No wind, no change at Melges 24 Worlds
There was no racing Monday at the Volvo Melges 24 World Championship hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo.
'No racing at the Volvo Melges 24 World Championship'
Melges
The second day of the championship dawned with overcast skies, rain showers and extremely light winds and initially the race committee announced a one hour postponement to see how the weather would develop.
Around 11.30 the sun was starting to break through and there was a hint of sea breeze so the competitors went afloat in the hope of being able to get racing underway when the postponement finished at 12.30.
SB3 European Champion Geoff Carveth, helming in his first Melges 24 World Championship for the UK's Miles Quinton aboard GBR694 Code Zero, commented.
'The sailing's really close and really hard. I'm used to being in front in most fleets, but I'm not quite there yet. We've had our moments and we're finding a few grooves where I'm thinking I'm going as good as the top guys, but it only takes a slight change and you're struggling for height and pace again. It's such a minimal thing, certainly we haven't yet quite found an edge, downwind we're good, it's just upwind where we're still searching hard to find some more. The forecast for tomorrow is much better so we're just looking forward to getting back out there.'
Looking ahead to tomorrow Course A Principle Race Officer Peter 'Luigi' Reggio noted 'I think it would be best for everybody if we did three races tomorrow to get some in the bank. Knowing that we have to do a final race then split the fleet on Wednesday we'll look at starting earlier Wednesday so we can take the time to come ashore, sort out any protests, and do the fleet splits before we go out in the afternoon to start the second half of the championship. The forecast looks good for the next two days, but . . . this is sailing!'
So in the overall standings we have no change.
Alberto Bolzan, helming Gianni Catalogna's ITA727 Pilot Italia, leads the regatta. Norway's Herman Horn-Johannessen sailing NOR732 Rett Rundt Hjornet lies three points behind in second. Reigning Melges 24 North American Champion Brian Porter aboard USA649, Full Throttle, and Swiss America's Cup sailor Jean-Marc Monnard, in SUI599 Poizon Rouge, share third place on eight points. Britain's Jamie Lea, helming GBR691 Team Barbarians for Stuart Simpson is one point behind them in fifth.
In the Corinthian Division, for the all amateur teams, Oyvind Peder Jahre, sailing NOR 554 Terra Eindomsmeglng for Stian Briseid, leads the fleet and lies 17th in the overall competition. Second Corinthian is Rudolf Houdek in GER731 Secret Men's Business, with joint 2006 Corinthian Melges 24 World Champion Jean-Francois Cruette, helming FRA612 for Cedric De Kervenaoel, third.
The twelve race series runs until Friday 6 June and a minimum of five races is required to complete the series.
by Fiona Brown 
Margaret River or Osborne Park (severne shop), WA
