Vasco Vascotto wins the Bretiling Medcup TP52.

A thrilling last day with Caixa Galicia and Lexus-Quantum fighting for second place in the Breitling MEDCUP

Caixa Galicia wins the Audi Cup, the fifth and final event in the Circuit. The Breitling MEDCUP now has a winner. After five events, and 38 races sailed and only 9 points between the first and second boats on the leader board, the Chilean vessel Pisco Sour owned by Emilio Cousiño, Bernardo Matte and Antonio Orlyi with Vasco Vascotto at the helm have taken a brilliant victory in the Breitling MEDCUP TP52 Circuit 2005.

The forecasts were correct and even their closest rivals, Lexus with Russell Coutts and Caixa Galicia with Roberto Bermúdez de Castro couldn’t prevent these leaders since the second event in the Circuit (Valencia) from becoming the champions. Despite the fact that Lexus won the two following events (Breitling Regatta and the King’s Cup in Palma, Mallorca) they didn’t manage to gain enough points to push great Vasco Vascotto off the top. Tonight Vascotto and crew will take home the coveted Breitling MEDCUP trophy after a dinner to be given by Breitling at the Porto Rotondo Yacht Club in Sardinia, Italy. HM King Juan Carlos and his boat Bribon, take home the Corinthian Trophy for owner-driver participants, and finish the 2005 season in fourth place on the Breitling MEDCUP TP52 leader board.

The excitement was high in Saturday’s two races. The first race started with very little wind, and speeds registering at just 4 knots, meaning the search was on for an area of higher wind pressure throughout the whole racecourse. Although Pisco Sour set out with enough of a lead to sail a fairly conservative regatta, they couldn’t let their guard down. In the upwind stretch the leaders were those who managed to find higher pressure and could pick up speed, such as Sjambok, with Gavin Brady at the wheel, followed by a strong Aifos, who gave a first class performance today. Next at this point were Caixa Galicia, Orlanda, Balearia, Bribon, Pisco Sour with Patches and Lexus at the back of the fleet who were sailing an incomprehensible match race which didn’t benefit either of the vessels in the end.

After the spinnakers were hoisted the lead went to an expertly sailed Aifos, who were getting the very most out of the boat, to take the honour of crossing the finish line in first place, followed by Caixa Galicia who were 12 seconds behind, Sjambok, Pisco Sour, Orlanda-Olympus, Bribon, Lexus, Patches and Balearia.

The key to the second race was that although Vascotto and crew had already won the Trophy, Lexus and Caixa Galicia were battling for second place, both on equal points. It was clear that the similarity and close competition in the Circuit were going to make for an extremely tough fight for positions until the very end. The second race was a duel between Caixa Galicia and Coutt’s Lexus who went head to head for second place in the Circuit. The battle was won by Russell Coutts and Peter Isler on Lexus, and the team took second place in the very first Breitling MEDCUP TP52 Circuit.

Despite not gaining second place, Caixa Galicia finished the Circuit on a high note, as they took a victory as winners of the Audi Cup, the fifth and final event in the Breitling MEDCUP Circuit. They were beat Pisco Sour, who came in second place and Bribon who finished third in the event.

Pisco Sour finishes the Breitling MEDCUP TP52 2005 Circuit on 249 points, 9 more than their closest rival Lexus. With this victory we see the close of the Breitling MEDCUP 2005 Circuit which has included five scored events placed in five different locations. In June, the first event, Punta Ala, on the Tuscan coast, was held with 7 Transpac 52s competing. The event was won outright by Caixa Galicia who gave a fantastic performance in Italian waters. Following Punta Ala, the boats went to Valencia, Spain where two new vessels joined the fleet (Aifos and Cristabella) and Vasco Vascotto swept the floor with the other TP52s, and gained the points advantage that has carried them to the top of the final classifications for the Circuit. The third event was the Breitling Regatta in Mallorca, at the beginning of July, where Lexus-Quantum took a win, this time with Dean Barker at the wheel. The result was repeated in the King’s Cup regatta, also in Mallorca, but with Russell Coutts back at the wheel, and eleven boats on the start line. So the fleet were together again to take on the last of the five events in the Circuit in Porto Rotondo, Sardinia, Italy, an event which goes to Caixa Galicia, and is the second event they have won in a Transpac 52 Circuit.