Andrea Bianchedi’s KZ-5 also dominated the second day of the 12 Metre Grand Prix World Championship in Imperia, winning both races in commanding fashion and consolidating her lead in the provisional standings with just 4 points after the discard came into effect. With Pietro D’Alì at the helm, Flavio Favini calling tactics, and Tiziano Nava as skipper and mainsail trimmer, KZ-5 has put together an impressive scoreline of 1-1-(2)-1-1, discarding a second place as her worst result. Patrizio Bertelli’s Kookaburra II lies second on 10 points, followed by Kookaburra III and Kiwi Magic KZ-7, both on 11.

The north-easterly breeze of around 12-14 knots gradually shifted towards the east. In the first race, the crews sailed in relatively consistent pressure, while in the second the wind began to ease and became patchier, although it remained at around 12 knots. The topography of the coastline made the left-hand side of the course particularly favourable, following an initial band of stronger pressure on the right immediately after the start. In the first race, KZ-5 initially chose the right-hand side towards open water, extending away from the fleet before working back towards the shore and taking control. After rounding the windward mark in the lead, she stretched her advantage downwind. In the second race, a perfect start by Pietro D’Alì, hitting the middle of the line at speed and on time, allowed KZ-5 to control proceedings from the opening stages and build a sizeable lead. “We have had two very positive days so far. We knew the boat had good potential, but we had not yet had the opportunity to line up against the others. Now we have seen that she is fast. It is up to us to perform at the same level, because our opponents are extremely strong and can rely on boats and crews with more time together,” commented Flavio Favini.

Behind the leader, the racing was tight and produced a spectacular show, with close crosses, perfectly synchronised covering gybes and finishes decided by just a few metres. KA-12 Kookaburra II, with Torben Grael at the helm and Ganga Bruni calling tactics, finished the two races in second and fourth respectively, both results coming after skilful recoveries. In the first race, a problem with the genoa sheet immediately after the start led to a penalty following an incident with the French team aboard South Australia, forcing the crew to restart from the back of the fleet. They nevertheless recovered to finish second, edging Kookaburra III in a photo finish. In the following race, a slightly late start forced Kookaburra II to escape the dirty air of the fleet sailing on the favoured side, tacking away in search of alternative routes through the fleet. “We are still aiming for the title, but we need to start better and avoid falling behind, only to be forced to fight our way back,” explained Torben Grael.

It was also a positive day for Maurizio Vecchiola’s KA-15 Kookaburra III, whose third and second places moved her onto 11 points, level with KZ-7 Kiwi Magic, skippered by Denmark’s Jes Gram-Hansen. Tommaso Chieffi, tactician aboard Kookaburra III, highlighted the boat’s competitiveness and the good balance within a crew combining young sailors with highly experienced “veterans”. In the first race, Kookaburra III missed out on second place by approximately three metres in the final duel with Kookaburra II, after a halyard problem prevented her from gybing at the same time as her rivals. “We are competitive in terms of speed. We made a few small manoeuvring errors, but we are right there, morale is high and we feel we can fight for it,” Chieffi observed. “It had been a while since I last sailed a 12 Metre, but compared with some of my rivals here, I have been sailing more regularly in other classes, so I am well trained.”

After showing consistent form on the opening day, Kiwi Magic KZ-7 added a fourth and a third place and now lies fourth, level on points with the boat in third. Further back, French Kiss is fifth on 19 points, with South Australia sixth on 21. After five races and with the discard now applied, KZ-5 has built a six-point advantage, but three boats are separated by just a single point behind her. The World Championship remains open, and every error, beginning with the start, can quickly alter the balance of the competition. Racing resumes tomorrow, 31 August, at 12 noon, with light winds forecast.

Giuliano Luzzatto