The Malcesine Cup started today with four fleet races held in moderate wind conditions (10-15 knots). The five one-design RC 44's were fully powered, and offered a great show to the public.
Sailing on an RC 44 for the first time, Luisa Bambozzi, a young (25 y.o.) talent from Parma, left absolutely no chance to her opponents, taking excellent starts and sailing precisely under Russell Coutts' supervision. Luisa Bambozzi and Team Omega won the first three races, before finishing second of the last race behind Chris Bake's Team Aqua. All four races were extremely close and Intense, all boats crossing the arrival line within seconds. Despite the close action, there were clearly two groups within the fleet, with Team Omega, Team Aqua and Cro-A-Sail (with Jesper Radish at the tactics) finishing all races in the top three whilst the newcomers onboard Magia Carbon Affairs and Antigua Ekipa 44 finished a few boat lengths behind.
Sailing on an RC 44 for the first time, Luisa Bambozzi, a young (25 y.o.) talent from Parma, left absolutely no chance to her opponents, taking excellent starts and sailing precisely under Russell Coutts' supervision. Luisa Bambozzi and Team Omega won the first three races, before finishing second of the last race behind Chris Bake's Team Aqua. All four races were extremely close and Intense, all boats crossing the arrival line within seconds. Despite the close action, there were clearly two groups within the fleet, with Team Omega, Team Aqua and Cro-A-Sail (with Jesper Radish at the tactics) finishing all races in the top three whilst the newcomers onboard Magia Carbon Affairs and Antigua Ekipa 44 finished a few boat lengths behind.
Aged 25, Luisa Bambozzi found out that she was going to steer Team Omega the day before the event started. A member of the Fraglia Vela di Malcesine, she travelled to lake Garda in order to give a hand to the Organising Committee. Gianni Testa, the President of the club, was supposed to steer Team Omega but he realised that organising the event and sailing was too much. So he offered the job to Luisa. "I thought it was a joke", she said. "But then I realised that they were serious. For me, this is just a once in a lifetime opportunity and I feel extremely lucky."
A match racing round-robin is scheduled tomorrow, whilst the teams will sail a coastal race on Saturday. The event will finish on Sunday with more fleet races.
