ROWDY Wins A Squeaker @ Italy J/70 Cup- Scarlino
(Marina di Scarlino, Italy)- Last weekend in the waters of the Gulf of Follonica, the Yacht Club Toscana hosted the first event of the season for the Italy J/70 Cup series, with twenty-three boats entered. The event marked the start of the 13th season and the fourth time the J/70s have visited Scarlino.
Before the regatta, Ettore Mattiello, President of Yacht Club Toscana, commented: “Here at Yacht Club Toscana, we are ready for a weekend of top-tier sailing. We are truly excited to witness the J/70 one-design fleet in action. It makes for a thrilling spectacle. The races are fiercely contested and fought right down to the final leg. Fortunately, the weather forecast is on our side. This means the renowned Gulf of Follonica race course—the envy of the sailing world—will perform at its best. It will be a pleasure to share these days of sailing with them.” Here is how it went on the Gulf of Follonica.
Day 1
A full program was completed on the first day, featuring three hotly contested races. The races were coordinated without delay by YC Toscana’s RC/PRO Carlo Tosi. The first race started in a north-westerly breeze of 6 knots. Wind speeds rose into the double digits as the hours passed.
It was a positive day for Mauro Roversi’s J-CURVE (1-6-1). Scoring a pair of bullets propelled the team to the top of the provisional standings. They held a two-point lead over WILDCARD (6-1-3), skippered by Andrew Creighton.
The virtual podium was rounded out by G-SPOT (2-3-5), owned by Matteo Marenghi Vaselli with tactician Karlo Hmelijak. The team had just won the Primo Cup in Monte Carlo. They were tied for second place with WILDCARD.
Day 2
Day two saw smooth racing. YC Toscana’s RC/PRO team utilized a steady southwesterly just under 10 knots. The Tuscan course showed its quality. Three races were completed without issues.
Witzel’s ROWDY (1-2-1) made up ground with a nearly flawless day. They won the Garmin watch daily prize. Vaselli’s G-SPOT (2-1-3) joined the lead group.
The three leaders had a safe margin over fourth-place Gianfranco Noé’s WHITE HAWK (5-5-6). WHITE HAWK also topped the Corinthian division. Toninelli’s T-ONE (6-7-7) was fifth.
The day ended with the season’s first Crew Party. Yacht Club Toscana hosted it, featuring Gin Vento, a longstanding J/70 Cup partner.
Day 3
Two final races brought the total to eight, allowing a discard. The day started with a wind delay. On the course, Witzel’s ROWDY team outpaced Vaselli’s G-SPOT team, which remained strong after its Monte Carlo win.
After the dust settled, Witzel’s ROWDY team of Joachim Aschenbrenner, Max Salminen, and Tomas Dietrich managed to win by a single point with 18 pts net. Vaselli’s G-SPOT crew of Karlo Hmeljak, Alessandro Franci, and Tonci Stipanovic took silver with 19 pts net. Roversi’s J-CURVE team of Filippo Amonti, Stefano Cherin, Giulia Conti, and Anastasia Mutti earned bronze with 22 pts net. The last race determined the podium finishers. ROWDY won the last race. G-SPOT took 4th, and J-CURVE finished 7th, which was their discard race.
Toninelli’s T-ONE (35 net) was fourth. Noe’s WHITE HAWK (38 net) was fifth.
Corinthians Division
Noe’s WHITE HAWK (Yule, Chiandussi, Gregorio, Bomben) won the Corinthians division.
The regatta concluded with the awards ceremony at the Yacht Club Toscana clubhouse. The club was a gracious host. The J/70 Italian Class received support from several partners: Lincoln International, Garmin, VelaMania, North Sails Collection, UtilGraph, Gottifredi Maffioli, and Gin Vento.
For more Italian J/70 Cup sailing information
https://www.j70.it