHY
[Melges 32 International Class Press Release] Congratulations are in order for Rod Jabin (Annapolis, Md.) on Ramrod as he and his crew consisting of tactician Gavin Brady, Mike Beasley, Joe Gibson, Ted Kaczmarski, Kate Torgeson and Ray Wulff are the 2009 Melges 32 Gold Cup Champions .”We rocked it! We really didn’t expect this.” said Jabin after racing. “I love the downwind run in this boat. The feeling that you get while crossing boats at 15 knots is just incredible. This is pure exhilaration.”In second overall is Joe Woods (Torquay, UK) on Red and in third is current U.S. National Champion Andy Lovell (New Orleans, La.) on Rougarou.
Going into today’s races, Kip Meadows (Rocky Mount, N.C.) on roXanne led the charge by five points, followed by Jabin. A turn key moment in the regatta for Jabin was being given redress for Saturday’s first race after a collision with Edward Tillinghast (New York, N.Y.) on Dark n’ Stormy at the start. This put him within reaching distance of the Gold Cup title. With this decision, Lovell (New Orleans, La.) shuffled back to third while John Taylor (Jupiter Island, Fla.) on Ninkasi assumed fourth.
The Lauderdale Yacht Club rolled out the red carpet last night for the twenty-three teams. Prime rib, filet mignon and grilled colossal shrimp were all on tap as well as an exquisite wine selection. Teams enjoyed a world class dinner, while catching up on the day’s racing.
As usual, the final day of racing at the 2009 Melges 32 Gold Cup Regatta was intense. The weather, superb. Although a little cooler than desired, the Florida sunshine was quick to warm and was a welcome sight after the doom and gloom of last evening’s frontal boundary lined with thunderstorms and rain.
Racing got underway on time with a course bearing of 010, 8-10 knots with flat seas. Dalton Devos (Harbor Springs, Mich.) on Delta took charge almost from the very start. Lovell rounded the mark in first with DeVos, right on his transom. Downwind, DeVos put the breeze to his advantage passing through the gate, now commanding the lead. Lanfranco Cirillo (Torino, Italy) moved ahead to second while Lovell slipped to third. Jabin, Bob Hughes (Macatawa Bay, Mich.) on Heartbreaker and Taylor all challenged for the lead, but DeVos managed to hang on until the finish. Lovell recovered nicely to take second while Cirillo was third.
Things really picked up for race two with the breeze clocking an easy 15-18 knots. Great big, waves made for perfect plaining conditions as overnight leader Meadows looked to be back in the groove with a big win. Second place finisher Phil Lotz (Newport, R.I.) on Arethusa also got the hang of things with a great race and in third was Hughes.
Race three delivered another exceptional performance of the power and speed of the Melges 32 with International Class President Jeff Ecklund (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) on Star out front from the get go leading the entire race for the win. Lotz got in on the action once more with a phenomenal second place finish, just ahead of Woods in third.
Melges 32 World Championship
1. Ramrod, R.Jabin, 1-2-16-7.14RDG-7-4-16-4, pt. 41.1
2. Red, J.Woods, 9-19-3-1-16-6-4-3, pt. 42
3. Rougarou, A.Lovell, 3-1-9-7-14-2-14-11, pt. 47
4. Ninkasi, J.Taylor, 6-3-8-3-15-8-6-14, pt. 48
5. roXanne, K.Meadows, 10-6-4-6-3-20-1-19, pt. 49
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