Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta Day 3

Porto Cervo, Italy - 11 June 2010

After yesterday’s racing at the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta was lost, with Porto Cervo being battered by 30 knots winds, so today there was a flat calm on the waters off northwest Sardinia. After a wait out on the water for the sea breeze to fill in, a race was started only for it to be canned as the wind fizzled away to nothing.

“There were more than a couple of different models today, but you go out and deal with what you’ve got,” commented Principle Race Officer, Peter Craig. “Eduardo Recchi [Sporting Director at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda) was on the boat with us and he thought it would come in, but it stayed hazy and that wasn’t a good sign.”

The wait provided enterprising crews of several superyachts to find ways of filling the time. On board the 29m Jongert Scorpione dei Mari they began a waterbombing campaign against their competition until one yacht responded by spraying them back with chilled champagne.

In the end patience prevailed and a light sea breeze finally filled in at 2pm at 6 knots, the boats seeing 8-8.5 at their masthead. The cruising fleet made it through the whole of their start sequence, leaving in minute intervals in a pursuit race format, but as the leaders were approaching the first turning mark, the wind died terminally.

“We didn’t want to get into the predicting game, but we were pretty sure it was lights out before pulling the plug...” said Craig.

The wait until this afternoon’s racing provided owners and their guests some welcome recovery time from the magnificent Owners and Guests Beach Party held last night in the idyllic setting of the Hotel Romazzino.

“It all went very very well and it was an opportunity to take some people from the boat and other friends and to take some girls dancing!” commented Sir Lindsay Owen Jones, owner of the 28.8m Wally, Magic Carpet 2, of the party. “We all had a good time. It was very nice and the welcome was nicely made. We had a good evening.”

Of the last two days, Sir Lindsay Owen Jones has done enough sailing to remain philosophical about the lack of racing. “It is frustrating, although I think the organisers were right in both cases. Yesterday I think it was just bordering on the dangerous and they made a call on that and I thought that was fair. Today I think they were right to hang into the last minute to try and get a race. Our forecast said that there might have been another hour of breeze and that might have been enough. But it didn’t happen and that’s just the way it is. We were lucky. We had our start and we had a good spinnaker run up to the Montici [an island to the east of Caprera] which was very exciting. A downwind start is something we do very rarely.”

On board Pier Luigi Loro Piana’s 25m Reichel Pugh My Song, tactician Tommaso Chieffi, who holds the same job with the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s America’s Cup team, Azzurra, also reckoned the race committee had been right to keep the boats out on the water. “It was a good try. We had a bit of sea breeze. Unfortunately the sea breeze kicked in a bit late due to the fact that there was a lot of haze over the land in the morning and it didn’t get started until 2pm. It was blowing 5 knots and there was a possibility it could have gone up to 7-8 knots during the duration of the day until 5-6pm. So it was worth a try. We went for a sail, and unfortunately it did die off when we were leading. But Pier Luigi Loro Piana left with a big smile on his face, so I think it is always worth trying to do a race rather than not doing anything.”

The final day of racing takes place tomorrow and much reading of the tea leaves is being carried out by the meteorologists in the hope that the weather comes good. Peter Craig says the weather models are varying and it is not a good sign that none agree. “One forecast calls for next to nothing. Another calls for light and another for a beautiful 12-16 knots. So we are going to go out there, give it our all and try and get one good race in.”

As a consolation prize the strong social side of this regatta continues with the Loro Piana Owners Dinner at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda clubhouse while this coincides with the Sardinia Yacht Services Crew Party being held up in the hills behind Porto Cervo in the main square of the 18th century town, San Pantaleo.

For more information visit www.loropianasuperyachtregatta.com or contact:

Jill Campbell
YCCS Press Office
Tel: + 39 0789 902 200
Fax: +39 0789 91213
Email: pressoffice@yccs.it

Alice C. I'Anson Widdows
Events Director
Boat International Media
Tel: +44 (0) 7591 006 250
Email: alice.widdows@boatinternationalmedia.com

Alexis Naylor
Events Executive
Boat International Media
Tel: +44 (0) 7971 438 671
Email: alexis.naylor@boatinternationalmedia.com