Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron member Guy Stening has had an impressive preparation for the M30 (formerly Mumm 30 class) World Championship, which starts overnight from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda at Porto Cervo, Sardinia.
Stening, who has been sailing an M30 for only the past 18 months, finished second overall to champion US international yachtsman Jim Richardson in the four-race pre-world series sailed on the championship course on the Mediterranean.
Sailing a chartered boat, named Optimumm for the series but with his own sails and an all-but-one-Australian crew, Stening scored two third placings overnight, following a 16th and 5th on day one, to climb from fifth to second overall at the end of the pre-worlds.
“It’s been a very steep learning curve,” Stening told me in a call from Port Cervo today. “I’m the real novice in this international fleet, the competition is intense, the starts and mark roundings fierce.
“There was a big bingle yesterday – fortunately, we were not involved – with one boat being holed.”
Stening described a downwind duel with Jim Richardson’s Barking Mad on the first day of the pre-worlds as “awesome” spinnaker run.
The RSYS Sailing Committee member has together an outstanding crew for the Worlds, including duel 11-Metre World Champion Steve McConaghy as his tactician, Darren “Twirler” Jones on mainsheet and Canadian Curtis Florence on the bow.
The first day was sailed in light winds, but the Australians excelled in the 14-15 knot breeze on day two, with similar conditions forecast for the opening race of racing in the Moby M30 World Championships.
The 39 boats assembled in Porto Cervo for the World Championship will sail a maximum of 11 windward-leeward races off the north-east coast of Sardinia from today through to Sunday, 7 October.
The fleet includes many of the best owner/skippers, tacticians and crew in the world, with Jim Richardson’s bringing his long-time Farr 40 tactician, America’s Cup veteran Terry Hutchinson, aboard the M30.
Richardson won from Stening and the Italian Serena Gianlugi, sailing Enfante Terrible.
Current world champion, France’s Erik Maris, sailing Twins, was further back in the pre-world classification, sitting in 18th place but is certain to step up a gear once competition for the World Championship.
Other former M30 world champion skippers competing in Porto Cervo are Vincenzo Onorato (2000) with Mascalzone Latino (ITA) and Claudio Recchi (2003) on Bred (FRA). Onorato is current Farr 40 World Champion and has Vasco Vascotto on tactics whereas Luna Rossa’s Francesco De Angelis is calling tactics on Bred. – Media Office/Peter Campbell 
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