May 19, 2016
SIBENIK, CROATIA - The Farr 40 Class Association has come to Croatia for the first time in its illustrious history and the early returns are quite favorable. After two days of racing in the D-Marin Farr 40 Sibenik Regatta, owners and crews are raving about the venue.
Competition is being held on the Island Zlarin Channel, which delivered epic conditions on Thursday. Boats and crews were challenged by consistent 15-20 winds and rough seas while completing three races on Quantum Race Day.
"It is a pleasure to be in Croatia and the venue is spectacular. It is no surprise to me because I already knew this place was amazing," said Vasco Vascotto, tactician aboard Enfant Terrible. "I predict this particular location has a great future for hosting important regattas."
D-Marin Mandalina Marina is serving as host venue for the opening event of the 2016 Farr 40 International Circuit. Class president Geoff Stagg said the five-star facility has received high marks.
"The D-Marin complex is absolutely one of the nicest I've been to in the world. The hotel and marina are really something to behold," Stagg said.
Ultimately, the sailing conditions are what determine the quality of a regatta and there have been no complaints on that front. Principal race officer Antonio Gonzalez de la Madrid has completed six races over two days with the eight-boat fleet having to handle both moderate and heavy air.
D-Marin Sibenik Regatta kicked off Wednesday in 8-10 knot southwest winds that featured significant shifts. An island located on the left side of the track influenced the wind, as did the surrounding hills.
"It is a tricky, but fun race course," said Farr 40 class representative Brady Stagg, who was out on the water on Wednesday.
Enfant Terrible and Struntje light have long been among the top boats on the International Circuit and it was no surprise to see the Italian and German entries setting the pace early on. Skipper Alberto Rossi steered Enfant Terrible to victory in all three races on Wednesday, an impressive performance predicated on playing the many shifts wisely. Owner-driver Wolfgang Schaefer and his team on Struntje light held second place after the opening day on the strength of a 3-2-2 score line.
Winds freshened considerably overnight and the fleet was greeted by entirely different conditions on Thursday for Quantum Race Day. Gusts up to 25 knots and severe chop made things difficult on crews in terms of boat-handling and sail management. Struntje light suffered an unfortunate incident when a chinese gybe caused injury to a member of the crew during Race 4. Schaefer retired from racing for the day and the subsequent did not start results dropped the German boat to fifth in the overall standings.
Enfant Terrible slipped a bit in Race 4, getting caught on the wrong side of the course and finishing fifth. However, Rossi and crew recovered nicely to get the gun in Race 5 and 6 to extend the series lead.
"We had two good results and one disappointing result today. The reality is that we did not sail so well. We can do much better," Vascotto said. "I did not choose the right side a few times. We paid the price in the first race and got lucky in the next two. I need to wake up or else we might not be so fortunate in the future."
Six Corinthian boats are competing in the D-Marin Sibenik Regatta and several showed marked improvement on Day 2 over Day 1. Skipper Carlo Naibo and the Italian team aboard Sempre Avanti put forth a superb performance by placing second in all three races to earn Boat of the Day honors.
"It was a great day to go racing. The breeze was up so every maneuver was tough," Naibo said. "We were winning the first race when we lost the spinnaker on the last run so we are quite disappointed about that. However, the day as a whole was very positive."
Naibo took delivery of a Farr 40 in February and the Sempre Avanti team is comprised primarily of close friends who grew up in Trieste, Italy. Furio Benussi is calling tactics for Naibo, who is excited about competing on the entire 2016 International Circuit.
"This regatta is a chance to gain experience for me and my crew. I have sailed a lot, but never as helm in a one-design class so there is a lot to learn," Naibo said. "This is my dream and I decided the day before Christmas to do this adventure with the Farr 40. We have built a strong crew and the boat is very competitive."
Sempre Avanti is one of four Italian boats that have joined the class, inspired by the opportunity to compete in the 2017 Rolex Farr 40 World Championships that are being held in Porto Cervo. Rossi, the 2013 world champ, knows many of the new owners well and is keen to see them strengthen the European fleet as a whole.
"Enfant Terrible is quite good. It is clear they are the best team. We are all watching what Enfant does on the race course and learning as much as we can," Naibo said. "We know it is very important to keep your head out of the boat 100 percent of the time. My tactician made perfect decisions today and we went the right way."
Rush Diletta has set the pace among the Corinthian entries and stands second in the overall standings with 20 total points. Skipper Mauro Mocchegiani steered his boat to line honors in Race 4 and has also posted a pair of thirds.
"It was very fun and exciting racing in the strong winds today. We broke the heavy jib before the first race and had no choice but to go with the medium," Mocchegiani said. "We had a great day anyway and are very happy."
Mocchegiani has committed Rush Diletta to the full 2016 Circuit and is using the D-Marin Sibenik Regatta as an opportunity to get up to speed. "We are planning to do all the regattas this year. We came into this event with no expectations and knowing we have a long way to go. We are fighting the other Corinthian boats to stay close to the pro teams," he said.
The Farr 40 Class would like to thank our fabulous title sponsor, D-Marin, and our race day sponsor, Quantum Sails.
