Key West Fla - Day 3 of Acura Key West 2009, presented by Nautica, brought some tricky conditions that challenged tacticians on all three courses. While many of the series leaders stayed on top of the situation and further increased their advantage, there was a notable shakeup in the standings in the professional-laden Farr 40 class. Mascalzone Latino, the Italian entry owned by Vincenzo Onorato, had one of those days every sailor dreads. After winning three of the initial four races, Mascalzone Latino suffered a ninth and a 10th on Wednesday and dropped to third in the overall standings. A pair of poor starts, including an on-course-side in Race 6, had the three-time world champions playing catch-up all day and that was a real challenge in the tough conditions. Heavy air with significant oscillations and northeasterly winds that gusted between 12 and 18 knots included shifts of 20 to 40 degrees. While Key West was not in a deep freeze like much of the country, temperatures were definitely below normal. Barking Mad, owned by Jim Richardson of Newport, R.I., clearly handled the conditions well and posted a first and a second on Wednesday to produce a 16-point swing on Mascalzone Latino – going from six points behind to 10 points ahead. “Mascalzone Latino had been sailing really well so it was a little surprising they had such a rough day. It was gusty with huge shifts so it was easy to get out of phase,” said Richardson, who captured Farr 40 class at Acura Key West for the first time in 11 attempts a year ago. “We were fortunate enough to have two solid races today. Conditions were very tricky, but we were patient enough and sailed well enough to get to the top mark at the front of the fleet and then were able to sail our own race.” Joe Fly, an Italian entry owned by Giovanni Maspero, also posted a first and a second on Wednesday and moved into second place in the overall standings – eight points behind Barking Mad. “We got great starts and were able to sail the shifts instead of the fleet, which makes a huge difference,” said tactician Francesco Bruni, who felt the team did a terrific job of bouncing back from a tough Tuesday that produced placements of fifth and ninth. “Our sail setup was better today and our way of trimming was more aggressive.” Joe Fly narrowly missed winning the world championship last year, but was a disappointing 19th out of 25 entries at Acura Key West. “This has never been a good regatta for our team so it would be very rewarding to win,” Bruni said. Complete Results, Daily Blog, Photo Gallery and News: www.premiere-racing.com For more information on Premiere Racing, Acura Key West 2009, presented by Nautica and its Sponsors and Partners: Premiere Racing, Inc. 67B Front Street, Marblehead, MA, 01945
Tel: (781) 639-9545 Fax: (781) 639-9171
Email: Peter@Premiere-Racing.com Web Site: www.Premiere-Racing.com Title Sponsor Acura is the Official Vehicle. Nautica is the Presenting Sponsor and Nautica Watches is the Official Timekeeper. Day Sponsors are Mount Gay® Rum (Official Rum), Lewmar (Official Marine Hardware) and Sperry Top-Sider (Official Footwear). Supporting sponsors are B&G (Official Marine Electronics) Marlow (Official Rope) and SLAM (Official Technical Gear). Supplier Spaten is the Official Beer. Acura Key West is also supported by The Florida Keys & Key West Tourism Council. The Historic Seaport at the Key West Bight is the Official Site.
Key West - 22 January 2009 20:06
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