Modus Vivendi crowned Platu 25 World Champion

Greetings from Alicante where the Greek yacht Modus Vivendi has just been crowned World Champion in the Platu 25 class. The world title is the result of a very consistent performance throughout the week where the Greek yacht, owned by Kostas Karageorgiou and helmed by Takis Mantis, managed to finish in the top three in six out of the 13 races of the entire regatta.

Conditions on Saturday were quite tough and tricky as the front affecting the eastern Spanish coast passed over Alicante, bringing choppy seas, overcast skies and shifty and light breezes, not more than 7-8 knots. Modus Vivendi went to the starting line this morning with an 8-point advantage over 2nd placed Movistar and had to deliver in order to hold on to their overall leadership.

The first race was perfectly executed by the Greeks. Takis Mantis helmed the Platu 25 yacht to the middle of the starting line, had a clear start and stayed ahead of the fleet until the finish line. Their overall lead increased, as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed had a disappointing race.

In the second race, things didn't turn out that well as the tactical decision to opt for the left side of the course in the first beat cost them dearly. The 15-degree right shift meant they were 20th at the first weather mark. In this 60-strong fleet where the first 20 boats approach the leeward gate in a tight group, it's quite easy to drop 5-10 places in a matter of minutes. The Greeks had to fight hard at the leeward gate and dropped to 25th. However, their form was more than evident in the second half of the race when they weaved their way through the fleet and finished a very respectable 11th.

Being mathematically World Champions, Modus Vivendi decided to sail conservatively in the final race, trying not to influence the fierce battle for 2nd and 3rd place. Still, they had yet another good race, finishing 6th.

With this win, Karageorgiou and his crew are the undisputed leaders of the Platu 25 class, having won the world championship in 2008 in Greece and coming shy to another victory in Italy last year, when they were second.

Quote

Kostas Karageorgiou, owner: "As you can see, we kept the promise we made last year at the World Championship in Italy where we finished second. We came here and won the title. Jokes apart, the result doesn't reflect the difficulty we had this week in order to become champions. This fleet is extremely tough and competitive and you can finish first as easily as you can finish twentieth. I would like to thank the crew for their excellent and flawless work in this regatta and, once again, they clearly demonstrate they are among the best in the world."

Modus Vivendi, brand new Platu 25 World Champion. Alicante, 24 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Modus Vivendi, brand new Platu 25 World Champion. Alicante, 24 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Modus Vivendi, brand new Platu 25 World Champion. Alicante, 24 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Modus Vivendi, brand new Platu 25 World Champion. Alicante, 24 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Modus Vivendi, brand new Platu 25 World Champion. Alicante, 24 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Modus Vivendi, brand new Platu 25 World Champion, leads the fleet. Alicante, 24 July 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Video: Highlights from Day 2 of the Platu 25 World Championship

Highlights from Day 2 of the Platu 25 World Championship. Alicante, 21 July 2010. Video copyright Grupo Panorama

Platu 25 Worlds: Modus Vivendi suffers from gear failure but holds on to overall top spot

Bummer !!!! Modus Vivendi suffered from gear failure during Wednesday's first race and had to abandon it. Still, they scored a 2nd and a 6th in the day's next two races and managed to hold on to their overall lead. Go Greece!!!

Overall Ranking - Day 2 (66 boats)

1 - Modus Vivendi (Greece) : 1+3+67(DNF)+2+6 = 12 points
2 - Mexillón de Galicia-Movistar (Spain) 6+31+2+4+2 = 14 points
3 - La Revoltosa (Spain) 4+13+8+1+4 = 17 points
4 - Carpantxo (Spain) : 2+4+10+3+10 = 19 points
5 - The Collection /Coppel Dental (Spain) : 11+1+6+5+8 = 20 points
6.- Fermax (Spain) 10+17+3+9+1 = 23 points
7.- Bribón-Movistar (Spain) 16+7+9+6+3 = 24 points
8.- Iberdrola (Spain) 15+10+1+7+12= 29 points
9.- Xacobeo 2010 Galicia (Spain) 8+24+4+13+7= 32 points
10.- Flexi (Germany) 3+10+28+16+5= 34 points

Modus Vivendi suffers from gear failure during Wednesday's first race. Alicante, 21 July 2010. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo

The Platu25 fleet during the second day of the 2010 World championship. Alicante, 21 July 2010. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo

The Platu25 fleet during the second day of the 2010 World championship. Alicante, 21 July 2010. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo

The Platu25 fleet during the second day of the 2010 World championship. Alicante, 21 July 2010. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo

Video: Highlights from Day 1 of the Platu 25 World Championship

Highlights from Day 1 of the Platu 25 World Championship. Alicante, 20 July 2010. Video copyright Grupo Panorama

Greek power !!!!

Some nationalism doesn't hurt from time to time, quite the contrary. The Platu25 World Championship started earlier today in Alicante with the participation of 76 boats from 12 countries and in this first day of racing, unfortunately, the fleet had to face a very light breeze that barely topped 7 knots. The clear leader of the day was Greece's Modus Vivendi that scored a bullet and a third.

The Greek Platu 25, owned by Kostas Karageorgiou and helmed by Takis Mantis, is in Alicante as the favorite, having won the 2008 Worlds and being runners up last year. Mantis together with Pavlos Kagialis, trimmer of Modus Vivendi, are the Greek 470 Olympic team, among the top ten in the world, and finished 5th in last week's World Championship in the Hague.

Quotes

Kostas Karageorgiou, owner: "It was a great day for us. A sailor can't ask for more than a bullet in the 1st race of a world championship. This is exactly what we hoped for. The conditions were very difficult. 5 to 7 knots and the course was full of patches.

The experience of Panagiotis Mantis who steers the boat together with the fine tuned crew work of the team led the boat to the finish line by quite a margin.

Takis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis just arrived from the heat of the 470 W/C that took place in Hague where they finished 5th.

We are very optimistic about the championship. We have won it back in 2008 and we finished second last year. We have just started the regatta and we have to keep our cool because our opponents are among the best sailors in the world.

We'll do our best to keep this lead for the rest of the World Championship".

Greece's Modus Vivendi leads the Platu 25 World Championship, after the first day of racing. Alicante, 20 July 2010. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo

Greece's Modus Vivendi leads the Platu 25 World Championship, after the first day of racing. Alicante, 20 July 2010. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo

Manu Weiller and Iberdrola lead Platu 25 Worlds

[Source: Platu25 World Championship] Three more races sailed today in Punta Ala and the Platu25 Worlds are coming to a turning point. With its good, steady breeze and choppy seas the Tuscan racecourse provided all the excitement and the show needed for. Today’s intense and close racing was crucial to decide the Gold and Silver fleets division that will be announced before tomorrow morning and will be battling on the last two days of the Worlds.

Today it was the “Spanish armada” day, with the crews coming from the Iberian peninsula showing strength and consistency, keeping up against the Italian, Danish and German teams and consolidating their position on the general scoreboard. It is now Real Club Nautico de Palma’s Iberdrola (4,3 and 1 today); Caixanova Men skippered by Marcus Perez from Vigo (4, 2 and 7 their partial results) and Vilagarcia (with an excellent 1,2, 3) to occupy the three steps of the podium. The first Italian crew is still Brera Hotels, helmsman Sandro Montefusco, fourth, followed by Antonello Ciabatti’s VIS. The Germans from Kyra, scored a victory today but also a 17th and a 11th place, which put them in eighth position.

Manu Weiller and the rest of the Iberdrola crew are now leading the Championship. Punta Ala, 1 October 2009. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo / sailingstock.com

They are followed by Central Lechera Asturiana, with Spanish top sailor Natalia Via Dufresne at the helm, that is to say the first female skipper of the fleet. It was a good day for some but a very unlucky day for others, like the Greeks on Modus Vivendi, world reigning champions and one of the most serious pretenders to the podium. Despite all their efforts their championship has been plagued by a series of troubles: a black flag yesterday, a technical issue to a spreader today that forced them to go back ashore and not start in the second and third race, and making them lose precious points in the overall results table. The Japanese Yuki Koike and Noafumi Kamei on Bros made a big jump ahead today, passing from 47th to 17th and still having some chance to do well on the next days. Same as the team from New Zealand, Ocean Bridge Sailing, that follows closely, distanced only by a mere point.

As defined by the class rules, having sailed seven races, the crews could discard the worst result. The provisional overall results is then already calculated with a discard but does not consider any possible pending protest still to be discussed in front of the Jury. The points scored up to now will not be cancelled as the teams can have a second discard after the ninth race.

Platu 23 World Championship 2009
Overall leaderboard after 7 races (Top ten)
1. IBERDROLA 8,1,1,(bfd),4,3,1=18
2. TUYPAN CAIXANOVA MEN 3,5,3,2,4,2,(7)=19
3. VILAGARCIA 6,7,7,(bfd),1,2,3=26
4. BRERA HOTELS 5,6,1,(10),6,8,2=28
5. VIS 6,2,5,5,(24),5,7=30
6. BRIBON - MOVISTAR 1,9,4,(bfd),2,1,18=35
7. LA REVOLTOSA 10,5,8,8,2,6,(13)=39
8. KYRA 1,7,14,9,1,(17),11=43
9. CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA (19),1,4,14,9,15,1=44
10. MOJITO 10,2,8,(bfd),16,5,6=47

Tuypan Caixanova Men leads Platu 25 Worlds after 4 races

[Source: Platu 25] Today, the competition entered the second day of the Platu 25 World Championship. Ninety three crews run three regattas off with a weak and very unsettled wind – no more then 6-8 knots – that forced the crew to continuous sail regulations and complex tactical strategies.

After three regattas, today for many crews was the occasion to show their real talent, gaining positions and points in the general ranking list. So, there were many surprises that changed deeply the partial results of yesterday.

The only confirmation was for the Spanish “Tuypan Caixanova Men” of Marcos Perez and Roy Alonso (Rcn Vigo) who – after a 5-3-2 in the three regattas of today, conquered the top of the general ranking list. Today “Tuypan” was in the Group B, the Blue one; yesterday in the yellow one it arrived third.

Tuypan Caixanova Men, overall leaders after 4 races. Punta Ala, 30 September 2009. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo / sailingstock.com

The division between Group A and B was maintained but, calculating every day different scores, all the crews will change group and will be able to confront with all the adversaries until next Saturday.

The Italian “Vis” of Francesco Vallicelli is second in the overall leaderboard followed by another Italian crew, “Brera Hotels” of Emanuele Vitrano, with Alberto Wolleb at the helm and Sandro Montefusco as a tactician.

The German team “Kyra” of Herman Muller, that yesterday dominated in the Yellow Fleet - is now 4th in the general ranking list. The Spanish of the “Invincible Armada” confirmed their talent with “La Revoltosa” of Jaime Pont and “Iberconsa” of Fernando Morillo, 5th and 6th in the general ranking list. A very good position also for “Menef 8” of Marco Gambardella with Pablo Soldano on board; they are 7th in the general ranking list.

As every body expected, “Central Lechera Asturiana” of Natalia Via Dufresne emerged with a very good performance; she gained a first place in the Yellow fleet and now she is 8th in the general ranking list. “Profumo” of Michele Valiante is 9th and “Niente Paura” of Gino Angelini is 10th in the general ranking list.

In the Yellow group, big return for the Japanese “Bros” of Nafumi Kamei (3th in the second and in the third regattas) and for the German “Flexi” of Bogdhan (4 in the first regatta). Great confirm for the Italians too, with “Parco Cinque Terre – Breakwind” of Giovanni Bocelli, with Ugo Giordano at the helm (Lni Procida) who, in the third regattas of today, arrived first.

In the Group B of the Blue Fleet, very good performance for the Spanish Bribon- Movistar” of José Cusì and “Iberconsa” of Fernando Lago, the President of the Spanish class who yesterday managed very well. In the second regatta, good result for “Iberdrola” of Manuel Weiler, World Champion in Vigo in 2006.

Brera Hotels are now sitting 3rd overall. Punta Ala, 30 September 2009. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo / sailingstock.com

Protagonist in the third regatta, in the Group B, is the Italian crew “Amici Miei” of Giacomo Bufalini who conquered the first place followed by “Tuypan CAixanova Men” of Marcos Perez and Roy Alonso.

Tomorrow the crews will face the adversaries in the third day of regattas. Protests today were pretty numerous: that confirms that the level of the competition and the agonistic tension are very high.

Platu25 World Championship 2009
Overall leaderboard after 4 races (Top ten)
1. TUYPAN CAIXANOVA MEN 3,5,3,2=13
2. VIS 6,2,5,5=18
3. BRERA HOTELS 5,6,1,10=22
4. KYRA 1,7,14,9=31
5. LA REVOLTOSA 10,5,8,8=31
6. IBERCONSA 2,11,15,4=32
7. MENEF 8 4,9,10,12=35
8. CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA 19,1,4,14=38
9. PROFUMO 3,14,2,21=40
10.NIENTE PAURA 14,17,11,6=48

Manu Weiller, Spain's number 1 match racer, got a black flag in the 4th race and dropped to 19th overall. Punta Ala, 30 September 2009. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo / sailingstock.com

First day of Platu25 Worlds goes to Bribón and Kyra

[Source: Platu25 Class] After a long wait until late afternoon, the 2009 Platu 25 World Championship started officially at 17 p.m. In Punta Ala there were 93 teams coming from all over the World. With a very weak wind – no more then 6-7 Knots – the crews could complete just one regatta.

They were divided in two groups: the blue fleet started before, followed just five minutes later, by the yellow one.

Between the blue fleet, today the Spanish crews were absolutely the best. The first place is for “Bribon-Movistar” of Josι Cusi, with Marc de Antonio at the helm (Real Club Nautico de Barcelona): they confirmed the most optimistic forecasts. We should remind that “Bribon” last year, during the 2008 Platu 25 World Championship in Greece, conquered the third place, and this year they managed very well during the Spanish Championship.

Bribón-Movistar, leaders of the blue fleet. Punta Ala, 29 September 2009. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo / sailingstock.com

At second place there is “Iberconsa” of Fernando Lago (YC Argentino Club Maritimo Ca), the President of the Spanish class, followed by “Tuypan Caixanova” of Alberto Garcia (Rcn Vigo). The Greeks of “Modus Vivendi – 3 Alfa Kostas” – they were 2008 Platu 25 World Champions – conquered the 7th place, showing to be highly competitive.

Between the Italians, the best team in the Blue fleet is “Menef 8” of Marco Gambardella (Ccrl) that obtained the 4th position, followed by “Jhaplin 007” of Novi Boglione Chalp Scarabosio (Yc Italiano).

In the yellow ranking list, the first is the German “Kyra” of Herman Muller (Byc) followed by the Larian crew of “A Sail 1Ma” of Dulio Bassani, with Roberto Spata, a very talented tactitian, on board (Lni Mandello del Lario). In this case a team of “sweet water” yachtsmen showed, in the very thirst day, all its own competitive potential.

The third place is for “Profumo” of Michele Valiante (Crv Italia) and 4th is for the German “Randale 3” of Ingo Lochman and Christian Maedel.
Very good position for the Italian “Brera Hotels” of Emanuele Vitrano, with Alberto Wolleb at the helm and Paolo Montefusco as a tactician: it concluded 5th.

Kura, leaders of the yellow fleet. Punta Ala, 29 September 2009. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo / sailingstock.com

Between the favourites, there is Nanuk” of Gianrocco Catalano, with Luigi Ravioli at the helm that arrived 7th in the yellow ranking list. “Bros”, the Japanese team – an other favourite boat on the eve of the Platu 25 World Championhip – had a Ocs (early start) and now it lies on the bottom of the yellow ranking list

Tomorrow, if the wind allows, the competition will really start: there should be at least three regattas. That’s enough to mess the ranking lists up.

The 93 crews coming from three continents will keep on compete under the careful eyes of the International Panel, formed by the President Luciano Giacomi and by the members Manuel Sales Grade, Costas Tsantilis, Bruno Tamburini, Jean Pierre Grosgogeat, Maria Torrido. The Jury Committee, chaired by Giuseppe Masini, is composed by da Emanuele Sacripanti, Giovanni Capitani, Sergio Agresti and Nicola Cirella.

Start of the day's one and only race. Punta Ala, 29 September 2009. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo / sailingstock.com

Platu25 Worlds 2009 - Leaderboard on day 1 (Top ten)

Blue Group
1. BRIBON - MOVISTAR
2. IBERCONSA
3. TUYPAN CAIXANOVA
4. MENEF 8
5. JHAPLIN 007
6. VIS
7. MODUS VIVENDI - 3 ALFA
8. MISSTRESS
9. JERRY SPEED
10.LA REVOLTOSA

Yellow Group
1. KYRA
2. A SAIL 1MA
3. PROFUMO
4. RANDALE 3
5. BRERA HOTELS
6. VILAGARCIA
7. NANUK
8. IBERDROLA
9. BASTIAN CONTRARIO
10.MOJITO

Marc de Antonio, helmsman of Bribón-Movistar. Punta Ala, 29 September 2009. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo / sailingstock.com