ZADAR, CROATIA - Enfant Terrible and Plenty have been doing battle on the Farr 40 International Circuit for several years now. Those two top-notch programs have resumed their rivalry this week in the waters off this historic city along the Dalmatian coast.
Skipper Alberto Rossi and his Italian team aboard Enfant Terrible were on fire in 2013, winning the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship and also capturing the International Circuit crown. Plenty, a New York-based boat owned by Alex Roepers, accomplished the same feat during a magical 2014 season.
Those two boats have been at the forefront of the highly-competitive class ever since and have engaged in dogfights at numerous regattas. So it is no surprise to see Enfant Terrible and Plenty atop the leader board at the D-Marin Farr 40 Zadar Regatta.
Rossi steered Enfant Terrible to a pair of first place finishes and the Italian entry held the lead by tiebreaker over Plenty after Wednesday's opening round of racing. Roepers and the Plenty crew got the best of the battle on Thursday and holds the overall lead at the midway mark of the four-day regatta.
"We have been battling with Enfant Terrible for four years running now. It is a very fast boat that is always well-sailed," Roepers said. "Alberto is an absolute gentleman and a good friend. He is one of the great supporters of the class and an honor to compete against."
Renowned professional Terry Hutchinson is calling tactics for Roepers, who is coming off a victory at the Farr 40 European Championship in Ancona, Italy. Enfant Terrible was runner-up at that regatta, which was held in Rossi's hometown. After six races here in Zadar, Plenty holds a one-point lead over Enfant Terrible.
Struntje Light, another stalwart of the Farr 40 class, is hot on the heels of Plenty and Enfant Terrible after earning Quantum Sails Boat of the Day honors on Thursday. Owner-driver Wolfgang Schaefer led the German team to a strong score line of 2-2-1 on a gorgeous afternoon off Zadar.
"It is wide-open at this point. Enfant has been solid as expected while Struntje is also sailing very well," said Roepers, who captured his second world championship earlier this year. "We are confident in our process, but cautious in our approach because this is a difficult race course. You can get stuck between two breezes and it is quite easy to get fourth here."
Competition is being held on course set about a quarter mile off Zadar, the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. The Farr 40 fleet is being berthed at D-Marin Dalmajica, the largest marina in Croatia. Social activities are based at the Portus Beach Club that is part of the five-star facility.
Principal race officer Dick Neville showed patience and restraint by completing three races in challenging conditions on Wednesday. Northwesterly winds ranging from 6 to 10 knots shifted several times, forcing abandonment of one start.
Danish match racing standout Jasper Radich is serving as tactician aboard Enfant, which showed superb all-around speed in the light air while winning Race 1 and 3. Plenty got the gun in Race 2 and displayed consistency by also notching a second and third on Wednesday - tying Enfant with six total points.
Plenty posted a 4-1-3 score line on Thursday, which brought 8-12 knot breezes from the west. Neville postponed for a half hour to allow the sea breeze to fill in and the fleet enjoyed perfect racing the rest of the day.
Schaefer and the Struntje Light team was clicking on all cylinders in the medium air and finished the day with an impressive win in Race 6. Tactician Hamish Pepper made some outstanding calls on wind shifts as Struntje Light recovered from having to perform a penalty turn at the start to place second in Race 5 - only a meter behind Plenty.
"There was a foul at the start that was not our fault, but to be safe we did a 360," Schaefer said. "The crew stayed focused and we had a very good upwind leg. We caught a couple nice shifts and fought our way back."
Struntje Light has three new sailors as part of the crew for this event, which caused some problems on Wednesday.
"We had a couple communication issues on the first day. We improved on that today and it showed in the results," Schaefer said. "We are back in the game, and anything can happen from here on out."
The Farr 40 Class Association made its debut in Croatia in mid-May off Sibenik, which is located about an hour and a half further down the Dalmatian coast from Zadar. Schaefer said sailing on the Adriatic Sea has been fun and enjoyable.
"We love it here. D-Marin is a wonderful sponsor that puts on a very good event," Schaefer said. "We are sailing just off the coast and the islands are about two miles away. It is a tricky venue and you must be very alert."
As has been the case all season on the Farr 40 circuit, the Corinthian entries are providing stiff competition. Skipper Pierluigi Bresciani and the Pazza Idea team has been racing in close proximity to Luca Pierdomenico and his crew on MP30+10. Both Italian boats have secured a second place finish in the regatta.
"Wednesday was a little difficult because we have some new sailors aboard. Today, we had three good starts and were much faster downwind," Pierdomenico said. "Our goal tomorrow is to develop better upwind speed. We are still slightly off the pace."
MP30+10 has entered every event on the circuit so far and was runner-up to Rush Diletta for the Corinthian title at the European Championships.
"We are working hard to improve with each regatta with the goal of being at the top of our game for next year," said Pierdomenico, who is pointing toward the 2017 Rolex Farr 40 World Championships in Porto Cervo.
The Farr 40 Class Association would like to thank title sponsor D-Marin and race day sponsor Quantum Sails.
