International 14 World Championship at Circolo Vela Torbole, Lake Garda, Italy - Day 1

Archie Massey and Harvey Hillary win race 1 of the International 14 Worlds at Lake Garda © Annamaria Ramy

Day one of the I14 Worlds saw seventy boats from seven nations starting in a building Ora breeze in Torbole, Lake Garda.

Andy Fitzgerald and Dan Johnson rounded the first windward mark ahead of current World Champions Archie Massey and Harvey Hillary, with the young guns Andy Shaw and Rob Struckett in third.

Massey took the lead on the hoist, with Shaw moving in second after a mistake by Fitzgerald & Johnson. With the top two pulling away, the competition behind was tight, with Australian champions Mark Krstic and James Londi' mixing it' with Martin Jones & Harry Kennedy and previous World Champions Lindsay Irwin and Andrew Perry.

Unlike other skiff classes, the I14 uses a triangle sausage course format with a single race day. With a 90-minute target time for the race winners, the format emphasises long-course tactics and boat speed.

The reaching legs create another challenge for teams in the gusty conditions. Unlimited spinnaker sizes place high importance on the ability of crews to curl the kite to sail high angles and for teams to judge lay lines and two sail reach crossovers.

With the breeze freshening, the classic Torbole set-up delivered a spectacular race course and lots of smiles from US, Australian and Canadian sailors having their first experience of Garda.

Into the final lap, Glen Truswell and Ed Fitzgerald moved into 4th, passing three boats on the final run. Massey and Hillary took the bullet, with Shaw and Stuckett in 2nd and Krstic & Londi in Third.

The event looks evenly poised, with potential for multiple race winners from the British and Australian Teams.

Race Officer Carmelo Paroli summed up the championship aims by saying that only one boat wins, but everyone has fun. It's a great way to epitomise the I14 way.

Results so far can be found at www.circolovelatorbole.com/it/regatta/detail/276