The five day event lost two to very light winds but the five race series – two coastal races and three windward leewards – still felt like a marathon for many of the nine teams from seven different nations.

The waiting on the water was often as mentally taxing as some of the racing, not least today when the fleet drifted around for five hours waiting for a racing breeze to materialise. The hanging around, full of intent, was to no avail as there was no racing today.

Quantum Racing win the title for the fourth time, following up from 2008 in Lanzarote, 2010 in Valencia and 2011, also in Porto Cervo. Tactician Terry Hutchinson grinned:

– The bounceback is fuelled as much by anger and rage!
– Terry Hutchinson, tactician, Quantum Racing

he joked,

– But now it is goosebumps time.
– Terry Hutchinson, tactician, Quantum Racing

The defending 52 SUPER SERIES champions, who also won the US 52 SUPER SERIES in their native USA earlier this season scored consistently well across the two coastal races and the windward leewards finishing no lower than third. They won the 31 miles coastal race and one windward leeward in their 1,2,2,3,2 scoreline to finish two points up on the fast emerging Brazilian team of Eduardo de Souza Ramos which has Santi Lange as tactician.

The new crew which only came together when the boat was launched in April, won twice on Friday’s windward-leeward course to finish one point ahead of Rán Racing, Niklas Zennström’s 2013 World Champions.

Double Olympian De Souza Ramos won the Owner-Driver award, leading a team which spans the age and experience range including Brazil’s 49er Olympic sailors, Volvo Round the World sailors and crew who have sailed with the owner in his previous Soto 40, Farr 40, Melges 24 and 32

AUDI TP52 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

After the pressure of waiting in a transition zone, a calm, no go area where the confluence of the different winds kept the teams starved of breeze and on tenterhooks in the hot sunshine, thunderclouds building overhead just before racing was canned, back on the dock at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, with the beads of sweat still formed on his brow Hutchinson raked his hat back , scratched his head and revealed his relief:

These are without question the hardest days because you are waiting around, and know the severity of a bad race. The conditions are going to be challenging at best. And so I think that if you give out a game ball so to speak, you would give it to the race committee for their patience and perseverance and seeing the day all the way through. And at the same time through the course of the regatta never really running any marginal races. It was a great contest. And in the end we are just happy – probably more relieved than anything – that we sailed a good regatta.
The bounceback after Capri is what we are probably going to be most proud of.
Terry Hutchinson, tactician, Quantum Racing

In the end there was just three points between the top three teams, local favourites Azzurra who won in Capri slumped to a fourth place on their own home waters, carrying two fifths and a weighty seventh. Now they will be looking to match this Quantum Racing bounceback at the third regatta of the BARCLAYS 52 SUPER SERIES, Palma’s jewel in the Mediterranean Copa del Rey in early August.

With their win here and third in Capri, Quantum Racing lead the BARCLAYS 52 SUPER SERIES by three points ahead of Rán Racing who in turn are one point up on Azzurra.

FINAL STANDINGS
AUDI TP52 World Championship – Porto Cervo, Italy
Overall after 5 races

Quantum Racing, USA, (Doug De Vos USA) (1,2,2,3,2) 10pts

Phoenix, BRA, (Eduardo de Souza Ramos BRA) (4,3,3,1,1) 12pts

Rán Racing, SWE, (Niklas Zennström SWE) (3,1,1,4,4) 13pts

Azzurra, ITA, (Alberto Roemmers ARG) (2,5,7,2,5) 21pts

Gladiator, GBR, (Tony Langley GBR) (5,7,4,5,3) 24pts

Provezza 7, TUR, (Ergin Imre TUR) (6,4,6,7,DNF) 33pts

Paprec Recyclage, FRA, (Jean Luc Petithuguenin FRA) (8,6,5,9,6) 34pts

Hurakan, ITA, (Giuseppe Parodi ITA) (7,8,8,6,8) 37pts

B2, ITA, (Michele Galli ITA) (9,DNF,9,8,7) 43pts

OVERALL STANDING BARCLAYS 52 SUPER SERIES (after 2 events):

Quantum – USA (23 + 10) = 33 points

Rán – SWE (24 + 13) = 37 points

Azzurra – ITA (17 + 21) = 38 points

Phoenix – BRA (30 + 12) = 42 points

Gladiator – ENG (34 + 24) = 58 points

Provezza – TUR (35 + 33) = 68 points

VESPER – USA (21 + 50) = 71 points

Paprec – FRA (40 + 34) = 74 points

b2 – ITA (46 + 43) = 89 points

Hurakan – ITA (60 + 37) = 97 points