FLAVIO FAVINI & HARRY MELGES HEAD THE LEADER BOARD AT MELGES 24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

The penultimate day of the 2001 Melges 24 World Championship brought an interesting mix of weather and sea conditions and some very exciting racing.  Although the race committee had hope to complete 3 more races the dying, shifting breeze resulted in a wise decision to stop at two.

Overnight leader Flavio Favini (helming for Franco Rossini) consolidated his lead in race 7 with another impressive win but race 8 saw him cross the line 7th with a protest hanging over him following an incident with Brian Porter on the final run.  Harry Melges meanwhile put in another solid day to take a 2nd and 4th keeping him safely in second place overall.

"We were happy with this morning and then we came out OK in the second one.  There are still two races to go so the situation is definitely still open.  Full Throttle is protesting us for an incident in race eight so we'll have to see what the jury has to say." said Favini immediately he arrived ashore.

Race 7 started in 15 knots with a nasty chop on top of the long swell and for the first time all week the fleet seemed to favor the left hand end of the line.  Unfortunately a number of teams were a little too eager and amongst those caught over the start line were Brian Porter, Laurent Pages and Morgan Reeser.  Favini did not make the same mistake and yet again he led the race from start to finish.  Melges had a moderate first beat to round 9th but an impressive first run took him through to 2nd and although he was never quite able to best Favini, he comfortably hung on to 2nd for the rest of the race.  Behind him places changed constantly at the front of the pack with Jamie Lea (helming for Richard Thompson) eventually taking 3rd from Robert Tennant 4th and Vince Brun 5th.

At the start of race 8 the wind was down to around 12 knots and it continued to drop off throughout the race.  Although the worst of the chop had flattened off there was still a noticeable swell running and it was the crews who were on the pace with their gear changes and shift spotting that made it into the chocolates.  George Szabo (helming for Jeff Jones) and Kent Haeger both put together excellent first beats to head the fleet round the weather mark just ahead of Vince Brun and Doug Clarke (helming for Paula Zubrzycki).  Down the first run Brun managed to pull up to second but was unable to get past Jones who held him off all the way to the finish.  Behind them the battle for places was fierce and positions changed with every mark rounding.   Pages eventually took third with Melges 4th ahead of Clark and Brit Tony Weatherall (helming for Dave Clark).  The battle for 7th and 8th between Porter and Favini was a humdinger and as a result of the incident in which Porter felt Favini infringed him it was also very vocal.  Favini crossed the line just seconds ahead of Porter.

Melges was delighted with his 2nd and 4th and with the promise of his preferred light airs for the final two races tomorrow is looking forward to the last day.   "We had a good day today.  The wind was fading all day which was to our favor because Flavio and his team have been going so fast when the breeze is up.  We finally got ahead of him in the last race so we've gained a couple of points back.  We've got a couple of races tomorrow with some lighter air so we'll see what happens." commented Melges.

As we go to press the result of the protest between Porter and Favini, which will have a significant effect on the standings is still awaited.  What is clear is that regardless of the result of that protest the championship is still very much open and we can expect some great sailing again tomorrow and Favini and Melges fight it out for the Melges 24 World Title.

Full results and further information can be found at www.melges24.com and www.premiere-racing.com and via IMCA Press Officer Fiona Brown on e-mail FionaBrown@compuserve.com and Terra Nova Trading/Yachting Key West Race Week Press Officer Rich Roberts on e-mail richroberts@compuserve.com.

The 2001 Melges 24 World Championship is being run in association with Terra Nova Trading/Yachting Key West Race Week 2002.  Our thanks to Melges 24 World Championship sponsors Woody's Ice, Geneva Trading, LightSurf Technologies, North Sails, Melges Performance Sailboats, the USMCA and all Terra Nova Trading/Yachting Key West Race Week sponsors.

                                                                                                ---FIONA BROWN

KEY WEST, Fla.-While big winds often bring bad news, most sailors will welcome them and take their chances. Some paid the price at Terra Nova Trading/Yachting Key West Race Week Wednesday.

Foremost, there was the Titan XI-Decision collision in PHRF-1 class. Stephen Murray's Decision, an Andrews 70 from New Orleans, struck Tom Hill's Titan XI, an Andrews 68 from San Juan, P.R., near the windward mark on the first leg of the second race.

  Photo Rich Roberts - click for the larger view. 

Decision, on port tack, tried to duck its rival but T-boned Titan XI smack on the middle T. Titan XI looked as if it had been cut almost halfway in two by a chainsaw.

"We thought we were going to sink," Hill said. "The regatta's over for us."

Well, not exactly. In what Titan XI helmsman Mark Ploch called "a very gracious offer," Murray put his boat, which suffered what was described as "superficial damage," at the disposal of Hill and his crew for the last two days of the regatta.

Madden Randle, Decision's navigator and boat captain, said, "We owed them the gesture. We probably made a mistake-well, we most certainly made a mistake in trying to duck them. We probably waited too long and were going too fast-10-plus knots by the time we collided."

Wednesday's breeze was up to 18 knots, strongest of the week. The F-28R trimarans loved every minute of it.

Although one of the class leaders, Doug Harkrider of Flowery Beach, Ga., had to drop out of the second race when the headboard on his main sail broke, he said with delight, "The conditions were perfect for multihulls. We can even use a little more [wind]. We don't start reefing until 25 knots."

Randy Smyth, America's No. 1 multihull sailor, certainly had no complaints, either. He won both of Wednesday's races to stretch his overall lead to four points with three races remaining.

A greater surprise was Flavio Favini's sweep of all three races against the rest of the best Melges 24 sailors in the 2001 World Championships. Favini, the IMS 50 world champion sailing for Switzerland, has won four in a row reaching back to Tuesday. With throwouts considered, Favini leads defending Key West champion Harry Melges of Lake Geneva, Wis., 15 points to 24, with four races remaining.

More Melges 24 information is in the report following this release.

In the marquee class featuring celebrity tacticians, Atalanti XI, the double defending champion with Robbie Haines brainstorming behind owner/driver George Andreadis of Greece, slipped quietly into first place although it still hasn't finished better than third (3-7-4-4-3). Wednesday's winners were John Thomson's Solution and Jim Richardson's Barking Mad, but consistency is what counts there.

Consistently winning is even better. In the 1D35s, Chris and Kara Busch's Wild Thing from San Diego (1-2-1-1-1) now has an eight-point lead.

After three of five days, the only unbeaten boat left from the 324 entries from 33 states and 14 countries is Kerry Klingler's defending J/80 champion from Larchmont, N.Y., known only by its sail number, 395.

In IMS, Isam Kabbani's C/M 60, Rima, and George David's Nelson/Marek 49, Idler, remained tied for first place after swapping firsts and seconds-ditto Bill Alcott's Santa Cruz 70, Equation, and George Collins' Farr 52, Chessie Racing, in PHRF-1, as Titan XI and Decision went by the boards.

The hottest PHRF boats are Wairere, Trice and Chris Bouzaid's Thompson 30, with a 1-1-2-1-1 series going in PHRF-3, and Dream Cookie, Peter De Beukelaer's Tripp 26, in PHRF-8.

Richard Perini's Mumm 30 Foreign Affair from Sydney, Australia, won both of Wednesday's races to make it three in a row for a narrow lead.

It wasn't immediately clear how Decision would be scored with the Titan XI crew now in charge, but nobody seemed concerned, and hard feelings were minimal.

Hill, the owner of Titan XI, said, "I've run into boats myself, but it's really disappointing. It was a scary moment. The three of us in the back of the boat were ready to bail out."

Mark Ploch of Titan XI said, "I was at the helm. At a certain point it was, 'They're gonna hit us, and it's gonna hurt.' "

Decision's bow remained jammed in Titan XI's hull for more than a minute. The crippled boat, still heeling sharply to port, was taking on water at an alarming rate. 

"His bow was pushing us sideways," Hill said. "We thought we were going to sink."

Randle took action on Decision. "I felt we were pushing the other boat under," he said. "I started the engine, grabbed the helm and backed the boat away."

Randle said the crash was the result of misjudgment by the unidentified helmsman-not Murray-and not because the crew failed to ease the main sheet, as Titan XI crew members at first suspected.

"The main was flagging when we hit them," Randle said.

Decision apparently would sail Thursday with most of the Titan XI crew and a half-dozen Decision people.

The new title sponsor, Terra Nova Trading, L.L.C. (member NASD, SIPC & PCX), is recognized as an innovative leader in Electronic Direct Access Trading. Other Race Week sponsors and supporters include Mount Gay Rum, Lewmar Marine, Pearson Yachts, Samson Rope Technologies, Sam Adams, Saucony and SUUNTO USA. Supporting organizations include the Florida Keys & Key West and the Historic Seaport, the official site for Race Week. Yachting
Magazine is the Event Founder.

Yachting Magazine is published by Time4 Media, the world's leading publisher of leisure-time magazines. Time4 Media is a subsidiary of Time Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: AOL).

SAUCONY 5K FUN RUN

Heartbreaker was tough to beat on land or sea Tuesday. After the Wally Tsuha/Bob Hughes Farr 40 from Holland, Mich. finished second and fourth to move into a first-place tie with Virago, crew member Brad Rodi of San Diego won the traditional Saucony 5K Fun Run through the streets of Key West.

Rodi, 30, finished the 3.1-mile course in 18 minutes and was 22 seconds ahead of the runner-up, local runner Mirek Kucera.

"We had a pretty good day," Rodi told reporter Ron Cooke of the Key West Citizen. "The real bragging rights are on the boat. The run is just a little extra."

KEY WEST, Fla.- Chris Doubek took a solemn oath after the second day of racing inTerra Nova Trading/Yachting Key West Race Week Tuesday.

Doubek, the president of title sponsor Terra Nova Trading, is sailing aboard Stuart Townsend's Farr 40, Virago, which shares first place in that Grand Prix international class. Townsend is president of Townsend Analytics, the provider of RealTick  which is the software trading system Terra Nova uses.

"Believe me," Doubek said, "it is not fixed."

With a third and a sixth following Monday's second in the 25-boat fleet, Virago, from Chicago, and the Wally Tsuha/Bob Hughes Heartbreaker, Holland, Mich., have 11 points, only two ahead of Atalanti XI, the double defending champion of Greek banker George Andreadis.

John Kilroy's Samba Pa Ti finished first in the second of two races Tuesday and would be level with Atalanti XI if it hadn't been disqualified on a protest by Alexis Michas' Phish Food, Stonington, Conn., over an incident at the leeward mark. Samba Pa Ti rounded inside of Phish Food, which claimed it had to bear away to avoid a collision.

There was a slight bump in the 1D35 class when helmsman Giovanni Arrivabeno, driving the Italian boat Smiling Bulldog, tacked into the stern quarter of Chris and Kara Busch's class leader Wild Thing, San Diego, 30 seconds after a start. Wild Thing bent a stanchion but didn't miss a beat, posting second- and first-place finishes after Monday's opening win.

Stronger southerly breezes building from 6 to 15 knots, then fading to 8, allowed a full schedule of racing for the 324 boats: two races each for 17 classes and three races for the Melges 24s, who have 10 on their schedule to determine the 2001 world champion.

The 78 Melgeses were among the eight classes left drifting by lack of wind Monday. Their first three winners were France's Laurent Pages, Annapolis' Morgan Reeser and Switzerland's Flavio Favini, but the early leader is Great Britain's Jamie Lea, who drove Richard Thompson's Black Seal to a string of 2-2-4 finishes. Two-time world champion Vince Brun of San Diego was 3-7-20 and defending champion Harry Melges of Lake Geneva, Wis., was tied for second with Reeser at 15.

More Melges 24 information is in the report following this release.

The big boats are having a dogfight. Isam Kabbani's C/M 60, Rima, which owes time to everybody, is tied with George David's Nelson/Marek 49, Idler, at 6 points after swapping 2-1 and 1-3 finishes. Larry Leonard drives and Kevin Burnham calls tactics for Rima. Ken Read is tactician for Idler, which had its way in the first race Tuesday but lost contact with Rima in the second.

"We couldn't figure out a way to stop Rima," Read said. "The last two legs we lost two minutes in corrected time on them. I don't know if we had something on the keel or the rudder or what."

In PHRF-1 it's a three-way deadlock among Bill Alcott's Santa Cruz 70, Equation; George Collins' Farr 52, Chessie Racing, and Tom Hill's Andrews 68, Titan XI, each with 7 points-and Steve Murray's Andrews 70 Decision is hardly out of it with 9. Collins had to go to Miami on personal business Tuesday, but Jim Allsopp, normally the navigator, took the wheel to finish 3-1, almost as good as Equation's 1-2.

Other winners Tuesday included multihull guru Randy Smyth, Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., with a second and first in the new F-28R trimaran class, and Lewis Gunn of Hilton Head Island, S.C., driving his J/105, Dead On Arrival.  Gunn is 83 years old.

It may be difficult for the F-28Rs to stop a runaway by Smyth, sailing Dealer's Choice, although Tim McKegney of El Paso, Tex. is hanging tough only one point behind, followed by Doug Harkrider, Flowery Beach, Fla., four points back.  Those three have alternated victories to make it a three-boat battle.

Townsend and Doubek, who sailed a Mumm 30 at Key West the previous five years, have upgraded their team by adding Steve Benjamin as tactician and working the new boat up to speed in various events last year.

"To say we were prepared is a true statement," Doubek said.

Heartbreaker tactician Terry Hutchinson said nobody on his boat knew they were racing the title sponsors.

"We had no idea," Hutchinson said, laughing. "Should I take that into consideration next time? We aren't gonna cut anybody any slack. They're sailing really well."

The new title sponsor, Terra Nova Trading, L.L.C. (member NASD, SIPC & PCX), is recognized as an innovative leader in Electronic Direct Access Trading. Other Race Week sponsors and supporters include Mount Gay Rum, Lewmar Marine, Pearson Yachts, Samson Rope Technologies, Sam Adams, Saucony and SUUNTO USA.  Supporting organizations include the Florida Keys & Key West and the Historic Seaport, the official site for Race Week.  Yachting

Magazine is the Event Founder.

Yachting Magazine is published by Time4 Media, the world's leading publisher of leisure-time magazines.  Time4 Media is a subsidiary of Time Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc.  (NYSE: AOL).