Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2000 - Day 3

by Susannah Bourne on 5 Sep 2000 Roy Disney's 70-foot lightweight racing yacht crossed the finish line almost
three-quarters of an hour ahead of the Italian Maxi called Edimetra, but
finished ahead by just one second on corrected time in the second race of the
Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2000.

But if Ernesto Gismondi missed winning the race, he can at least console
himself that Edimetra leads the overall standings in the racing division of this
high-profile regatta, being hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in
Sardinia's most exclusive harbour, Porto Cervo.

America's Cup tactician Tommaso Chieffi is providing the local knowledge for
American yacht Pyewacket, as the fleet negotiates the tactically challenging
waters around the islands on this rocky coastline. "We picked the right
corners today, along with good speed in the light winds," he said.

Alexia failed to match her 2nd place in yesterday's race, and a disappointing
4th puts her in 2nd overall behind Edimetra. "We had a good first leg today,"
said Chris Larson, the American America's Cup sailor calling the shots
aboard Alberto Roemmers' IMS Maxi. "Then we tried to sail the tactically safe
option down the run, but I think there was some local knowledge involved in
going towards the shore that we didn't pick up on."

L'Oréal chief executive Lindsay Owen-Jones was not aboard his Wally yacht
Magic Carpet to savour a victory by over three minutes on corrected time
ahead of near-sister ship Genie of the Lamp. These two yachts now share the
lead in the Light division, with a 1st and 2nd apiece.

Again, the super-fast swing-keeled Tiketitan led the way round the 22.6 mile
course, but for the second day running, tactician Vasco Vascotto felt cheated
by the fickle wind conditions. "We did a brilliant job today, but the wind picked
up after we finished, from about four knots to eight knots. The slower boats
gained five minutes on us in the last three miles. There was nothing we could
do," said the Italian multiple world champion.

Helmsman Luca Bassani opted to start on port behind the fleet, to give the 80
foot yacht one less tack to complete, never a quick task with a swing keel to
move from side to side by hydraulics. Another boat that attempted a port tack
start was Kauris, helmed by Pirelli's chief executive Marco Tronchetti Provera.
However she forced another boat to alter course to avoid a collision and
Kauris completed a penalty turn which put her some way back behind the
other yachts.


Overall Positions after 2 races:

Pos. Boat name Owner Points

IMS-ORC (Racing) Division
1 Edimetra Ernesto Gismondi 5
2 Alexia Alberto Roemmers 6
3 Pyewacket Roy Disney 7


Light Division
1 Magic Carpet Lindsay Owen-Jones 3
2 Genie of the Lamp Gianluca Vacchi 3
3 Tiketitan Luca Bassani 6