Argo maintains lead at Melges 32 Worlds

Miami, FL (December 6, 2014) – With the 2014 Melges 32 World Championship trophy up for grabs amongst ten teams heading into Day Five, three races were held under idyllic Miami Beach conditions with 9-14 kts of shifty breeze. PRO Anderson Reggio supplied shorter course lengths that gave way to some exciting mark roundings, each race not being decided until the final few meters.

The first race of the day saw Alessandro Rombelli’s STIG assume an early lead then extend for the win to finish ahead of Edoardo Lupi and Massimo Pessina’s Torpyone in second, and William Douglass on Goombay Smash in third. In what might be deemed a regatta saving race, Jason Carroll and his Argo Team clawed back from a poor start and a mid-teens position at the first top mark to finish fifth. This ultimately left three teams – STIG, Argo and Torpyone in a three-way battle for first with twenty-eight points each.

Sitting tenth overnight, Dalton DeVos’ Delta got back in the groove for Race Eight to round the top mark in first, followed by Keisuke Suzuki on Swing and Alec Cutler’s hedgehog. DeVos held his own around the track right up until the very end with reigning World Champion Carroll putting it on wax to pass several boats downwind and take the bullet, an impressive come back that further vaulted him into the overall lead. DeVos finished second and Lupi/Pessina placed third, with Rombelli suffering a tough twelfth place finish.

Carroll came on strong once more for the final race of the day rounding the top mark in first, giving up the favored gate to a hard charging Naofumi Kamei on Mamma Auito! and Ryan DeVos’ Volpe. On the next upwind leg, Kamei was able to find a few right hand nuggets to tack back to the favored left side and extend their lead over Carroll and DeVos, hanging on to take the win. Lupi/Pessina, Carroll’s closest competition going into Sunday’s one and only final race, proved that they have the heart of a lion and will not back down, recovering several times from tough positions to put together three solid races and remain the only threat to Carroll headed into the final day.

Report by class media. Photo by Carlo Borlenghi.

Day Four Results (9 races, 1 discard)
1. ARGO, Jason Carroll , USA – 7 -1 -[12] -6 -1 -8 -5 -1 -2 ; 31
2. Torpyone, Edoardo Lupi , ITA – 8 -[14] -1 -7 -8 -2 -2 -4 -3 ; 35
3. Mamma Aiuto, Naofumi Kamei , JPN – 4 -2 -5 -[18] -2 -17 -11 -6 -1 ; 48
4. Hedgehog, Alec Cutler , BER – 10 -4 -7 -[12] -3 -4 -9 -3 -8 ; 48
5. Robertissima 1, Pierre Casiraghi , MON – 1 -7.6 -9 -1 -11 -9 -4 -9 -[17] ; 51.6
6. STIG, Alessandro Rombelli , ITA – 5 -6 -3 -[16] -12 -1 -1 -12 -12 ; 52
7. Volpe, Ryan DeVos , USA – 6 -8 -6 -9 -10 -3 -6 -[13] -4 ; 52
8. Goombay Smash, William Douglass , USA – [18] -5 -4 -4 -4 -13 -3 -10 -13 ; 56
9. Delta, Dalton DeVos , USA – 2 -7 -[16] -2 -16 -10 -12 -2 -7 ; 58
10. Inga From Sweden III, Richard Goransson , SWE – 3 -10 -2 -5 -14 -[16] -8 -8 -9 ; 59
11. MOMO, Dieter Schoen , GER – 15 -11 -[17] -3 -5 -7 -7 -11 -15 ; 74
12. Swing, Keisuke Suzuki , JPN – 13 -13 -10 -10 -[17] -5 -14 -5 -11 ; 81
13. Samba Pa Ti, John Kilroy , USA – 11 -[18] -15 -8 -7 -11 -13 -14 -5 ; 84
14. Groovederci, Deneen Demourkas , USA – 12 -3 -8 -15 -9 -6 -[16] -16 -16 ; 85
15. ENVY Scooters, Barry Cuneo , AUS – 14 -12 -11 -13 -6 -12 -10 -[17] -10 ; 88
16. Fra Martina, Edoardo Pavesio , ITA – 16 -15 -14 -11 -13 -15 -[17] -7 -6 ; 97
17. Stormvogel, Chris Wientjes , USA – 9 -[16] -13 -14 -15 -14 -15 -15 -14 ; 109

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