Counting down
Kiwi Cameron Appleton is the tactician of one of the teams preparing for the hyper-competitive final act of the 2017 Melges 32 World League.
Photography by Barracuda
16 August 2017
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The Melges 32 never sleeps and the hands are running fast in the countdown to the 2017 Melges 32 World Championship taking place in Cala Galera, Italy. It’s the World League’s closing act and the most important event on the Melges 32 calendar.
The 10 races of the Cala Galera Worlds will be hosted by Circolo Nautico e della Vela Argentario between 22 and 26 August.
Not only will this event crown the next Melges 32 World Champion, but it will also define the true strength of the 17 competing teams after a long season on the World League circuit.
Predictions and debates will continue right up until the first warning on Wednesday 23 August at 1:30pm.
Reflecting on World Championships past and present, the strongest teams in nature, style and stamina tend to be American, but that is not the case in 2017.
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So far, every stage of the Melges 32 World League has been won by an Italian team – Matteo Balestrero’s Giogi (Portovenere and Scarlino), and European Champions Edoardo Lupi and Massimo Pessina’s Torpypone (Riva del Garda and Sibenik).
Of the two, the dynamic duo of Lupi/Pessina are clearly the ones feeling the most pressure to do well, especially after coming second at the Miami Worlds in 2014.
Andrea Lacorte’s Vitamina Amerikana is also poised to play well in Cala Galera. Seated third overall on the Melges 32 World League ranking, Lacorte is in full pursuit of the top prize.
At the top of the current Melges 32 World League standings is Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio’s G-Spot. His well-versed team will be motivated to take home the gold at Cala Galera as they have not won any other MWL events this year, despite consistent performance.
Other teams on the radar include Andrea Ferrari’s Spirit of Nerina, Edoardo Pavesio’s Fra Martina, Richard Goransson’s Inga, Ahmet Eker’s Eker, representing Turkey, Fritz Homann’s Wilma, Christian Schwoerer’s La Pericolosa, Lasse Petterson’s Pippa from Norway and Russia’s Pavel Kuznetsov on Tavatuy.
Vincenzo Onorato’s Mascalzone Latino needs no introduction, especially in the Melges 32 Class. As European Champion in 2016, Onorato is back with one clear and single goal in mind: win the World Championship. He’s got New Zealander Cameron Appleton on side as tactician.
The Corinthian Division promises to bring the heat with several tough teams ready to take on the biggest and boldest of opponents. Corinthian European Champ Martin Reintjes’s Caipirinha will most likely be keeping a very close eye on Francesco Graziani’s Vitamina, Germany’s Kilian Holzapfel on Homanit Jr. and Jens Kuhne on Sjambok.
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