Azzurra victory in Race 5

Azzurra, runners up in last year’s 52 SUPER SERIES, won race 5 of the Ford Vignale Sailing week to rise to third overall on the event standings, while Alegre’s second place gives them the overall lead. Ran Racing leaders this morning sailed to a weighty tenth place to slip to second behind rivals Alegre.

The breeze was lightest of the regatta so far, just seven knots, and Azzurra made a strong start off the middle of the line, Alegre off the pin. Vasco Vascotto placed Azzurra nicely in a good lane of lifting stronger pressure in the left at the top third of the beat. The boat of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda were 35 seconds ahead of Alegre at the top mark and that delta remained fixed at that around the course. Takashi Okura’s Sled took third, Jean-Luc Petithuegenin’s new Paprec stole fourth on the finish line pipping Xio with Quantum Racing sixth.

So at the midpoint of the regatta it is 52 SUPER SERIES debutants Alegre on the top of the standings but that race proved how easy it is to score a heavy points score for a very small error.