12 Metre Worlds: One title confirmed

Newport, RI (July 12, 2019) – After a front carrying torrential rain passed through overnight, the Weather Gods graciously delivered sunshine and fresh 10-12 knot breezes to Rhode Island Sound for the fourth and penultimate day of the 2019 12 Metre World Championship.

Competition continued for the 21 historic 12 Metres from six countries – the largest fleet ever gathered in North America – which have been locked in battle for championship titles in four divisions (Grand Prix, Modern, Traditional and Vintage), while a fifth division (12 Metre Spirit) has also raced.

Claiming an early overall victory today in the four-boat Vintage Division was Italian Patrizio Bertelli’s Nyala (US-12) with Mauro Pelaschier at the helm. Pelaschier also won the 2009 12 Metre World Championship with Nyala and showed his intent to rise again when he walked away with victory at last week’s 12 Metre Pre-Worlds. (Nyala also won the 12 Metre Worlds in 2014 but without Pelaschier at the helm.)

After winning both races today in tricky conditions that included negotiating big swells, Nyala’s nearly-perfect score line (all firsts and one second) added up to nine points, with no way for Onawa (US-6), its closest competitor with 18 points, to mathematically pass it tomorrow in the single race that has been planned.

“This (winning) is my birthday present because I just became 70 years old,” said Pelaschier, after popping a champagne cork back at the dock. A three-time Olympian, he also helmed Azzurra (I-4), the first Italian challenger for the America’s Cup, in Newport during the 1983 America’s Cup.

“It is fantastic to see so many 12 Metres together and to see the restoration of these boats and how competitive they are.” He pointed out that Nyala’s gear is all original from 1938. “The coffee grinder and winches are small and not easy to manage, but the crew is so good (mostly from Azzurra) and we are preserving history.”

Nyala came to the 12 Metre Worlds with the Grand Prix Kookaburra II (KA-12), also owned by Bertelli who is CEO of the Prada fashion group and primary backer of the Challenger of Record (Luna Rossa) for the 36th America’s Cup. Bertelli has been crewing aboard Kookaburra II, while five-time Olympic Medalist Torben Grael has been behind her wheel.

Said Pelaschier: “We know both boats are competitive, but we must continue to improve them, because we will be racing with them for a long time and plan to be at the 12 Metre Worlds next year.”

Kookaburra II, which won a race both today and yesterday, is in third place while Legacy (KZ-5) is leading the Grand Prix Division with New Zealand (KZ-3) three points behind in second.

A protest in the Modern Division disqualified Challenge XII (KA-10) in the 7th race, dropping off the lead, while Columbia (US-16) averted a similar fate in the Traditional Division.

Champions will be crowned in five divisions on July 13 after the completion of a nine-race series (weather permitting) that started on July 9 in Newport, R.I.

Racing is hosted by Ida Lewis Yacht Club and organized by the International Twelve Metre Association’s (ITMA) Americas Fleet and scheduled from July 8 to 13.

Event information – Race details – Results – Facebook

Day Four Results:

12m – Grand Prix (4 Boats)
1. Legacy, Thomas Andersen / Jesper Bank , den – 1 -1 -1 -1 -3 -3 -2 -1 ; 13
2. New Zealand, Gunther & Maggie Buerman , USA – 2 -2 -2 -2 -1 -2 -3 -2 ; 16
3. Kookaburra II, Torben Grael / Patrizio Bertelli , ITA – 3 -3 -3 -3 -2 -1 -1 -3 ; 19
4. Kiwi Magic, Johan Blach Petersen , DEN – 4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 ; 32

12m – Modern (8 Boats)
1. Enterprise, Clayton & Nancy Deutsch , USA – 3 -4 -3 -3 -1 -1 -2 -2 ; 19
2. Challenge 12, Jack LeFort , USA – 1 -2 -1 -1 -2 -4 -9 -1 ; 21
3. Courageous, Ralph Isham / Steve Glascock / Alexander Auersperg / Ward Marsh , USA – 2 -1 -2 -4 -4 -2 -3 -3 ; 21
4. Victory ’83, Dennis Williams , USA – 4 -6 -4 -2 -3 -3 -1 -4 ; 27
5. Intrepid, Jack Curtin , CAN – 6 -3 -5 -6 -6 -7 -4 -5 ; 42
6. Freedom, Charles Robertson , USA – 5 -5 -6 -5 -5 -5 -6 -9 ; 46
7. Defender, Dick Enersen , USA – 7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -6 -5 -8 ; 54
8. Lionheart, Harry Graves , USA – 8 -8 -8 -8 -9 -9 -7 -6 ; 63

12m – Traditional (4 Boats)
1. Columbia, Kevin Hegarty / Anthony Chiurco , USA – 1 -2 -2 -1 -3 -1 -2 -1 ; 13
2. American Eagle, Eagle 2019 Syndicate , USA – 2 -1 -1 -3 -2 -3 -1 -2 ; 15
3. Nefertiti, Jon Sears Wullschleger , USA – 3 -3 -3 -2 -1 -2 -3 -3 ; 20
4. Easterner, Scott Bernard , USA – 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 ; 40

12m – Vintage (4 Boats)
1. Nyala, Mauro Pelaschier / Patrizio Bertelli , ITA – 1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 ; 9
2. Onawa, Jim Blanusha / Steven Gewirz / Louis Girard / Earl McMillen / Mark Watson , USA – 2 -1 -3 -2 -2 -4 -2 -2 ; 18
3. Blue Marlin, Henrik Andersin , FIN – 3 -3 -2 -3 -3 -2 -3 -3 ; 22
4. Vema III, Eric A. Svenkerud , NOR – 4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -3 -4 -4 ; 31

12m- Spirit (2 Boats)
1. America II, Scott Curtis , USA – 3 -1 -2 -1 -1 -3 -1 -2 ; 14
2. America II, Michael Fortenbaugh , USA – 1 -2 -1 -2 -2 -3 -2 -1 ; 14

Source: Media Pro