Roberto Tomasini Grinover's Robertissima III has been officially confirmed as the winner of the first Maxi encounter at Rolex Capri Sailing Week 2014 - the 230 nm Volcano Race.
None of those to finish since Robertissima III crossed the line have proved capable of bettering the Italian team's impressive performance in a tactically demanding race. Within the TP52 fleet racing today there were wins for Azzurra (ITA) and the American crew on Vesper, whose efforts across the four races so far put them top of the table going into the third day.
Robertissima III's overall win in the Volcano Race caps an all-round fine performance. Finishing second on the water, her corrected time of 2 days, 1 hour, 11 minutes and 39 seconds was enough to beat line honours winner Esimit Europa 2 by an hour and third-placed Jethou (GBR) by over 108 minutes. Giuseppe Puttini's Italian yacht Shirlaf was last to crossing the finish line, Lunz Am Meer (AUT) having retired.
The Maxi and Mini Maxi fleet return to the racing ring for the first of their inshore series. Jochen Schümann, helmsman on Esimit Europa 2, is hoping the Race Committee offer some windward/leeward racing rather than a coastal course,
"I grew up sailing Olympic classes, and I really appreciate this type of racing, which is full of action and great training for the coming season."
The racing menu for the TP52 fleet competing at Rolex Capri Sailing Week comprised another two windward-leeward races off Capri in a light breeze of 6-10 knots. The first win of the day went to Jim Swartz's Vesper over Rán and Phoenix. In the second race Alberto Roemmer's experienced Azzurra crew overcame the Turkish team on Provezza 7 to secure the win.
After two days of racing and four races won by four different teams, Vesper is the current leader, although tied on points with Azzurra. Previous leader Quantum Racing dropped two spots on the podium after a sixth and a fourth today.
2014 ROLEX CAPRI SAILING WEEK - PROVISIONAL RESULTS DAY 2
Position, Boat Name, Boat Owner, Partial Results - Total Points
Volcano Race (Maxi and Mini Maxi)
1. Robertissima (GBR), Roberto Tomasini Grinover
2. Esimit Europa 2 (SLO), Igor Simcic
3. Jethou (GBR), Sir Peter Ogden
TP52
1. VESPER (USA), Jim Swartz, 5-2-1-6; 14.00
2. Azzura (ITA), Alberto Roemmers, 3-3-7-1; 14.00
3. Quantum Racing (USA), Doug DeVos, 4-1-6-4; 15.00