Luna Rossa Ita 74 (2) Orm Swe 73 (0)

Race Two Of Quarter Finals Repechage - Luna Rossa Ita 74 (2) Orm Swe 73 (0)

Second day of the Louis Vuitton Cup 2002-2003 quarter finals repechage, raced on a best of seven series.

The Race Committee today is forced to delay all starts, more than once, due to the light and fickle winds.

Rod Davis at the helm of Luna Rossa ITA 74 wins a long luffing match with Orm SWE 73 in the pre-start and is able to cross the line with a good speed to leeward of Victory, who trails by 1 second.

There are 8-9 knots of wind on the course and both boats have a man up the mast to signal from above the puffs of stronger air.

Luna Rossa builds a good lead during the first windward beat as the wind shifts slightly to the left. At two thirds of the beat the two boats exchange sides, with ITA 74 going to defend the right. Francesco de Angelis rounds the first mark with 43 seconds of advantage over Victory.

The wind builds to 10-12 knots. Both boats hoist the gennaker (the asymmetrical sail). The Swedes chase Luna Rossa, benefiting from stronger wind pressure from behind. The gap between the two boats decreases. At the bottom mark Orm SWE 73 is trailing by 12 seconds.

In the first part of the second beat the two boats sail on parallel tacks, then Victory decides to head for the left of the course while Luna Rossa keeps to the right. Only when the lateral separation between the two is more than 600 metres, does ITA 74 tack back to cover. In the meantime the wind has shifted to the right favouring Luna Rossa who made a wise tactical choice. At the third mark rounding ITA 74 is leading by 47 seconds.

Second gennaker run. The wind, at 12-13 knots, has kept shifting to the right. There is very little chance for Orm to find a passing lane at this stage. The Swedes have the only option of chasing Luna Rossa, but are unable to make significant gains on their opponent. At the fourth mark rounding ITA 74 is leading by 29 seconds.

Third and last beat. The breeze shifts to the left. Francesco de Angelis keeps a close control on his opponent. In the first part of the leg ITA 74 defends the left, then the two yachts swap sides, with Luna Rossa going to the right and Orm to the left. At the last mark rounding Francesco de Angelis is leading by 43 seconds.

The breeze, extremely shifty, dies to 6-7 knots. Francesco de Aneglis keeps a close control over Orm. Towards the end of the run the Swedes go for a gennaker peel, but soon after completing the manoeuvre the lighter sail gets torn on the jumper and the crew is forced to change sail again. Luna Rossa goes to win match 2 of the quarter finals repechage with a comfortable lead of 1 minute and 23 seconds.

TODAY'S RESULTS - every victory equals 1 point

RACE 2 Romeo - Match 2 Luna Rossa ITA 74 wins against Orm SWE 73 (1' 23" lead) Romeo - Match 1 OneWorld USA 67 wins against Stars & Stripes USA 77 (1' 50" lead)

SCOREBOARD OneWorld Challenge (2) - Team Dennis Conner (0) Prada Challenge (2) - Victory Challenge (0)

RACE COURSE Windward leeward, 18.5 miles long; six legs total, three windward legs and three downwind legs; first and last legs are 3.25 miles, the remaining four are 3.00 miles.

WEATHER CONDITIONS TODAY Wind from SSW 12-15 knots. Cloudy with sunny periods.

TODAY'S CREW ON LUNA ROSSA 1. Bowman, Paolo Bassani 2. Mid bowman, Massimiliano Sirena 3. Mastman, Simone de Mari 4. Pitman, Cristian Griggio 5. Left grinder, Massimo Galli 6. Right grinder, Romolo Ranieri 7. Upwind trimmer, Lorenzo Mazza 8. Downwind trimmer, Andrew Hemmings 9. Mainsail trimmer, Sean Clarkson 10.Center grinder, Massimo Gherarducci 11.Helmsman, Francesco de Angelis 12.Tactician, Torben Grael 13.Afterguard, Rod Davis 14.Downwind grinder, Steve Erickson 15.Strategist, Michele Ivaldi 16.Navigator, Matteo Plazzi

CALENDAR FOR TOMORROW - NOVEMBER 28

RACE 3 Romeo - Match 1 OneWorld USA 67 versus Stars & Stripes USA 77 Romeo - Match 2 Luna Rossa ITA 74 versus Orm SWE 73 *

* Match broacasted live on TV.

WEATHER FORECAST FOR TOMORROW Wind from ESE 5 knots becoming SSW 12 knots in the afternoon. Mainly sunny.

Official Suppliers Prada Challenge 2003: Enervit (active nutrition). Fabianelli (pasta). Makita (power tools). Saima Avandero (transport). Sanpellegrino (mineral water and soft drinks). Technogym (fitness equipment).

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