The Real Low Down on Acura Miami Race Week From Justin Chisholm
The final results tally in the Melges 24 fleet at this year’s Acura Miami Race Week bore witness to the truly international nature of the class. The top six places were made up of entries from Italy, United Kingdom, USA and Germany. The twenty five boats entered enjoyed classic champagne racing conditions on all three days of the regatta with bright sunshine, temperatures in the 80’s and most importantly – plenty of breeze.
Race one was sailed in a rock steady 12 to15 knots and was won by Argyle Campbell and his team aboard Rock n Roll ahead of Bent Dietrich’s anglo/German squad on Kleine Rainbow. Last year’s winner Italian entry Giacomel Audi owned and steered by Riccardo Simoneschi took third. In race two Simoneschi and his team found the fast pedal, leading from then start and taking the race convincingly. Eamon Nolan’s UK chartered entry Wild Thing steered by 470 helm John Gimson lived up to the potential they showed last month in Monaco by taking a second ahead of Rock n Roll. In race three Giacomel Audi once again took the pin and the race to top the leaderboard at the end of day one. John Pollard and his Xcellent team finished a disappointing day on a positive note with a second. Argyle Campbell kept up a consistent performance with a third to slide into second overall ahead of Bent Dietrich.
Day two dawned hot and sunny with 15 to 18 knots of breeze. The Italians made it clear to everyone that they intended to retain their title for another year by winning all three of the day’s races. Team Xcellent pushed Simoneschi’s team hard at times but had to settle for a string of second places which boosted them up into second overall. Rock n Roll faltered slightly having had to restart in the third race of the day but they held on to a podium position, one point adrift of Pollard.
People have taken eight point leads into the final day of regattas before now only to squander them away on poor starts or in the protest room. No such thoughts entered the heads of the Giacomel Audi crew. They simply continued where they had left off the previous day. They rounded the first windward mark of race one in second place, hot on the heels of Stuart Simpson at the helm of Team Barbarians before using their blistering downwind pace to take the lead. After that the real race was for second place between Pollard and Campbell who were trading gybes down both runs. At the finish it was the American team who were smiling having beaten the Brits into third place. In the final race Simoneschi did it again leading from start to finish to take his seventh straight bullet of the regatta and winning the Melges 24 class for the second consecutive year. John Pollard held his nerve to take a comfortable second place ahead of Chicago’s Donald Wilson on Convexity in third. Team Barbarians rounded off a satisfying day in fourth ahead of Argyle Campbell finishing fifth who secured a well deserved third overall.
Justin Chisholm