ORC Mediterranean Championship: it’s immediately a battle between Wally Rocket and the TP 52s

The Mediterranean ORC Championship, also valid as the National Championship of the Middle and Lower Tyrrhenian Sea, the first event of Three Gulfs Sailing Week, which also includes the Three Gulfs Regatta and the European Maxi, opened with the first regatta in Sorrento.

There are 30 boats at the start of the Campania event, with many top teams on the water, starting with Giovanni Lombardi Stronati’s highly anticipated Wally Rocket 51(WATCH OUR TRIAL), one of the two boats on the Italian team that will go for the Admiral’s Cup next July in England. Also on the water were Gianni Di Vincenzo’s Ker 46 Lisa R(Read the story of this super team), Vincenzo Onorato’s Farr 40 Mascalzone Latino, and two TP 52s, Bernard Arcas’ Arkas Sailing Team and Ruedi Huber’s Musica.

Mediterranean ORC Championship – How the first day went

Under clear skies and with a westerly breeze between 7 and 8 knots, gradually decreasing during the race to stabilize around 5 knots, the fleet of 30 boats from six nations got off to a steady start in front of the Sorrento coast.

Leading the fleet in the initial phase was the wallyrocket51 Team Django, with Vasco Vascotto at tactician, followed at close range by the Turkish crew of Arkas Sailing Team. The duel between the two hulls enlivened the race from the first upwind: Team Django set a high pace in the initial phase, but between the second upwind and the last downwind Arkas Sailing Team managed to close the gap, overtaking their opponents and crossing the finish line first.

On corrected time, valid for the Middle and Lower Tyrrhenian National Championship standings, the positions of the top two are confirmed with Arkas Sailing Team in the lead ahead of Team Django, while Mascalzone Latino, Vincenzo Onorato’s Farr40, completes the provisional podium thanks to an excellent race in the light breeze.

On the other hand, as far as the ranking of the ORC Mediterranean Championship is concerned, which is reserved for boats also entered in the 70th Regatta of the Three Gulfs scheduled for May 16, and in which Team Django will not take part, Mascalzone Latino is in second place, while in third position isItalia Yachts To Be, owned by Stefano Rusconi.