S.R.: Monaco Swan One Design - day 3 - 2019 Second Edition

First Time published: 2019Apr28

 Gallery Day 3: http://bit.ly/2WWaRgh

ClubSwan50: Gli sconfitti return to home watching small sun-ray on the town.
copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

ROULETTE MONEGASCA: RULES OF SAILING and WIND RULE - Day 3 Report from the field

I needed sometime to write this report from the field because Friday (day 3) I’ve had to leave the Mediterranean to come back home to shoot on the Lago di Lecco another event (link to the post: http://bit.ly/2DmmYMj); and plus the institutional holidays were behind the corner (Easter, 25^th April, 1^st May).

The day in the Principato has started with a friendly small tournament of calcio balilla (n.d.t.: table soccer) and ripetizioni di step-climbing to watch the wind conditions in front to the new Marina working zone.

YCM: Campionato Calcio Balilla.
copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

The building site of the new Marina.
copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

Yes the hope was small and for me time was running fast… at the end the R.C: has found some wind and around 11:15UTC, the first regatta has started. Today the light wind is from SW, so the field is the other side.

ClubSwanSkorpidi50: Departure, Skorpodi in jump start.

copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

The White Russian lady, leader of the standing, has missed, for some seconds, the start, and has been obliged to return behind the starting line jibing around the pin. Nevertheless, the Skorpios’s hull is quite fast and at the first mark they are already on the tail fo the fleet. For the rest of the fleet the first leg has been on the coastal side and no-one has tried to find a chance outside.

On the downwind leg the Russian boat is again protagonist being the first to split, jibing to take the left (port) side.

ClubSwan50: Gennaker runway.

copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

ClubSwa50: alternative course Skorpidi RUS-5007.

copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

The action has paid a lot, because at the end they have overtaken a couple of boat at the gate and at the first cross they were 3^rd as ITA-5016 CurodiLeone.

A note of the first departure: today the Flag-ship Solleone has joined the fleet bringing guests, sponsors and journalists to watch the fights.

ClubSwan50: SUI-5004 watched by the spectators on Solleone.

copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

In the other classes, the departure has been “ordinaria” and they crossed the line in the first half near the R.C. boat. Even if the battle between participants of the ClubSwan 42 and 45 has been tight, the forces on field had been already evident for the last two days.

ClubSwan42 & 45: Departure.
copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

ClubSwan42 & 45: Formation.
copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

While the regattas were taking place, after the visit of the old lady TUIGA D-3 yesterday, the third day has had another fast visit from another old Lady the tall sail ship (and French monument) Belem, just a pity they didn’t hoist all sails earlier, but it’s always nice to see this lady. For me this is the second time I can shoot tall ships behind the event in Monaco: the first time was during the J24 European Champ. 2013 (yup time runs fast from my debut) http://bit.ly/2WeMZV2

Belem passes under the Oceanographic Museum.
copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

Clubswan50: La Signora in Rosso Perhonen GBR-023 and Belem.
copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

The second race for both classes have been more spread on the line.

ClubSwan50: Departure.
copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

ClubSwan42 & 45: Departure.
copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

But if the departure was conventional, the race has been exciting.
Better, the protagonist has been the wind and the weather local condition (and when I say local, I mean in in the order of magnitude of metre).

Mark 1, second Lap, due to the wind shift and the movement of the cluster of rain, it has been replaced more close to the coast.

Tracking screenshots.
credit: TracTrac®

When the second part of the ClubSwan50 fleet has arrived, I don’t know if for strategy or mistake, Mathilde SUI-5004 reached the Mark 2 (more or less the old Mark 1 position) and so she has obliged to approach in “gran lasco” reaching; on the other side, Stella Maris AUT-5021 and OneGroup GER-5011 have crossed the lay-line and tacked.

ClubSwan50: Mathilde SUI-5004 and  OneGroup GER-5011 in danger situation.
copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

At the mark, Stella Maris has passed, the next is the German ones with a small gap, the green lady, on the opposite tack and side, decides to go in and tack on the mark, thinking to have enough space and speed, but OneGroup is obliged to poggiare (bear away) under the buoy.

Result: Protest, OneGroup recovering with a difficult 360° because in the meanwhile the red lady and DrifterSail were approaching too, and the crazy green after one length from the buoy has obliged to make the penalty going under again the buoy.

Un bel casino!

ClubSwan50: the fleet is downwind.

copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

We have gone downwind to arrive with the first, because the “groppo” has brought rain on the offset zone and very light breeze, and at one moment, while all are on right tack, Stella Maris AUT-5021 decides to jibe and go far to the open sea side, for us it was looking like a

“try something different, we will not loose any"

ClubSwan50: Stella Maris AUT-5021.
copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

Tracking screenshots.
credit: TracTrac®

On top Ulika ITA-5010 and Skorpidi RUS-5007 were fighting. The match race has brought the two white hulls in the corner of the field on port (left) side of the finish line mark (a dynamic buoy), just a question: "who jibes first?", the Italian go, with the advantage to be upwind to the Russian.

ClubSwan50: Ulika ITA-5010 and Skorpidi RUS-5007 jibing and... stop.
copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

Tracking screenshots.
credit: TracTrac®

But exactly in that moment the wind, first “stopped”, second change direction.

ClubSwan50: Skorpidi RUS-5007 in hold-position.
copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

The two leaders are “circling” away from the finish line (yup they passed from a situation of downwind to one upwind in just one length).
The nightmare has also the terrible surprise that Stella Maris has cut the line in first position with CuordiLeone second, that also had decided to jibe out. The two white lady, finally after a “climb”, have found again the right direction and so they crossed the line with the gennaker up, just in time that the rest of the fleet on the coastal side crossed with the genoa hoisted.

Tracking screenshots.
credit: TracTrac®

ClubSwan50: Stella Maris AUT-5021.
copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

ClubSwan50: the ex leaders finally to the finish line.
copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri

The ClubSwan42 & 45 at the same time, have arrived to the mark 1 in downwind configuration and the R.C. has stopped the race there.

Some sailors don’t like this field, but it’s in the difficult field that the good sail-man is revealed.

While I was shooting on the lake, I discovered that Saturday, the last day, they couldn't sail any race, a very pity.

Results tables:

General Stage 3: 3 races
ClubSwan 42 Class http://bit.ly/2UehM2Q http://bit.ly/2DBdmNZ

1. ITA-17325 FAR STAR Michele MALANDRA (1;1;1=3Pts)
2. FRA-37258 ZAPPY'S Christophe WARGNY (3;2;2=7Pts) 
3. BEL-555 ANDANTE IV Bernard MARCHANT (2;3;3=8Pts)

ClubSwan 45 Class http://bit.ly/2Ua4bt0 http://bit.ly/2DBelxF

1. ESP-10222 PORRON IX Luis SENIS (1;1;1=3Pts)
2. ITA-1500 ANGE TRANSPARENT 2 Valter PIZZOLI (2;2;2=6Pts)
3. GBR-45026 MISS K CHECKMATE Giuseppe CORBETTA (3;3;3=9Pts)

ClubSwan 50 Class http://bit.ly/2U5aVsd http://bit.ly/2Dw4Pf9

1. ITA-5016 CUORDILEONE Carlo di Borbone-Due Sicilie+Leonardo Ferragamo (2;3;2=7Pts)
2. ITA-5010 ULIKA Andrea MASI (4;1;4;=9Pts)
3. RUS-5007 SKORPIOS Dmitry RyYBOLOVLEV (1;8;3=12Pts)

Main Galleries Folder: http://bit.ly/2WXlHCR
Main Folder 2019: http://bit.ly/2WNBIeu
Day 1: http://bit.ly/2WVsE7s
Day 2: http://bit.ly/2WZV3cB
Day 3: http://bit.ly/2WWaRgh