With the lay day in Italy upon us, I thought I would relate a few things that happened the last time the Worlds were in Italy. That was back in 1985, and it was the third time the Worlds had been in Europe – it had already been in Italy once previously, and also in Holland.
The boats were made in Italy – I assume the blades, spars, etc. were from the US. As we were to find out, the Italians made a very durable boat. The regatta was in Riccione, about 125 miles from Punta Ala, but on the east coast of Italy. The regatta site in Riccione was right on a beach on the Adriatic, with no cove or bay to launch from. For the first two days of the regatta, there was a strong onshore breeze, resulting in perhaps 6 foot waves breaking on the beach. It looked impossible to get off the beach, but the organizers asked for a volunteer to try to get out to the course, and Mark May was nice (crazy?) enough to volunteer. This was back in the days before dollies (it was also before racing sails, plastic daggerboards, and hiking straps) so several people helped carry Mark’s boat to the water. I don’t think Mark had even had a chance to get in the boat when a wave picked the boat up, flipped it and dropped it upside down on the mast. The mast bent about 90 degrees, but the boat was fine. Needless to say we did not go out that day.
In the end, we sailed for two or three days. The waves were still big, but the wind was manageable. It was a 65 boat event, and Donnie Martinborough won. The rest of the results are somewhere in my basement. One other notable thing that happened is the class voted for a rules change to permit hiking straps.
Looking forward to seeing what happens in Punta Ala on Friday!
Chris
The boats were made in Italy – I assume the blades, spars, etc. were from the US. As we were to find out, the Italians made a very durable boat. The regatta was in Riccione, about 125 miles from Punta Ala, but on the east coast of Italy. The regatta site in Riccione was right on a beach on the Adriatic, with no cove or bay to launch from. For the first two days of the regatta, there was a strong onshore breeze, resulting in perhaps 6 foot waves breaking on the beach. It looked impossible to get off the beach, but the organizers asked for a volunteer to try to get out to the course, and Mark May was nice (crazy?) enough to volunteer. This was back in the days before dollies (it was also before racing sails, plastic daggerboards, and hiking straps) so several people helped carry Mark’s boat to the water. I don’t think Mark had even had a chance to get in the boat when a wave picked the boat up, flipped it and dropped it upside down on the mast. The mast bent about 90 degrees, but the boat was fine. Needless to say we did not go out that day.
In the end, we sailed for two or three days. The waves were still big, but the wind was manageable. It was a 65 boat event, and Donnie Martinborough won. The rest of the results are somewhere in my basement. One other notable thing that happened is the class voted for a rules change to permit hiking straps.
Looking forward to seeing what happens in Punta Ala on Friday!
Chris
