| Drama in the Final Countdown to the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship |
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 Newport, R.I., USA (September 4, 2006) - For some this is the most nerve-wracking time, the final days building up to the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship. Some of the 38 teams gathered in Newport, Rhode Island, have been taking time off to relax, while others have been getting in some last-minute practice. There is no doubting the intensity of preparations, a little too intense for Ramrod earlier today, as Rod Jabin's (Annapolis, Md.) boat got broadsided by another Farr 40 in some close-quarters boat-to-boat maneuvering that got too close. This will keep the crew busy getting the boat repaired in time for the first race on Wednesday morning.John Demourkas (Santa Barbara, Calif.) will race Groovederci with a last-minute change of tactician. When news reached former Volvo Ocean Race winner Richard Clarke that his home in Canada had just burned to the ground, he flew home to sort out his troubles. In his place, another top Canadian sailor, two-time Olympic medalist Ross McDonald is due to come in to fill the empty space at the back of Groovederci. Teams have been looking back at the two days of intense racing in the Belle Mer Farr 40 Pre-Worlds, which took place at the end of last week. Nerone, Massimo Mezzaroma and Antonio Sodo Migliori's Italian team won the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds three years ago in a very windy Porto Cervo but showed little sign of that form in the warm-up regatta two days ago in Newport. However boat captain Massimo Bortoletto looked relaxed today as the new black-hulled boat went out for a test sail on Rhode Island Sound. "In the Pre-Worlds we learned that we mustn't start too early, because we had two starts when we were over," he said. "In the Worlds we just need conservative starts because we have enough speed. You cannot make too many conclusions from the Pre-Worlds, it is not a true indicator. It is a test for everybody. You don't put yourself at the maximum, you want to stay quiet, not upset the other boats, and not damage your own boat." Despite their quiet showing in the Pre-Worlds, Bortoletto believes Nerone is showing the form to win again. "This is why we're here, for winning, certainly not for the weather," he laughed, referring to the rain that has swept through Newport in recent days. "The forecast is for light winds, so it will be an open championship; many different boats have a chance of winning. We like the light wind, but we have a good team and in strong wind we know we can be competitive. If it is windy there is a natural selection in the fleet." A team that has come close to winning, finishing third and fourth in the previous two Worlds, is Warpath helmed by Steve Howe (San Diego, Calif.) with John Kostecki (Reno, Nev.) calling the tactics. Some pundits have Warpath tipped to go all the way this time. A second-place finish in the Pre-Worlds showed that the American boat is sailing as consistently as ever. "We've got the team," said Howe. "We'll give it our best shot. Last week we were lucky with a couple of bad starts where we able to get back through the fleet. Our speed was good and John [Kostecki] picked some good lanes. It's great sailing with guys like John, it's the best way to learn about racing, and it's kind of cool to see how they operate." Also sailing with Steve Howe will be his father and owner of Warpath, Fred Howe. They are one of many father/son combinations racing in the fleet - the youngest being 15-year-old Jason Michas crewing on his father Alexis Michas's (New York, N.Y.) Phish Food - and there are also a few wives and girlfriends among the 38 teams. The ability to race the Farr 40 with some of the best sailors in the world, along with some of your closest friends and family, is what makes the class so popular. Another ingredient in the Farr 40's 10-year popularity is the closely-controlled one-design nature of the class. Geoff Stagg, president of Stagg Yachts and one of the driving forces behind the class, said the measurement process leading up to the Worlds was painstaking but essential. "I think the owners like that we control everything in the class, and that when they leave the dock they have a level playing field. We measure almost everything on these boats - the keel, the hull templates, deck hardware, and we measure every sail on the boat. That's 12 sails for 38 boats, a lot of sails to measure. It's a thankless, time-consuming job, but that's what makes this class work." Related Items:
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