2010 Melges 32 World Championship

[MLovett]

22 SEPTEMBER 2010

Lovell Takes The Lead At Melges 32 Worlds In San Francisco

San Francisco, California - The first day of racing at the 2010 Melges 32 World Championship, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club is complete, revealing Andy Lovell on Rougarou, alongside of his brother, tactician Johnny Lovell in the overall lead. In second place, from New Zealand is Stefan Goldwater with tactician Andrew Wills on Tirade and in third, is Alex Jackson and tactician Rob Greenhalgh on Leenabarca.

Although the top three are certainly more than worthy of winning, they were the least likely of candidates everyone thought would occupy the top three positions after a full day of racing. For Lovell, this is a homecoming of sorts as last year, about this same time, he won the 2009 Melges 32 U.S. National Championship that was held in conjunction with the Rolex Big Boat Series. He's only competed once since. This is Goldwater's third regatta after taking delivery of his brand new Melges 32 in Harbor Springs, Mich. last July. Alex Jackson just came of age this past May becoming the East Coast Champion in Rye, N.Y. All three are the very best of opponents and now share a 10 point spread as the top three, in a field of 32.

Three races were held under plentiful sunshine and building, perfect breeze-on conditions. First around the mark was Doug Douglas' Goombay Smash with the efforts of tactician Russell Coutts, with Goldwater on his heels. "It was a lot of fun." said a cool, calm and collected Goldwater. "I think we got lucky." Regardless, luck wielded its way and played in Goldwater's favor for an incredible first race win. Goldwater finished miles ahead of second place finisher Lovell. Comeback of the day goes to John Porter on Full Throttle. At the start of the race, Porter was OCS but worked it out beat-by-beat, played the fleet and the breezy conditions to take an incredible third place position. Yukihiro Ishida on Yasha Samurai was fourth and in fifth was North American Champion Don Jesberg on Viva.

Race two introduced more breeze, the waves grew larger and the intensity of racing increased as well. Coutts called the shots putting Goombay Smash in all the right places to win. Rod Jabin, with tactician Chris Larson on Ramrod, took to the right side of the course then played the center to keep up with Douglas' speed, only to settle for second. It was his best effort of the day. Goldwater had another great race taking third.

The last and final race of the day was all about endurance. After two races at a distance of 2.0 nm, PRO John Craig ordered a five-legger as the breeze built to a pleasant 22-23 knots. Larger seas and square chop led the fleet into an initial first start resulting in a general recall. Craig clearly knows how to handle this fleet, immediately putting the Z-Flag penalty into effect. Italy's Luca Lalli on B-lin Sailing battled the entire race to hold off both Lovell and Jackson for a win. "The red boat is really fast (referring to Rougarou). This was very difficult. Very good racing, but very difficult. The waves made the sailing very challenging. The strong breeze made for really fun downwind sailing." said the young Lalli. "The competition here is really tough." Reigning World Champion Pieter Taselaar on Bliksem finally found a groove to take second and Lovell was third.

At the end of the day, tactician Lovell commented. "We kind of felt things were pretty straight forward. We looked to the committee boat end almost ever time, tacked, then went right. We had good boat speed and really good boat handling downwind. We just tried to make as few mistakes as possible."
Racing continues on Thursday with at least two more races.

Special thanks to everyone who tuned in to Watch LIVE from the course, presented by Velocitek. Sail Groove's Chris Love and commentator, St. Francis Yacht Club Junior Director Mike Kalin kept everyone entertained. Everyone is encouraged to tune in as the racing in San Francisco is by far, the most incredible Melges 32 competition ever seen. Updates will also be made available on the official Melges 32 Facebook and Twitter pages. Live Tracking is also available by Kattack.

Top Ten Results (After 3 Races)
1.) Andy Lovell/Johnny Lovell, Rougarou; 2-4-3 = 9
2.) Stefan Goldwater/Andrew Wills, Tirade; 1-3-8 = 12
3.) Alex Jackson/Rob Greenhalgh, Leenabarca; 10-5-4 = 19
4.) Luca Lalli/Lorenzo Bressani, B-lin Sailing; 16-6-1 = 23
5.) Robert Hughes/Torvar Mirsky, Heartbreaker; 11-8-7 = 26
6.) Doug Douglas/Russell Coutts, Goombay Smash; 13-1-14 = 28
7.) Joe Woods/Paul Goodison, Red; 7-20-5 = 32
8.) Jeff Ecklund/Harry Melges III, STAR; 6-19-9 = 34
9.) John Porter/Jonathan McKee, Full Throttle; 3-23-10 = 36
10.) Yukihiro Ishida/Tony Rey, Yasha Samurai; 4-21-11 = 36

[thirst_quencher]

Amazing that this did not result in more damage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCM2bizpQOs

[MLovett]

23 SEPTEMBER 2010

San Francisco Delivers, Lalli Takes The Melges 32 Worlds Lead

San Francisco, California - It was another incredible day of racing at the 2010 Melges 32 World Championship, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club. Three heats delivered three different winners under absolutely stunning conditions. Overnight leader Andy Lovell on Rougarou was toppled by Luca Lalli's B-Lin Sailing now in first place overall, while Alex Jackson's Leenabaca remains in third.

An early postponement led to getting started about an hour later than scheduled with the breeze beginning to settle in for the first race start. The third attempt was the charm with Doug Douglas' Goombay Smash stepping out front of the fleet and Martin Knetig's Black Mamba pouring on the speed as they rounded the top mark in first and second. "There was a little more pressure on the left, and a little line bias. We were fast off the line in that first race for sure." said Marco Constant, on board with Douglas. "No matter what, we are having heaps of fun." Douglas was simply lit downwind as he passed through the gate in first, this time followed by Jason Carroll on Argo. The two finished respectively with France's Jean Francois Cruette on Teasing Machine finishing third.

Race two witnessed the speed of Jeff Ecklund's STAR. Taking to left side early as the breeze filled in further, Ecklund rounded the weathermark in first, followed by John Porter on Full Throttle in second and Lalli's B-Lin Sailing. Ecklund pulled away from the fleet leg-by-leg to take the win. Reigning World Champion Pieter Taselaar on Bliksem got in on the mix to take second. Finishing third, Steve Pugh on Taboo had an incredible race.

The last and final race of the day took place around 4:30 p.m., yet brought on the best breeze of the day with another five-legged upwind finish. First around was Steve Howe on Warpath with a solid set taking him to the gate firmly in the lead. "Today was great." said Warpath tactician Morgan Larson. "We finally got around the course quite well." Howe dominated that late afternoon racing scene with Lalli grabbing on for second place position, chasing for the top spot. Kip Meadows and his roXanne Melges 32 had a much better day taking third. All finished in respective order.

After six races and a discard, Lalli now leads the Melges 32 fleet in San Francisco, moving him up a full three notches to take first place, sliding overnight leader Andy Lovell into second. Alex Jackson remains in third, Porter moves up five slots for fourth and Jeff Ecklund's outstanding performance today edged him up three places to finish fifth overall.

Special thanks to everyone who tuned in to Watch LIVE from the course, presented by Velocitek. Sail Groove's Chris Love and commentator, St. Francis Yacht Club Junior Director Mike Kalin kept everyone entertained. Everyone is encouraged to tune in as the racing in San Francisco is by far, the most incredible Melges 32 competition ever seen. Updates will also be made available on the official Melges 32 Facebook and Twitter pages. Live Tracking is also available by Kattack.

[MLovett]

24 SEPTEMBER 2010

Down To The Wire, Lalli Sustains Overall Lead By A Slim Margin

San Francisco, California - The 32-strong fleet completed two more beautiful races and have one last critical day to go at the 2010 Melges 32 World Championship, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club. Luca Lalli on B-Lin Sailing remains in the lead as John Porter's Full Throttle clearly has his sights on the trophy.

There was great concern that the breeze would be really light for the third day of the championship. Predictions came true, as the initial commencement was pushed back an hour from the original scheduled time. For the start, a quiet 6-7 knots brought the best out of Jeff Ecklund's STAR. Truly, this team comprised of tactician Harry Melges III, 2008 470 Gold Medallist Nathan Wilmot (2009 Melges 32 World Champion), 2000 Soling Bronze Medallist Espen Stokkeland, Scott Norris, Peter Crawford, Lindsay Bartel and Emma Creighton, a single-handed racer about to embark on a Mini Transat campaign, delivered spot-on performance in the speed department for a great win ahead of Stuart Simpson's Team Barbarians, while Rod Jabin on Ramrod did well to pull of a third place finish.

Jabin, with 2009 Melges 24 World Championship Chris Larson on tactics, outperformed the competition launching out in front of the fleet to take the weathermark rounding first. Lalli was right on his transom, pulling out all the stops to get ahead. A clean and fast set placed Porter in position to overtake Lalli for the lead downwind, while birthday boy Jason Carroll on Argo got in on the action as well. Jabin triumphed at the finish with Porter in second, Carroll third and Lalli in fourth. Japanese owner Yukihiro Ishida on Yasha Samurai rounded out the top five.

What the final day of racing in San Francisco will bring is yet to be seen. The top four are separated by 12 points which basically means, anything can happen on the last day of competition. Every team has worked so hard over the last three days to advance, establish a strangle-hold that has thus far proven to be ever elusive. In the forefront, desperate to hold of is Lalli. Porter sits two points out of first. Andy Lovell on Rougarou is in third overall.

Tuned in with the fleet and Watch LIVE from the course, presented by Velocitek. Sail Groove's Chris Love and commentator, St. Francis Yacht Club Junior Director Mike Kalin will bring every last bit of turn and twist at Worlds, right up to the final finish. Updates will also be made available on the official Melges 32 Facebook and Twitter pages. Live Tracking is also available by Kattack.

Top Ten Results (After 8 races, 1 discard)
1.) Luca Lalli/Lorenzo Bressani, B-lin Sailing; [15]-6-1-8-8-2-7-4 = 36
2.) John Porter/Jonathan McKee, Full Throttle; 3-[23]-10-4-4-11-4-2 = 38
3.) Andy Lovell/Johnny Lovell, Rougarou; 2-4-3-[25]-13-6-8-6 = 42
4.) Jeff Ecklund/Harry Melges III, STAR; 6-[19]-9-13-1-8-1-10 = 48
5.) Steve Howe/Morgan Larson, Warpath; [33/DSQ]-9-17-5-12-1-11-7 = 62
6.) Doug Douglas/Russell Coutts, Goombay Smash; 13-1-14-1-[25]-9-9-16 = 63
7.) Joe Woods/Paul Goodison, Red; 7-20-5-9-10-[33/DNF]-6-8 = 65
8.) Alex Jackson/Rob Greenhalgh, Leenabarca; 10-5-4-21-6-5-[24]-21 = 72
9.) Rod Jabin/Chris Larson, Ramrod; 16-2-[25]-15-20-16-3-1 = 73
10.) Kip Meadows/Andy Horton, roXanne; 17-7-13-6-[19]-3-12-18 = 76

[MLovett]

25 SEPTEMBER 2010

Lalli Captures 2010 Melges 32 World Championship Title

San Francisco, California - Congratulations to 26-year old Luca Lalli on B-Lin Sailing as he has clinched the 2010 Melges 32 World Championship title, two points ahead of his strongest adversary John Porter on Full Throttle. Aboard Lalli's Melges 32 was tactician Lorenzo Bressani, Flavio Favini, Federico Michetti, Carlo Zermini, Luca Faravelli, Lorenzo Del Rio and Stefano Nicolussi. Jeff Ecklund on STAR had a phenomenal week pulling up to secure third overall.

With two additional races on PRO John Craig's agenda, ultra light conditions greeted the fleet as they made their way out to Berkeley Circle for the final showdown between top seated Lalli, Porter and Andy Lovell on Rougarou. With a mere 6 knots of breeze, the fleet went racing with Don Jesberg on Viva rounding the top mark in first, followed by Yukihiro Ishida's Yasha Samurai, then Alex Jackson's Leenabarca in third. The three raced downwind with Jesberg holding on for first with Lovell coming in from the right to slide in for second. Back upwind Lovell stretched his lead with Ishida overtaking Jesberg. Lovell took the win, Ishida was second. Porter, although rounding the first mark about mid-fleet, recovered well to challenge Jesberg for the third position at the finish. Jesberg had a little more momentum, just barely making the line to take third. Porter settled for fourth. Ecklund was fifth.

At this stage of the day, Porter had the title in hand with a one-point advantage over Lalli. As the race committee scrambled to fire off the second race of the day, prior to the 2:30 p.m. cut-off, teams were just as anxious to get in one more heat. The breeze was still light and fickle, lots of sunshine and flat seas prevailed as they went into almost immediate sequence once the line was set, Z-flag in effect. As the fleet approached the line, the first start resulted in a general recall with a Z-flag penalty applied to Porter and Kip Meadows on roXanne. Jackson, on the other hand shot off the line making a lane for the top spot around the mark, followed by Steve Howe on Warpath and Pieter Taselaar's Bliksem rounding third, Lalli in fourth. Firmly in the lead, Jackson took the win with Howe maintaining a second. Lalli finished third, sealing the deal for the championship win and title a substantial 11 points ahead of second overall Porter.

On behalf of the International Melges 32 Class Association, a very special thanks to every team that traveled to make this the largest Melges 32 Worlds ever. A great round of appreciation is extended to PRO John Craig and his entire race office staff, especially Melanie Roberts, Regatta Chair Nadine Franzyck and the St. Francis Yacht Club for the warm reception and hospitality. Extra special thanks to Sailgroove's Chris Love, St. Francis Yacht Club Junior Director Mike Kalin and guest commentator Offshore Rules' Justin Chisholm, presented by Velocitek.

T2Ptv has been on site all week long filming the 2010 Melges 32 Worlds. Please check out their website this upcoming week as a highlight reel will be posted.

The 2011 Melges 32 World Championship takes place on September 20-25 in Palma de Mallorca, hosted by Real Club Nautico de Palma.

Top Ten Results (After 10 races, 1 discard)
1.) Luca Lalli/Lorenzo Bressani, B-lin Sailing; [15]-6-1-8-8-2-7-4-9-3 = 48
2.) John Porter/Jonathan McKee, Full Throttle; 3-[23]-10-4-4-11-4-2-4-17/ZFP = 59
3.) Jeff Ecklund/Harry Melges III, STAR; 6-[19]-9-13-1-8-1-10-5-10 = 63
4.) Andy Lovell/Johnny Lovell, Rougarou; 2-4-3-25-13-6-8-6-1-[31] = 68
5.) Steve Howe/Morgan Larson, Warpath; [33/DSQ]-9-17-5-12-1-11-7-13-2 = 77
6.) Alex Jackson/Rob Greenhalgh, Leenabarca; 10-5-4-21-6-5-[24]-21-8-1 = 81
7.) Doug Douglas/Russell Coutts, Goombay Smash; 13-1-14-1-[25]-9-9-16-20-4 = 87
8.) Joe Woods/Paul Goodison, Red; 7-20-5-9-10-[33/DNF]-6-8-11-5-6-17 = 88
9.) Pieter Taselaar/Jeremy Wilmot, Bliksem; [23]-12-2-14-2-13-16-22-11-5 = 97
10.) Yukihiro Ishida/Tony Rey, Yasha Samurai; 4-21-11-16-11-[24]-17-5-2-12 = 99