Press Release
1st July
2003 Strong
winds forecast for first day of Rolex Farr 40 Worlds
37
boats from 11 nations representing the cream of owner-driver keelboat sailing
and a veritable Whos Who of international yacht racing have
assembled in Porto Cervo, Sardinia for the sixth Rolex Farr 40 World Championship.
Racing in the 10-race regatta organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda gets
underway tomorrow, Wednesday, and continues through to Saturday. Two races are
scheduled for the first and last days, the second and third days will see three
race starts attempted. All races count and the winner will be the boat that manages
to get around the 10 two-lap windward-leeward courses in the most consistent fashion.
The
day before any regatta of this calibre sees crews making last minute adjustments
and short sorties out to the race course area to practice those important manoeuvres.
Measuring in sails and weighing in to assure compliance of the class strict
all up crew weight of 760kg, has also occupied most crews today.
On
the docks the talk is of how the form shown at the most recent Farr 40 event,
held in Porto Rotondo several miles down the coast from Porto Cervo over the weekend,
will evolve through this World Championship regatta. After seven races it was
Mark Heeleys GBR-25 that won from Massimo Mezzaromas Nerone and Tony
de Mulders Victric. Four previous Rolex Farr 40 World Champions are also
on the entry list for this years event, including Steve Phillips Le
Renard the defending champion. Just after the opening ceremony at the Yacht Club
Costa Smeralda this evening Phillips said:
Im
from Annapolis in the States, where there are normally light winds. Im looking
forward to tomorrow. It will be fun to sail in the breeze. We have sailed here
before. I brought the team here last year because we knew we wanted to be as prepared
as possible for this event. This is the most competitive big boat One Design regatta
there has ever been. Well do the best we can.
With
more than half the fleet capable of winning the championship it is a brave person
who can predict form in the evolving class and with the constantly changing weather
conditions expected over the next four days. Tuesday evening saw 25-30 knots of
wind from the North West blowing across the race course area. This strong wind
is forecast to continue at least into the first day of racing and will yield flat
water conditions. It will however result in gusty and shifty winds as the hilly
island of Sardinia sits between the wind and the race course. The un-seasonally
hot weather that continues to grip Southern Europe shows no sign of cooling down
in the near future, conditions in Porto Cervo are flirting with the 40 degrees
C in spite of the strong Mistral that blows.
The
warning signal for the first race tomorrow will be given at 11:30 tomorrow.
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The
Complete Entry List for the 2003 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship can be found
at: www.farr40.org/racing/03worlds/scratch.htm
Rolex
Farr 40 World Championship Media Centre
Piazza Azzurra, Porto Cervo, Sardinia
Tel: +39 0789 973416
Fax: +39 0789 902408
International
Press Information: Key Partners, KPMS, 70, Route des Falaises, CH-2000 Neuchatel,
Switzerland.
Tel: +33 662647475
Email: [email protected]
Web: regattanews.com
Italian
Press Information: YCCS Media Centre, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, 07020 Porto Cervo
(SS), Italy. Tel: +39 789 9022 00 Fax: +39 78991257 Email: [email protected]