High pressure system suppresses chances for wind today, but there are better prospects for tomorrow
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
Barcelona, Spain - Strong high pressure conditions in Spain today created high heat and no wind in Day 3 of the ORC World Championship, hosted by the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona. The fleet went out after a postponement in the morning intending to race a 72-mile offshore race to a mark placed 35 miles northeast off of the beach town of Blanes. This was a course already shortened from the original 115-mile course intended had there been more wind, and yet the fleet sat out there for hours awaiting signs of any promising sign of wind to start the race.
When it was clear that nothing would come, the fleet was released by the RCNB Race Committee to come ashore and wait until sunset in case some wind came to the course area.
However, with a forecast of conditions that would remain unsuitable for racing until tomorrow when the wind looks good for the coastal areas around Barcelona, the Committee then decided for an earlier start to the day's schedule. At 10:00 it intends a start to try again to complete at least one offshore race on this same course - it is necessary in any ORC championship regatta to have at least one offshore race to have a valid championship event.
The fleet standings therefore remain the same as at the end of yesterday: Class A is led by reigning Class A World Champion Alberto Rossi and his team from Italy on the TP 52 Enfant Terrible Minoan Lines, on top with 11.5 points, and they are only 1.5 points ahead of Marco Serafini's Italian TP 52 Xio after four races. And in their first-ever ORCi championship, Jean Jacques Chaubard's GP 42 Team Vision Future, skippered by Mikael Mergui remains in third place on 22 points. An interview with Mergui can be found at http://bit.ly/1KqD6JA.
In Class B Giumat+2 from Italy, owned by Flavio Trusendi and skippered by Francesco Cruciani, remain the only team to have three victories, but still only has a two-point lead in their class over perennial Spanish offshore champion Pedro Campos racing his Swan 42 Movistar, who has 14 points. In third on 18 points is Bern Kammerlander's XP-44 Koyama from Spain, skippered by Inaki Castener.
Alberto Moro's X-37 Solventis, coming from the opposite corner of Spain in Bayona and skippered by Manuel "Malalo" Bermudez de Castro, has 20.5 points and leads Class C with only a 1 point advantage over Michael Mollman's X-37 Hansen from Denmark. An interview with Bermudez can be found at http://bit.ly/1T57CMj. In third on 23.5 points is the reigning Class C World Champion team sailing Giuseppe Giuffre's new Italia 9.98F Low Noise 2 from Italy, skippered by Duccio Colombi. An interview with Low Noise designer Matteo Polli (sailing on board the Class B entry Giumat+2) can be found at http://bit.ly/1JtLp62.
To follow the racing, see complete results, photos, videos and more, visit www.barcelonaorcworlds2015.com and find links to Facebook (/bcnorcworlds2015), Twitter (@ORCBCN2015), YouTube (/BCNORC2015), and Flickr (/bcnworlds2015).
And for more information on ORC and other ORC rules, classes and events, visit www.orc.org.
