Newport, RI - While the nor'easter over Newport has done its best to deflate the fleet at the 2016 Melges 32 Worlds hosted by Sail Newport,
the strong winds and persistent rains have only added to what has been a
wild, wet and seriously exciting championship. Initial forecasts showed
a lighter and drier day however, while en route to the racecourse, it
didn't take long for sailors to discover that conditions might be the
most adverse yet with a strong headwind and sideways rain.
With an eye on the prize and a solid night's rest behind him, Ryan DeVos and his Volpe
team declared that their prior race wins were no fluke and claimed the
bullet in the first race of the day (their third of the championship)
followed by Richard Goransson's Inga from Sweden and Alessandro Rombelli's STIG.
On
his secret of success thus far DeVos commented, "Despite the tough
conditions, we have been having a good time on- and off-the-water. The
racing has been full-on, very competitive and the breeze has been a lot
of fun. We are looking forward to sailing hard in the last two races."
Finishing third in Race Seven, Rick Devos on Delta
has successfully strung together as many third place finishes as his
younger brother has bullets, solidifying himself in second overall.
Italy's Andrea LaCorte and his Vitamina team won Race Seven, followed by Jason Carroll's Argo
who went from ninth place rounding at the bottom gates to place second,
which in turn, enabled him to remain on the podium overnight.
The
final race of the day, Race Eight in a ten-part series presented big
changes in angle and velocity on the racecourse providing for some tight
first weather mark roundings. Goransson played the shifts nicely on the
first upwind beat, however it was Ryan DeVos' Volpe
who stayed hooked up and planing downwind to lead at the gates,
ultimately hanging on for the race win. Goransson claimed another second
place finish, while Rombelli came third.
Despite
the seven point cushion, the event is still up for grabs with Ryan
DeVos looking to defend his lead against his brother Rick and World
Champion veterans on Argo. Not far off the podium is a pack of fast teams who will be looking to finish the final two races and move up in the standings.
ALL THE MARBLES
For
the Corinthian division, racing could not possibly be more tight and
intense. With Day Three now in the record books, Morgan Kiss and the
'kids' on Hydra have leapfrogged Chris Wientjes' Stormvogel
for the top position in the amatuer division. After sitting in fourth
place in Race Seven, Wientjes was the victim of a tough call from the
umpires for excessive pumping and had to spin losing his strong
position. Only three points separate these two incredible teams, which
means tomorrow's racing - Sunday, the final day of competition will be
do or die, and for certain will put spectators on the edge of their
seats.
For fleet newcomer and Corinthian entry Jeremy Alexis aboard Lucy,
it has been a blessed baptism by fire. "We've experienced just about
everything while racing, but we are still having great fun and super
excited to be out here racing with this amazing group of competitors.
This is like playing a game of pick-up basketball with Michael Jordan,"
said Alexis. "We've learned so much so far and look forward to carrying
it forward into tomorrow's racing and future regattas."
Post race, the Worlds Regatta Tent at the Newport Shipyard was packed for the daily awards and the Stormvogel
Pig Roast. The class cannot thank Chris Weintjes and his team enough
for putting on a seriously tasty spread of post race food.
MEDIA AND RACING COVERAGE
Every day, 2016 Melges 32 World Championship racing updates are posted online at the Official Melges 32 Facebook Page by Newport Live Media.
Tune in for the latest racing information, results, video interviews,
and photos. Race reports and press releases will be available online
each day post-racing at melges32.com.
TOP FIVE OVERALL RESULTS (Preliminary - After Eight Races)
1.) Ryan DeVos/Mark Mendelblatt, Volpe; 2-7-1-1-6-1-[9]-1 = 19
2.) Rick DeVos/Jonathan McKee, Delta; [9]-5-3-3-3-4-3-5 = 26
3.) Jason Carroll/Cameron Appleton, Argo Team; 1-[6]-5-5-4-6-2-8 = 29
4.) Alessandro Rombelli/Terry Hutchinson, STIG; 4-2-6-[7]-7-3-7-3 = 32
5.) Richard Goransson/Vasco Vascotto, Inga From Sweden; 3-[14/DNF]-7-9-2-2-8-2 = 33
FULL CORINTHIAN RESULTS (Preliminary - After Eight Races)
1.) Morgan Kiss, Hydra = 69 pts.
2.) Chris Wientjes, Stormvogel = 72 pts.
3.) Jeremy Alexis, Lucy = 96 pts.
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