Azzurra Begins the final event in the 52 Super Series with two wins

Azzurra Begins the final event in the 52 Super Series with two wins

Azzurra, the boat flying the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s burgee, has begun the Egnos 52 Super Series Cascais Cup in the best possible way with wins in both of today’s races. 

 

The fleet of TP52s had to wait for two hours past their scheduled start before southerly breezes picked up over an unusually calm Atlantic Ocean at Cascais. Just a little past 2:30 PM (3:30 PM CEST) the start of the first race was called with breezes at about 8 knots with gusts at up to 11. Azzurra got an excellent start on the pin, gaining ground and taking with best advantage of breezes that rotated a bit to the left as tactician Vasco Vascotto had predicted. Skilled maneuvering and a well-tuned boat did the rest and Azzurra controlled the fleet finishing ahead of Sled and Provezza. Quantum placed fourth.

Azzurra got a perfect start in the second race too, this time on the Committee Boat, and controlled the fleet from the start to the finish. The breezes went light to lighter and were shifty and the second upwind leg was a bit difficult. Nevertheless, Azzurra’s leadership was never in question and the YCCS boat ended the day with two well-deserved bullets. She is currently leading in the Cascais Cup’s provisional results and has consolidated her second place in the Series overall. 

Azzurra’s team is staying concentrated and knows well that the Cascais Cup has only just begun. But it has begun on the right foot. With today’s two wins Azzurra has won 5 out of the last six races. In fact, at the final two days of the event held in Mahon, Azzurra had three wins to her credit.

“I gave myself a birthday present!” joked a jubilant Vasco Vascotto, tactician. “We’re happy: today’s races weren’t easy but we got both starts just the way we wanted them and then took the best advantage of the fine-tuning that we have been working on over the course of a difficult season. We’ve shown the world our motivation and that we never give up and that makes us proud. The fact that things weren’t easy today only makes the wins sweeter.

Guillermo Parada, skipper: “It was a satisfying day and a rewarding one. We have suffered many times during the season up until now and it feels really good to have won five out of the last six races. We know now that we’ve got our capability to win back and it’s a reward for all of the hard work we have done. And a good late birthday present for Vasco! We know that good things don’t  last forever, but we’re happy that we’ve found our stride. Hopefully we’ll finish this season on a strong note and set a good base for the 2017 season that’s right around the corner. We’re happy and lucky to be where we are now.”

Racing tomorrow will start at 12:30 PM local time, 13:30 PM CEST, and will see two windward/leeward races. Forecasts are for conditions similar to today’s. As always, fans can follow Azzurra’s progress live from the regatta course on Facebook and Twitter and live-image streaming and races with commentary in English can be followed on Virtual Eye thanks to the 52 Super Series’ organization.

 

EGNOS 52 SUPER SERIES Cascais Cup

Standings after Day 1, two races.

 

1 Azzurra, ITA (Pablo/Alberto Roemmers ARG) (1,1) 2pts

2 Quantum Racing, USA (Doug DeVos USA) (4,2) 6pts

3 Provezza, TUR (Ergin Imre TUR) (3,4) 7pts

4 Sled, USA (Takashi Okura USA) (2,6) 8pts

5 Rán Racing, SWE (Niklas Zennström SWE) (7,3) 10pts

6 Gladiator, GBR (Tony Langley GBR) (6,5) 11pts

7 Platoon, GER (Harm Müller-Spreer GER) (5,7) 12pts

8 Bronenosec, RUS (Vladimir Liubomirov RUS) (8,8) 16pts

9. Phoenix, USA (Richard Cohen USA) (9,9) 18pts

7. Alegre, GBR (Andrés Soriano USA) (10,10) 20pts

 

AZZURRA

Pablo and Alberto Roemmers - Owners

Guillermo Parada - Skipper, Helm

Vasco Vascotto - Tactician

Bruno Zirilli - Navigator

Giovanni Cassinari - Mainsail

Mariano Caputo - Bowman

Juan Pablo Marcos -  Midbow

David Vera - Pitman

Maciel Cichetti - Trimmer

Grant Loretz - Trimmer

Mariano Parada - Trimmer

Gabriel Marino - Grinder

Alejandro Colla – Grinder

Pedro Rossi- Grinder/Boat Captain

 

Coach: Guillermo Baquerizas

Coach: Marco Capitani

 

52 SUPER SERIES 2016

24 - 29 May - Scarlino 52 Super Series Cup Scarlino (Italy)

27 June  2 July - Audi Settimana delle Bocche - 52 Super Series Porto Cervo (Italy)

24 - 29 July - 52 Super Series Trophy Puerto Portals (Spain)

13 - 18 September - Menorca TP52 World Championship Mahon (Spain)

10 - 15 October - Cascais 52 Super Series Cup Cascais (Portugal)