| PORTOFERRAIO, ITALY-(10-10-2003) It was a great day of late autumnsailing in the fresh scirocco or southerly breeze of 8-14 knots. It wasstill shifty and patchy after dropping down onto the water from themountains of Elba, so the tacticians had to look sharp to stay in phase, butthe shifts were more consistent. Four windward leeward races went off likeclockwork, with the wind ranging from 160 to 175 degrees. Tour Voile legend Jimmy Pahun on Region Ile de France had a good start andtook the lead and never relinquished it for Race 5 of the series. Once theleader gets clear air, they are difficult to catch. The starboard laylineinto the top mark behind him was a solid line, three deep in places, whichdidn’t leave many holes for the few port tackers trying to fit in. Themaneuvering was all happening faster today in the windier conditions, andthere were a flurry of red flags at the first mark rounding of the day, andmost of the others. “The wind pulled left for the next race”, explained Asterix tactician ChrisDraper, “and the bunch that got around early escaped, while the boats on theright struggled to get back”. The leader of that bunch was Claudio Rechhiand Carla Ubertalli’s Cheyenne. They are assisted by Team New Zealand’sHamish Pepper calling tactics. Their victory in Race 6 and a string of good,consistent results throughout the regatta moved them into a commanding leadfor the series. Several boats jumped the gun on the third start of the day, and were calledback under an individual recall. The Italian team on Franco Loro Piana’sStorm System got the inside overlap on their last tack just before the firstweather mark, to round in front of America’s Deneen Demourkas onGroovederci. There were big grins on everyone on board. A slow set on StormSystem allowed Groovederci to sneak past them at the offset mark though.After a quick gybe, Groovederci extended on the run and held their lead towin the race. Loro Piana finished 6th for their best race of the series. Monaco 1 rounded out the range of countries by winning the final race of theday. There has been a different winner for each of the eight races completedso far, from six countries. The Championship ends tomorrow, and the racecommittee plans on fitting in three more races to reach the eleven scheduledfor the series. A high pressure system moving in from France is predicted tochase the wind away, with lighter southerlies called for. For complete results, see www.mumm30.org.
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