By Gordon Upton – 15 September
The little lizards in the woods of PuntAla are sad. All the beautiful people and their even more beautiful boats have gone. There is something profoundly sad about a venue after a major event happened.
The excitement, the drama, the laughter, the arguing, the banter, the buzz, all gone. Replaced by new faces walking about that you don’t recognise. The only evidence of that huge beach boat park are regular little piles of sand, emptied from their bags, now being rapidly blown flat by the wind, as if they were never there. The beach returned to the nut-coloured sun-lovers and the little kids with their plastic spades.
This event was the biggest A-Class Cat event ever held. The 2024 World A-Cat Championships was hosted by the PuntAla Camp and Resort in Tuscany. From the water, the sight of 180+ boats, rigging sail on the beach, will never be forgotten. A wall of white, grey, cream and black sails in front of those iconic Stone Pine forests of the resort. And Friday was the last time it was scheduled to be seen for many years.
The Thursday races were canned. Too many big weather events going on around that part of the Med. Thunderstorms, bringing big rain, threatened all day, and the wind, although sailable, essentially trapped the fleet on the beach with the big waves even if they had wanted to go. Not the going out that would be the issue. But the coming back in could be carnage.
Friday dawned, the surf noise was less, but it was definitely launchable. A 10am start was on the cards and sailors busied themselves readying their boats. Others had already decided to call it a day and were packing up to go. I aways feel it’s a big tactical error to go home early unless you have broken something. In big events like this, the attrition rate could be sizable, but I tend to think of it as free position upgrades. If the original fleet was 90 and 30 pack in, the very worst you can do now is 60th! A few unsures and those prone to talking themselves out if such things (and you all have them in your clubs!) were converted by the evangelical die hard sailors, and took to the water, only to find it was actually rather pleasant. The twin fleets went out to their allotted areas, Classics South and Open Foilers in the North course area. The wind was rather fickle, as the previous night’s storms had played havoc with wind stability. The race officers was 10-15 degree shifts, and none would start a race with those numbers. The strength was not much either, maybe 5-6 kts, minimal conditions for the class.
However, there was another worry. Over by the Isle of Elba, a big dark cloud was forming. It clearly showed on radar, and the Golfo Di Follonica, tends to have it’s own weather system. The PRO watched with growing concern, as this thing darkened and then obscured Elba 7-8 miles to the West. His fear was it would start a rotationary course and come towards the fleets. So, AP over H was flown and the fleet ordered back to shore. 90 mins later, after the thing had passed harmlessly South, they were all allowed back out again. Only this time, with the storm cell having moved on, the proper Nor ‘easterly breeze started to kick in.
To give them their due, they wasted little time in getting things set up. The wind was stable directionally but was edging upwards. Over on the Open course, the remaining 39 boats, from the fleet of 92 (- you see what I mean?) were got away into the 18kt wind.
From the off, the reigning champ, and regatta leader, Kuba Surowiec, POL 41, pushed the throttles through the gate and lit the afterburner. Starting line centre, he pulled ahead, overhauling Emmanuel Dode FRA2 who had started well at the pin. Within 90 seconds he was at 18 kts, and full knot faster than his nearest rivals. Mischa Heemskerk NED 007 and Ravi Parent USA 76 were left for dead. But this was Kuba’s wind and conditions. The 31 year old Sopot sailor grew up in these conditions and can’t get enough. Rounding the top mark, he closed in at 18.5 knots, a good 30 seconds ahead. The technique for top mark rounding for the top sailors in a full on blow is not to go for glory, and remain on the trapeze, and try and foil the top leg to the spreader before a bear-away. The will essentially come off the wire, drop off the foils and set their angles for the downwind leg, whilst still on the same upwind heading. They then bang in a sharp left turn, back out on the wire, and up on the foils again. To do otherwise in those winds invites a crowd=pleaser of a pitchpole as the centre of pressure in the sail rises up and pushes the bows down the mine.
Misha just led Ravi, with Stevie Brewin, AUS 4 leading Emmanuel and Kiwi Dave Shaw NZL 270, and with regatta second place sailor Darren Bundock, AUS 88, in 7th. But, after this first band rounded the mar, the second chasing group arrives a couple of minutes later. This happens to coincide with a nice big gust that seemed to send this pack into convulsions. Screaming was heard as they tried valiantly to control their boats.
An open A-Cat is not really your usual boat of choice when the wind gets up to 22 kts. It just wants to leave the planet, so the sailors have to dial in 0 rake, but often that is not for these 75kg thoroughbreds. Any puff, or wave can alter the angle and seem to launch you into the ionosphere. One such was veteran Argentinian sailor Ian Rodger, ARG 666. He is called by his mates ‘Limado’. Roughly meaning ‘lunatic’. He rounded the top, sitting nicely on the back of the tramp, in that little happy place where the traveller rail sits. Then, as he steers, the thing suddenly gets rather loose, leaping fully from the water like those little flying fish we witnessed on the first day. Gravity wins, and he crashes down again, only this time, as the foils are now negative to his direction of travel, he plunges the bows in like a launched torpedo, only to slow right down as the cleverly designed bow buoyancy does it’s thing and they pop up again. The then sails off as though nothing untoward had happened, still sitting serenely on the tramp.
By now, Kuba had pulled out and even bigger lead with over 25kt bursts. He really wants this second Championship title. And after 2 more laps, and the AP over A flags are fluttering as the wind is now 24kts, he gets his wish, with a 2 min lead on the next boat of Stevie Brewin. Ravi came in third, Bundy 4th, keeping him as Second and Mischa in 5th, giving him the podium 3rd spot.
Over on the Classics, a boat far more suited to the higher end conditions, Kuba’s Sopot team-mate, Jacek Noetzel, POL 1, tends to rule supreme in these conditions after he switched codes to a Classic. Only this time it was the F-16 champion, Emmanuel Le Chapalier getting the billet over Jacek, who claimed a superb third in the regatta. Third to finish was the regatta leader Gustavo Doreste Blanco, ESP 72 to become the new name on the trophy as World Classic Champion. Gustavo, not really a fan of the huge winds, but has sailed a great regatta, despite a retirement in the first race, held in similar conditions, but with more swell. But I’m sure the lure of that title kept him fighting. Last years Champ, Scott Anderson AUS 31 finished 4th to become runner up, and 5th was Andrew Landenberger to become Regatta 4th place finisher.
The fleets then all returned to shore, braving the surf to attempt their landings. Most were successful, but again, a few more waterproof helpers wouldn’t go amiss as some boats struggled and collided is sailors lost the grip on them in the waves.
But that withstanding it was a very good and memorable Worlds. 180+ boats was always going to be a challenge, but the PuntAla resort served them well, all things considered. They are relatively newly back to hosting large regattas. The last time the A-Cat was here was in 2015, with 155 boats back then. The organisation, under the ironlike grip of Marielouisa Cionini, was magnificent. The only serious moaning from many within the fleet was the lack of safety cover. On courses like that, and with those conditions likely to occur, at least two more ribs per course, crewed by crews competent in Catamaran rescues, would be absolute the minimum. Sailors can easily become separated from boats, as happened several times, and having to wait in the water for a long while, as boats flashed around them is not a pleasant thing to happen. Hopefully, I’m sure they will learn from this successful event, and make their next event better.
Our thanks go to PuntAla Camp & Resort, to Marcello Montis and Fabio Barasso, the course Race officers and all their teams. Safety was their watchword, and they succeeded in that, whilst also never having a single start recall as well.
And finally, thanks to all the sailors, you were indeed beautiful people. It’s been emotional!
The next Worlds will be at the Milford Cruising Club, in Auckland NZL 8-16the Nov. 2025, so practice that Haakaa.