Last weekend the winner of the second round of the Monaco Melges 20 Winter Series was chosen at the Monaco Yacht Club. The partner of the races, held from November 20 to 22, was the largest Russian yachting holding Burevestnik Group, which unites five yacht clubs, manages companies in the sale and service of yachts and boats. The whole season of the Winter Series consists of five stages and is supported by Jefferson Capital.
In three years, the Melges 20 winter races have gained popularity with both Russian and foreign yachtsmen. The second stage involved 20 crews, including teams from Russia, Sweden, Monaco, Poland, Denmark and Italy. The fleet was enlarged with a new team of Leonid Altukhov, a member of the Board of the All-Russian Sailing Federation, known for his competitions in SB20 and Dragon classes.
Also two beautiful ladies joined the fleet, they joined the crew of Skolkovo»business «school racing a Black Sheep.
Perhaps this will have an impact on the results, as a more coherent team performs better. But there is another challenge: to attract as many people as possible to sailing and to organize a yachting community on the basis of the Moscow School of Management.
By the way, race organizer in Monaco and owner of the team «Synergy» Valentin Zavadnikov is also vice-president and founding partner of the Moscow School of Management «Skolkovo». At this stage Valentin Georgievich added regalia. According to the voting results, he officially became a member of the Board of the International Melges 20 Class Association, and now he is responsible for developing Melges 20 not only among Russians, but also on the international arena.
In general, the Burevestnik» Cup «was brightly held. This time yachtsmen could not «sit» in the yacht club as it was at the first windless stage of the series.
The organizer managed to hold six races: two on the first day, one on the second and three on the extreme and sunniest day of the regatta. The main struggle took place between the three teams.
The team at the Monaco Yacht Club, led by the winner of the 2014-15 season series Guido Miani, has won the first race of the first day and the only race of the most difficult second day. The Monegasques were also the first to come in the final race. But even three wins were not enough for them to take the first place.
Only one race was unsuccessful and almost cost «the cakes» a victory. In the last race of the second stage, they came in eighth.
Nika performed well, on the steering wheel of which there was a replacement. The owner and steering team Vladimir Prosikhin is currently preparing for the competition in RC44 class, which will be held in the Virgin Islands later this week. Recall that the St. Petersburg team won the first competition of the season and, it seems, are not going to leave the podium.
So, according to the results of three racing days the first place was occupied by the Moscow team of «PIRogovo», the second place was occupied by the team of the host yacht club Monaco «Out of reach», the third - by St. Petersburg «Nika».
By the way, the training day of the Winter series coincided with one of the main holidays of the Principality - National Day of Monaco, or, as it is often called, the Day of the Prince. Practically a series of» Live Throne «Game. It was possible to consider all members of a princely family and their high-society guests and to plunge into the atmosphere of a holiday with royal scope, where all decorations are real. The Princes' family spent the day in the Cathedral in a solemn mass, the inhabitants of Monaco celebrated in the street, waving national flags and watching the festive parade, and the participants of the regatta drank to the Prince's health with a glass of Chianti Monte Maggio.
The third round of the Monaco Melges 20 Winter Series will take place very soon, on 11 December, and for many yachtsmen it will be the final race of 2015. Perhaps these days the Monaco Yacht Club will be visited by Santa Claus with gifts. But that's only if the yachtsmen have behaved well all year long.
