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The Official
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Commenting on the event, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Commodore Gianfranco ALBERINI said, 'We have had a great week with near perfect conditions up until today. Competition was fierce in all divisions and the top professional and amateur sailors gave us some very exciting racing. The excellence on the water, coupled with fantastic Rolex and YCCS social events, provided a spectacular finish to our sporting calendar, and we are already looking forward to a full schedule of world class regattas in 2006.'
The race committee set off yesterday morning in a southwesterly wind of just under five knots. Racing started at 1200, as scheduled, with all three classes sent off on a windward-leeward course. As winds fell to less than three knots just after the start, none of the Swan or IMS boats were able to reach the windward mark by the 40 minute time limit, forcing the race to be abandoned. The regatta was decided on eight windward-leeward races sailed over the previous three days in the Farr 40 and Swan 45 divisions and three long coastal races for the IMS fleet.
Italian SALVI'S Vertigo had a difficult start to the regatta, ending the first day in eighth place among the ten boat Swan 45 fleet. The Vertigo team, which included three America's Cup sailors (Ian BUDGEN of GBR Challenge, Italy's Francesco BRUNI, and America's Thomas BURNHAM of Luna Rossa Challenge) came on strong for the next two days, securing five first place finishes to put Vertigo just one point ahead of Carlo PERRONE's Atlantica Racing. In the final Swan 45 standings, it was an all Italian leader board with Vertigo winning the division, Atlantica Racing finishing second, and Danilo SALSI's DSK Comifin coming in third. In addition, the Settimana delle Bocche was the final deciding event for the Swan 45 Class's 2005 Mediterranean Circuit. The sixth place finish for Leonardo FERRAGAMO's Courdileone was enough to secure the Mediterranean Circuit Championship, just ahead of DSK Comifin.
In the 17 boat Farr 40 division, the largest of the regatta, ONORATO's Mascalzone Latino took the lead on day one, and never relinquished it. Second place overall went to German Wolfgang STOLTZ's Opus One, who ended the regatta 14 points ahead of the third place boat, Italy's Joe Fly owned by Giovanni MASPERO. Italian Massimo MEZZAROMA's Nerone, a favourite after winning the Settimana delle Bocche the past three years running, finished fourth overall.
Crews aboard the six boats competing in the IMS division tested their skills against one another in three long coastal races over the past three days. Antonio RONCONE's and Massimo GUARDIGLI's Comet 51, Andromeda, won the first race and, in the end, took line honors all three days, but was bested on corrected time by Synergy on day two and day three. The Russian boat ended the week with two firsts and a fourth to win the regatta by two points over the Italian Andromeda. Luca LUALDI's Timeriesci, a Comet 45, finished third overall.