Meliti IV And Low Noise crowned 2009 ORC International World Champions

Through consistently excellent performance through this week of inshore and offshore competition, George ANDREADIS’s GS 42R Meliti IV has been crowned the 2009 ORC International World Champion in Class A. Giuseppe GIUFFRE and his team on his M37 Low Noise has also won the World title for Class B.

The event, hosted by Circulo della Vela (CVB), scored a total of 5 inshore and 2 offshore races in conditions varying from light to blustery. In fact, conditions were brisk enough today to prompt CVB race managers to first delay the start of racing, then ultimately abandon the effort altogether as the strong 25+-knot northerly had not showed signs of abating at all today.

“We feel really happy to have achieved this victory,” said George ANDREADIS (GRE). “The whole team worked really hard and the results have paid off.” Over the past three decades of active competition in several competitive classes ANDREADIS has been a perennial champion, but this is his first ORC International World title, even as that title was within his grasp at last year’s Worlds in his home waters near Athens yet slipped away on the final day of racing. But this was not the case here in Brindisi, where his win was highly convincing: Meliti took an early lead in the week’s racing and held and extended that lead daily despite stiff competition in a crowded 36-boat class.

And in an even more crowded 41-boat Class B, Giuseppe GIUFFRE’s (ITA) Low Noise briefly lost the lead after the offshore race results, but regained and even extended it back after inshore racing resumed yesterday. In fact, Low Noise with a crew from Milan dominated this class inshore, winning all but one of their five races. Skipper Giorgio GRASSI (ITA) said, “After winning the Italian Championship last year we continued to focus on boat tuning and crew work, and we succeeded in having some extra speed over our competitors. We are very proud of this result”.

Teams entered in Class A and Class B who had no more than one ISAF Group 2 or 3 crew member on board and only Group 1 helmsmen were eligible to be scored for the Corinthian Trophy in each class.

In Class A Vodri Doprava EVROPSKA’s (CZE) fifth-placed Grand Soleil 42R05 Bohemia Express was the top-scoring Corinthian entry, while in Class B it was Fausto PIEROBON’s (ITA) runner-up Grand Soleil 37B Sagola on top of the 34 entries (83% of the class) eligible for this trophy. In Class A there were 21 (58%) Corinthian entries.

“Suitable World Champions have been crowned here in Brindisi,” said ORC Chairman Bruno FINZI. “The wide variety of conditions, the large number of races, and great depth of Corinthian and non-Corinthian talent in a large field of entries all created a challenging contest. We extend to them our heartiest congratulations, and a profound thanks to the organizers from CVB and all their sponsors for a fantastic event.”