FT. LAUDERDALE'S REESER STEALS MARCH ON CORUM MELGES 24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FLEET
KEY LARGO, Fla., Dec. 12, 2006 – “It was like driving head-on into
oncoming traffic!” With those words Fort Lauderdale’s Morgan Reeser
described his starting line tactics as he drove Neil Sullivan’s Mfatic
into a commanding lead on the second day of the 2005 Corum Melges 24
World Championship at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo.
Reeser and Sullivan, who hails from Annapolis, Maryland, led on points
after the first day of racing. They consolidated their lead with a first
place in the first race today, never far from the lead in the ten-mile
race inside the reef off North Key Largo. The second race in cool
sparkling and sunny conditions with a puffy 10-knot breeze saw Mfatic
trapped in the middle of the starting line with nowhere to go.
“We were trapped,” Reeser recalled. “The only thing to do was go over on
the port tack before the starting gun sounded and sail against the
oncoming boats, all of which had right of way over us. We ducked and
dodged through 40 boats, just like driving head-on into oncoming
traffic. It was kinda exciting.”
The tactic worked and Reeser found a space in the 99-boat fleet where
his wind wasn’t blocked by competing boats. He finished high up in the
talent-packed international fleet, posting a 17th place, which was good
enough to give him a 13-point cushion over the Italian boat Marrachech
Express which finished the day in second place on points.
America versus Europe was the theme at the top of the fleet with US
boats taking six of the first ten places and the Europeans filling the
other four. Marrachech Express, sailed by Gabriele Benussi, from
Trieste, Italy, was the most improved performer of the day, racking up a
third and a second place to add to the first place she posted yesterday
and finish second overall. The 35th place they took in the first race of
the series means the Italians must wait until Tuesday – day three of the
six-day series – before they can take the overall lead.
Second equal with Benussi was John Pollard from Torquay, England. One of
the strongest performers in the British contingent, Pollard and his
seasoned crew have been coming to the fore over the last 12 to 15
months. He served notice on the international fleet last year with a
first place in a Melges 24 series in Annapolis, Maryland.
Brian Porter from Winnetka, Ill., a perennially successful and
consistent racer in the Melges 24 Class, posted an 11th and a fourth
finish today to move his Full Throttle team up from his eighth place to
a fourth place after the first four races.
America’s Cup sailors filled the fifth and sixth overall places. Young
Australian America’s Cup skipper James Spithill, who is the current
world match racing champion, drove his Luna Rossa into fifth place
overall, despite a 25th place finish in the first race of the day.
Spithill, who now calls Genoa, Italy, his home, has named his Melges 24
Luna Rossa after the Italian America’s Cup syndicate he now sails with.
The world’s three-time America’s Cup champion Russell Coutts, from New
Zealand, is also racing in the Corum series in Key Largo, forsaking his
customary place at the helm to handle tactics for San Francisco’s
Philippe Kahn who is driving his Pegasus 575. Coutts made the right
calls and Kahn showed a steady hand on the tiller to post a fifth and a
12th to finish sixth.
Results after four races, with skipper, boat, home, places and points,
were:
1. Morgan Reeser, Mfatic, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., 2-8-1-17, 28 points;
=2. Gabriele Benussi, Marrachech Express, Trieste, Italy, 35-1-3-2, 41;
=2. John Pollard, Xcellent, Torquay, England, 17-7-5-12, 41;
4. Brian Porter, Full Throttle, Winnetka, Ill., 26-2-11-4, 43;
5. James Spithill, Luna Rossa, Genoa, Italy, 5-12-25-7, 49;
6. Philippe Kahn, Pegasus 575, San Francisco, Calif., 10-6-21-13, 50;
=7. David Ullman, USA-505, Newport Beach, Calif., 6-40-7-1, 54;
=7. Nicola Celon, Ale Ali, Verona, Italy, 1-22-16-15, 54;
9. François Brenac, Partner & Partners, La Rochelle, France, 22-14-18-3,
57;
10. Martin Kullman, New Wave, St. Petersburg, Fla., 18-11-32-9, 70.
Full results at:
www.2005corumm24worlds.com/teamphotos/Overall.htm
-
Keith Taylor
Corum, the luxury Swiss watchmaker, is an independent, family-owned
company producing high-quality hand-finished Swiss timepieces since
1955. For more than two decades Corum has supported sailing events
around the world, including the Admiral’s Cup in Britain as an event
sponsor and as a team sponsor.
In the 12 years since it was introduced, the Melges 24 has become the
world’s leading high performance, one-design sportboat and has held ISAF
International Keelboat Class status since 1997. It offers exciting,
demanding, exceptionally competitive sailing and attracts top
professional and amateur sailors from the around the globe. Over 630
boats are now sailing and an additional 30 new boats are built and
delivered each year.
The website for the 2005 Corum Melges 24 World Championship at Ocean
Reef Club is www.2005corumm24worlds.com. More information about Corum
Swiss timepieces is available at www.corum.ch. The web address for
Ocean Reef Club is www.vacationsatoceanreef.com. Registration and
Sailing Instructions sponsored by Solution Property Group and Protector
Boats. Photographs courtesy of Tim Wilkes at www.timwilkes.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Corum Melges 24 Worlds Press Office at Ocean Reef Club
Tel +1 305 367 2611 – Ext 7675
Corum Melges 24 Worlds Press Chair Class
Joy Dunigan
+1 (912) 398-5776
communications@usmelges24.com
International Melges 24
Fiona Brown
+44 (7711) 718-470
fiona.brown@melges24.com
Corum Melges 24 Worlds Press Officer
Keith Taylor
+1 (410) 753-2489
keith.taylor@melges24.com
Corum USA
Knych Keller
+1 (949) 788-6220
kkeller@corumusa.com
Corum Melges 24 Worlds Official Photographer
Tim Wilkes
+1 (585) 423-1966
tim@timwilkes.com