LV Trophy jury gives Aleph a three-point penalty

Bad news for Bertrand Pacé and the French team.

Following a hearing of the International Jury to consider the collision which took place between ALEPH and Azzurra, ALEPH has been penalised 1 point for ‘hard contact’ (assessed immediately after the incident) and a further 3 points for breaking RRS 14, the Racing Rule which governs ‘Avoiding Contact’.

While ALEPH acknowledged responsibility for the collision, the team maintained Azzurra contributed to the impact by altering course in a way that swung their transom towards the French bow.

But the Jury disagreed and absolved Azzurra fully, leaving the French team to shoulder the blame.

Aleph crashes boat in La Maddalena, gets disqualified

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] A major start line collision knocked two America's Cup Class boats out of action at the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena today and led to a one-race disqualification for the French ALEPH Sailing Team.

ALEPH struck the stern of the Italian entry Azzurra as the boats sped down the start line with 35 seconds remaining to the start gun. No one was injured but the bow of the French boat was knocked almost right off while the aft starboard quarter of the Italian boat was smashed in.

The two boats involved are the BMW Oracle Racing Team Version 5 ACC boats USA98 and USA87 which have been chartered to the regatta organisers for the event. Oracle boatbuilders and technical experts were still assessing the damage tonight.

“While unfortunate, this collision will not threaten the regatta,” said Bruno Troublé, spokesman for Louis Vuitton Trophy. “In Nice, one boat was damaged in a collision on the eve of the regatta, while in Auckland we had great racing with only one pair of boats. We will continue racing using the Mascalzone boats, while waiting for our very experienced team of 25 boatbuilders to complete repairs.”

Highlights from Day 4 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Today’s conditions were perfect for racing with cloudless skies, bright sun, a westerly 12-14 knot breeze and flat seas, and Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio was able to complete five of six scheduled races.

The ALEPH team quickly published a statement apologising for the collision and subsequent damage.

In a day filled with surprises, the fledgling Synergy Russian Sailing Team beat the long-established Luna Rossa, while the undefeated Swedish boat Artemis continued her winning ways with a victory over winless BMW Oracle Racing Team. Emirates Team New Zealand went down to Luna Rossa as American Ed Baird, skipper of the Italian boat and former coach for the Kiwis, dished out another lesson to his old pupil Dean Barker.

Flight Ten, Race One: Synergy Russian Sailing Team def Luna Rossa, 00:15 – Nice start by both boats. Karol Jablonski claimed the right as both boats came off the line together on starboard. At the weather mark, Jablonski came in on starboard and dialed down to force Baird away and lead by 16 seconds. The Russians controlled for the next three legs.

Flight Ten, Race Two: Artemis def BMW Oracle Racing, 00:16 – The start was owned by Terry Hutchinson driving the Swedish boat Artemis. After chasing James Spithill round the start box, Hutchinson led back for a perfect start, at the committee, with Spithill trailing astern by a boat length. Oracle short-tacked relentlessly through two upwind legs and clung to Artemis on two runs but the Swedish boat prevailed.

Flight Eleven, Race One: TEAMORIGIN def All4One, 00:05 – All4One led to the line with a clean start, followed by TEAMORIGIN on his hip. Ben Ainslie steering the British boat quickly tacked away and Sébastien Col soon followed. At the top mark Ainslie on starboard shut Col out and carry him far above the buoy. Ainslie converted that move to a 150 metre lead which All4One chiselled down to 37 metres on the final run as the breeze freshened.

Aleph slams into Azzurra. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Flight Eleven, Race Two: Azzurra def ALEPH Sailing Team, 00:00 – The Italian boat won after ALEPH was disqualified following the collision. ALEPH was also assessed a penalty point and may face further sanctions.

The two boats were reaching down the start line with Azzurra leading when Bertrand Pacé, ALEPH’s veteran skipper, attempted to duck under his opponent’s stern in an attempt to control the start of the Italian boat. Azzurra, steered by Francesco Bruni was the right-of-way boat. There was hard contact about four metres from Azzurra’s transom.

On-the-water umpires immediately flew a black flag, disqualifying ALEPH from the race. They also docked her one penalty point. Tonight the jury will meet to consider whether further action is warranted. Azzurra was forced to abandon racing but was credited with a win.

“On our boat we had one guy calling the overlap, Tom Burnham, our non-Italian on board,” said Francesco Bruni, skipper of Azzurra. “He was calling that the boat was ‘blocked’ and yet two seconds later I see his bow coming down. Tom had his head smashed on the navigation roll bar on the back of the boat and he got some blood on his head - but just scratches, I think. We are partially happy about getting a point from today but we can’t enjoy the moment fully.”

First defeat for Emirates Team NZ. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Flight Twelve, Race One: Luna Rossa def Emirates Team New Zealand, 00:13 – Ed Baird on Luna Rossa claimed the right at the start but it was Dean Barker who started at speed on the left. In shifty conditions Luna Rossa took an early lead in the middle of the course while the Kiwis gained on the left. Baird carried them out beyond the port tack layline to round the top mark a boatlength in front. On the second beat the Kiwis again clawed back ground but Baird came across on starboard before the top mark to lock in the lead for the rest of the race.

Provisional win-loss leaderboard after Flight Twelve, Race One
=1. Artemis, 3-0, 3 points
=2. All4One, 2-1, 2 points
=2. Azzurra, 2-2, 2 points
=2. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 2-0, 2 points
=2. TEAMORIGIN, 2-3, 2 points
=6. ALEPH Sailing Team, 2-2, 1 point *
=6. Emirates Team New Zealand, 1-1, 1 point
=6. Luna Rossa, 1-3, 1 point
=6. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 2-1, 1 point *
=10. BMW Oracle Racing Team, 0-3, 0 points

* Penalty deducted by Jury/Umpires

Big collision in Maddalena knocks out USA-98 and USA-87

A big collision, "the biggest collision in my life" according to what Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni told fellow journalist Andy Rice, took place earlier today in the match facing Azzurra and Aleph Sailing. The collision occurred as boats reached down the line towards the pin with 35 seconds remaining in the start sequence. Azzurra, the leading boat, hardened up as Aleph appeared to bear off and attempt a leeward hook. The French boat sliced into Azzurra's transom. Chief Umpire Bill Edgerton reported that no-one was injured, although Italy's veteran tactician Tommaso Chieffi had to scramble clear of the impact.

According to the official LV Trophy website, both boats have returned to the maintenance area. There is a big gash in the starboard bow of Aleph (USA98) and damage to the transom of Azzurra (USA87). The extent of the injuries to both boats is still being assessed.

Here's the sequence of the collision, as seen through the lens of the maestro of yachting photography, Stefano Gattini.

Azzurra and Aleph Sailing collide during the prestart. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Photo copyright Stefano Gattini / Azzurra

Azzurra and Aleph Sailing collide during the prestart. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Photo copyright Stefano Gattini / Azzurra

Azzurra and Aleph Sailing collide during the prestart. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Photo copyright Stefano Gattini / Azzurra

Azzurra and Aleph Sailing collide during the prestart. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Photo copyright Stefano Gattini / Azzurra

Lots of work awaits the BMW Oracle boatbuilders. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Photo copyright Stefano Gattini / Azzurra

AUDI to sponsor Team Azzurra

[Source: Azzurra] Final preparations are underway for the third event of the Louis Vuitton Trophy scheduled to be held in La Maddalena, Sardinia from 22nd May to 6th June 2010. The event represents another significant step in the work the team, flying the burgee of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, has undertaken in recent months. Since the previous event in Auckland, Azzurra has participated in several match races regattas, including the Congressional Cup where they took victory, as well as a training session on America’s Cup Class boats in Valencia.

Preparations are not only in course at sea however, as the complex logistics of managing a sports team of this level also require careful planning on dry land. With this in mind the agreement reached with Audi, a partner of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda for several seasons, represents an important development for the team. The renowned German manufacturer has been present on the international sailing scene for many years, supporting the established Audi MedCup circuit for the TP52 and GP42 classes, and in 2010 is Title Sponsor of two major events on the YCCS sporting calendar: the ISAF Offshore Team World Championship - Audi Sardinia Cup and the Audi Invitational Melges 32.

Riccardo Bonadeo, Commodore of the YCCS and President of Azzurra, commented: “The partnership with Azzurra is a natural progression from the long and productive association that exists between this distinguished automotive company and our yacht club. Audi simply had to be present at the Louis Vuitton Trophy event held on our home waters against the wonderful backdrop of the Costa Smeralda which boasts one of the most spectacular and challenging regatta courses in the world. The Audi brand has always been synonymous with style and excellence, an image that fits perfectly with a sporting team of the calibre of Azzurra.”

Azzurra and Luna Rossa train in Valencia (part II)

When one reads a press release from almost any race in any part of the world racing is always "close", "exciting", "breathtaking" or "thrilling" while conditions are always "beautiful", "glorious" or "near perfect" even when there is 5-6 knots of wind.

Today I had the opportunity and pleasure to follow from very close (aboard the umpire tender) the 3rd day of training between Azzurra and Luna Rossa. The two Italian teams are here for the week, preparing for the upcoming Louis Vuitton regatta in La Maddalena, Italy. I have to admit that racing, even if it was only practice, was indeed "exciting" but wind and weather conditions ranged from bad to nearly decent.

The weather really threw everything at the two teams today: Light winds (5-6 knots), sun, clouds, dense fog (or was it the volcanic ash from Iceland) that turned the committee boat invisible from the pin end before finally rewarding them with a nearly decent breeze of about 10 knots at 4pm.

Nevertheless, the two crews had a full day with so many pre-starts that I lost count after the 9th one and three full races. Racing was indeed so close that all 6 upwind legs were endless tacking duel and at no time did any of the teams get ahead by more than a boatlength, at most.

There is no doubt that the LV Trophy in La Maddalena will indeed provide "thrilling" races with BMW Oracle, Origin, Luna Rossa, Azzurra and Emirates Team NZ vying for the top spot.

Our coverage of the Italian training sessions will continue throughout the week.

Azzurra and Luna Rossa train in view of the upcoming Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 21 April 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Azzurra and Luna Rossa train in view of the upcoming Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 21 April 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Azzurra and Luna Rossa train in view of the upcoming Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 21 April 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Azzurra and Luna Rossa train in view of the upcoming Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 21 April 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Azzurra and Luna Rossa train in view of the upcoming Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 21 April 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Azzurra and Luna Rossa train in view of the upcoming Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 21 April 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Azzurra and Luna Rossa train in view of the upcoming Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 21 April 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Azzurra and Luna Rossa train in view of the upcoming Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 21 April 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Azzurra and Luna Rossa train in view of the upcoming Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 21 April 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Francesco Bruni wins the Congressional Cup

[Source: Congressional Cup] Francesco Bruni and his team Azzurra crew squeezed the last bit of breath out of the 46th Congressional Cup Saturday to outsail Gavin Brady, 2-1, and deny the four-time winner an unprecedented fifth Crimson Blazer in the only Grade 1 Open match racing regatta in the United States.

Instead, it was the affable Italian who donned the traditional prize after reveling in a champagne shower and a proper dunking at the dock that blew off the tension of a hard-earned victory.

"We were very scared, especially after the score was one to one," Bruni said, fearing that Mother Nature would rule the day beyond all of his sailing skill.

Unusually capricious conditions for the venue bedeviled the four semifinalists with a simmering offshore Santa Ana desert breeze arriving at 18 knots from the east. Later, after one round of racing parallel to the sand-blown beach, the wind switched to 150 degrees onshore from the southwest but dropped to 7 knots.


Azzurra, an Italian team with America's Cup ambitions, hung tough, although pushed to the limit of three races by defending champion Johnie Berntsson in the semis and by Brady in the final.

Bruni will share his $10,000 prize with his crew of Tom Burnham, tactician; Ben Durham, main sail trimmer; Pierluigi De Felice, trimmer; Pietro Mantovani, pit and trimmer, and Matteo Auguadro, bow.

"We worked hard to win it," said Bruni, who lost 2-0 to Berntsson in last year's title match. "We weren't very focused … and this year we were this close to losing. We're really happy."

The title turned on another reversal of the Long Beach norm: the left side of the course was favored. Before each of their three starts Bruni and Brady fought hard for that privilege in last-minute luff-ups below the line, and the boat that started to leeward with a direct shot at the pin end of the line won every race: Bruni by six seconds, Brady by 2 minutes 22 seconds and Bruni again by 1:29.

In the first final match Brady, who had eliminated Bill Hardesty 2-0 in the semis, even forced a foul on Bruni, but the latter built enough of a lead by going left to drop his spinnaker and do a penalty turn around the pin at the finish.

"It was all about winning the left," Bruni said.

Eric Monnin of Switzerland won the fleet race around the harbor the competitors who failed to reach the finals

Francesco Bruni Sweeps Into Semis Of The Congressional Cup

[Source: Congressional Cup]Azzurra team skipper Francesco Bruni from Italy won five races to join defending champion Johnie Berntsson and four-time winner Gavin Brady in Saturday's semifinals, as Bill Hardesty of San Diego slipped into position to claim the fourth slot.

In the steadiest breeze of the week, 8-12 knots from the southwest, the springboard for Francesco Bruni (ITA) was a morning hearing that cost Johnie Berntsson (SWE) his bid to keep Wednesday's apparent win over the Italian in the runaway mark incident.

Instead of sinking to 6-5, Bruni then beat Berntsson in the re-sail by a comfortable 27 seconds after Berntsson's sluggish start, then dispatched, in order, Switzerland's Eric Monnin, Wisconsin's Sally Barkow (USA), Italy's Simone Ferrarese and Hardesty to sit at 11-4, two points behind Berntsson and Brady, now tied at 13-2. Brady beat Iehl by 15 seconds in the other re-sailed match.

None of that ruined Hardesty's 2-2 day but likely just delayed his clinching the last semifinal slot. At 9-6, the first-time Congressional Cup skipper needs only to win two of the last three matches of the double round robin against non-contenders Friday, even if fifth-place Dave Perry (USA), 8-7, sweeps his remaining slate. Hardesty owns the tiebreaker with his win over Perry in their second match.

Following his 5-1 record a day earlier, Hardesty opened Thursday by dealing Brady only his second loss of the week. Later he overtook France's Damien Iehl in a flag-waving, come-from-behind frenzy that got Iehl disqualified when he failed to do any penalty turns after two quick side-by-side fouls downwind.

The on-water umpires, showing little patience, flew first one, then two blue flags - Iehl's ID colour - then a black one in the array. Despite slipping to fourth place behind Bruni on the day, Hardesty was happy with that. "We just wanted to be in the top four," he said.

Berntsson, the week-long leader, pushed Brady hard but carried a pre-start penalty into a decisive skirmish at the windward mark. Brady broke off their luffing match and brushed the mark as he fell off to round it. That offset Berntsson's foul, but the latter remained stalled for several seconds until Brady was gone.

But Bruni, runnerup to Berntsson last year, may now be the one to watch. Bruni said the re-sailed win against Berntsson "was a good start of the day. But we don't want to relax."

Emirates Team NZ is one up in LV Trophy final; Azzurra finishes 3rd

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Emirates Team New Zealand pulled off two key victories today, first winning match point in a Semi-Final race and then prevailing in the first Finals race of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland regatta.

The host team will continue its best-of-five match in the Finals tomorrow, racing against the Mascalzone Latino Audi team representing Club Nautico di Roma, which is the Challenger of Record for the America’s Cup.

Racing started in the approaches to the Rangitoto Channel off Auckland’s East Coast beaches in the early afternoon, after a long wait for an uncertain sou-west breeze to fill-in and settle. The shifty breeze was moderate all day, ranging between 10 and 14 knots.

Emirates and Azzurra were 1-1, after the Kiwi’s nail-biter one second win on Friday. There was plenty at stake. The Italian team won the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice last November, beating Emirates. The host Kiwi team had won the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series event in Auckland last year and they were aiming for a repeat victory.

Emirates Team NZ is 2 wins away from grabbing the LV Trophy. Auckland, 20 March 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Emirate’s skipper Dean Barker wanted the right side of the course and, with the starboard entry, he wielded the advantage with clinical detachment.

“It wasn’t easy that’s for sure,” Barker said. “Conditions aren’t exactly even or stable, it keeps you on the edge of your toes all the time. But it felt very controlled from our guys. The nice thing is the composure of our guys, which we’ve really been working hard on. Even though things got tight at times, the guys kept doing their job well.”

With their Finals berth safe, the Emirates team enjoyed a break until they returned to race Mascalzone Latino Audi. It proved to be a nail-biter for their Kiwi fans.

Barker pulled off a come-from-behind victory after conceding the lead at the second mark. In the pre-start, the New Zealanders came within centimetres of a penalty as they tacked away from ML Audi’s Gavin Brady but the incident was green-flagged by the umpires. Brady took the lead at the second leeward mark only to concede it when Barker split away on the windward leg and got back ahead.

Emirates Team New Zealand Managing Director Grant Dalton, who also sails on the boat, summed up the day. “I think the bottom line is that we can still sail a lot better. We have to just keep working at it. It tends to click eventually,” Dalton said. “Brady is a bit more aggressive, he came close to copping a couple of penalties today on the start, one I thought was pretty close on the edge. But that’s up to Dean, he deals with it all the time. The whole thing is a bit disjointed because you’re not flowing, week on week on week. So you can’t expect to be going at the normal rate of incremental improvement every day. But we’ve got to be reasonably happy at the moment, going one-up in the final."

Race One – Semi-Final: Emirates Team New Zealand def. Azzurra, 00:26 –Emirates had the starboard end advantage and used it throughout the prestart to hold Azzurra’s Francesco Bruni out from the right side of the course. They came to the line at speed on starboard, in a shifty 10-knot breeze, well separated and with the Italians just bow out. Emirates held for a few seconds and then tacked away into a right shift. When they closed for the first cross 30 seconds later the Kiwis on starboard had a lead of nearly two boat lengths. Approaching the top mark and above the port lay line, Italy pulled back into close contact on a big left shift, but NZ’s Dean Barker luffed them momentarily before the mark before bearing away and opening a lead of several boat lengths that he never relinquished. Tommaso Chieffi, Azzurra tactician, said “we entered on port so it was already a difficult situation. On the second beat, we had the jib halyard come undone. We had to ease the jib out, and that lost us about 20 seconds. God knows, if it was closer in the last part of the race, it may have been a different story but it wasn’t our day.”

Race Two - 1st Final: Team New Zealand def. Mascalzone Latino Audi, 00:12 – After his close miss, Barker coolly controlled the prestart, pushing Brady above the committee boat before returning and speeding off on starboard with the Italians trailing on his hip. Emirates first mark lead was 14 seconds but the Italians got on their wind on the run to round ahead at the leeward mark. Barker said, “you’re happy sometimes to give up some distance if it means that you put yourself in a stronger position. And we did a nice job of that on the second beat – in the end we were able to extend quite a bit.” Brady got out to the right but it didn’t pay. He let the boats get widely separated on a long port tack and the lead changed again as Barker found more favorable breeze on the left. Barker led by 12 seconds at the third mark and also at the finish. Brady’s tactician Morgan Larson took the long view. “We’re really happy, the guys are sailing the boat better than we have all week,” he said. “We’ve just got to get a little tighter in the afterguard and keep our communication good and look at it more like a match race.”

Emirates Team NZ leads Mascalzone 1-0 in the LV Trophy finals. Auckland, 20 March 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Race Three – Petit Final: Azzurra def Artemis – Italy’s Azzurra won their Petit Final match against Artemis as the Swedish boat copped two penalties in an early evening race. In the pre-start dialup Terry Hutchinson in the port entry boat was late completing his initial tack and the blue penalty flag went up. Francesco Bruni took Azzurra over the start line just to weather of Artemis and bow out. It was a one tack leg as the boats straightlined at equal speeds all the way out to the port tack layline where Artemis was forced to follow their opponent into the mark. The Italians dominated the next two legs until Artemis pulled level on the last run, only to be penalized again for failing to respond to a luff. Azzurra pulled away to win as the Swedish boat began its penalty turn.

Yet another great performance by Azzurra that leave Auckland 3rd overall. Auckland, 20 March 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Yet another great performance by Azzurra that leave Auckland 3rd overall. Auckland, 20 March 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Yet another great performance by Azzurra that leave Auckland 3rd overall. Auckland, 20 March 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Azzurra, Emirates Team NZ lead LV Trophy Auckland after 2 flights

[Source: LV Trophy] Brady, with American tactician Morgan Larson calling the shots, pulled off a risky pre-start strategy against skipper Dean Barker on the New Zealand boat, pushing ETNZ deep into the start box after a dialup but breaking clear with immaculate timing to grab the start he wanted – a port tack cross at speed, right at the committee boat.

Minutes later as they came back together, Brady had a two boat-length advantage that he parlayed into a 22 second lead at the first weather mark. Down the run, the New Zealanders split away and Brady let them go, only to concede the right side of the course when they rounded opposite gates starting the second beat.

Brady’s lead had evaporated but the fight had just started. Half way up the weather leg Mascalzone barely had her nose in front as they sailed into a building breeze when the jib came crashing down. “That was our race to win,” said Brady. “And a tough way to lose!”

Out on the Waitemata Harbour today, the wait for a good breeze stretched out to three hours but the competitors were rewarded with superb sailing conditions under a bright sunny sky. The sea breeze filled in from the southwest, starting at five to seven knots and building during the afternoon to nearly 15 knots before softening a little in the late afternoon.

The boats raced on 1.2-mile legs on the black course, bounded by the Devonport shore and the natural grandstand of North Head on one side and Bastion Point on the other. Spectators high on North Head were rewarded with birds-eye views of the competition.

Race One: TEAMORIGIN def. All4One, 01:33 – Britain’s TEAMORIGIN, skippered and steered by Ben Ainslie, prevailed in the pre-start to lead Sébastien Col at the wheel of All4One at the gun with a 16-metre margin. Sailing at speed on port tack, the British boat started right at the committee boat while their adversary tacked off to starboard behind them. When they converged at the first cross, Ainslie had converted his lead in the shifty breeze to 70 metres. The German/French boat stayed relatively close until the second weather mark but lost a minute on the last run.

Team Origin score their first point again ALL4One. Auckland, 10 March 2010. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

Race Two: Emirates Team New Zealand def. Mascalzone Latino Audi, 4:43 – Gavin Brady, the Kiwi skipper of Italy’s Mascalzone Latino Audi Team took the fight to the home team, overcoming Dean Barker’s starboard entry advantage. Brady came out unscathed in several close pre-start encounters to win the start and the right side of the course. With the breeze up to 11 knots, Brady led Barker by a boat length at the first cross. The visiting team exploited the power of the right to lead at the top mark by a boat length and then extend on the run. Barker fought back, closing down to eight seconds at the leeward mark and getting out to the right. After two very close tacks, the visitors were fighting to maintain a safe leeward berth on starboard when a halyard clip failed and Brady’s hopes crashed, along with the jib.

Race Three: Azzurra def. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 00:41 – The Russian boat steered by Karol Jablonski secured a safe leeward as the boats started, forcing Francesco Bruni on Azzurra away soon after the gun. Jablonski followed and held a one boat-length lead on a long port tack before Bruni tacked back. A tacking duel followed in 12 to 14 knots of breeze as the Italians whittled away the Russian lead, gaining a metre or two on every tack. As Jablonski tacked to leeward for the tenth time, Bruni had gained the advantage and sailed his opponent out to the layline. The Russians kept it close but the young Italian team eked out more time on every leg.

Good win for Azzurra over Synergy. Auckland, 10 March 2010. Photo copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Race Four: Artemis def. ALEPH Sailing Team 01:21 – Bertrand Pacé and his ALEPH Sailing Team trailed by 50 metres over the starting line in this match and that was all the margin Artemis would need to dominate the race. It appeared to be a miscalculation on time and distance to the start on the French boat, and with Artemis helmsman Terry Hutchinson hitting the line with speed, his Swedish team was in firm control all the way around the track.

Artemis score a convincing victory over Aleph. Auckland, 10 March 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Artemis score a convincing victory over Aleph. Auckland, 10 March 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Artemis score a convincing victory over Aleph. Auckland, 10 March 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Artemis score a convincing victory over Aleph. Auckland, 10 March 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Provisional leaderboard after Flight Two:
Emirates Team New Zealand, 2
Azzurra, 2
TEAMORIGIN, 1
Artemis, 1
All4One, 1
ALEPH Sailing Team, 1
Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 0
Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 0

Azzurra delivers stand-out performance on opening day of LV Auckland

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Azzurra, the Italian boat with the old name and the young crew, defeated Britain’s TEAMORIGIN in the closest of four hard-fought races on the opening day of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland.

Italian skipper and helmsman Francesco Bruni snatched a victory from Britain’s three-time Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie at the first weather mark of their race as their boats rounded the mark overlapped. Sailing above the mark, Ainslie tried to luff his opponent only to see the Italian execute a swift spinnaker set, sail clear and go on to win.

“Azzurra sailed a good race today, they seem to have a knack of overtaking us which is getting very frustrating!” Ainslie said. “We were fully in contention at the top mark and tried to hold them up, we were unfortunately set up for a gybe set and they were set up for a straight hoist which allowed them to gain some distance.”

In their efforts to stay on schedule, the race committee spent a long first day on the water. In the morning, cloudy skies killed any chance of a sea breeze developing and delayed racing. The Rangitoto Channel entrance to Auckland Harbour was so glassy at late morning that Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio joked that it appeared to have been paved.

The long wait for wind ended at 2:45pm as the first pair started on the Blue Course at the mouth of the channel between Rangitoto Island and the Takapuna cliffs. The breeze was five to seven knots from the northwest. After a second race in similar conditions, the breeze switched to the south for the third race inside the harbour. The last race didn’t start until 7:10pm and finished after sunset just before 8:00pm

Race One: All4One def. Mascalzone Latino Audi Sailing Team, 00:44 – In the draw last night, the German/French boat All4One chose the starboard entry for the start and they protected the right side in the pre-start today. They split before the gun with All4One going out to the right on port tack, while Mascalzone Latino Audi enjoyed an early lead on starboard. All4One skipper and strategist Jochen Schümann said a man up the mast had spotted wind out to the right and they chose to concede an early lead to reach the stronger pressure. All4One eventually tacked to starboard to cover and Gavin Brady steering the Italian boat initiated a tacking duel. However Sébastien Col on the helm of All4One had already worked out to a controlling lead on the right that he never relinquished.

ALL4One beats Mascalzone. Auckland, 9 March 2010. Photo copyright Paul Todd/outsideimages.co.nz

Race Two: Azzurra def. TEAMORIGIN, 00:53N – Great Britain’s TEAMORIGI enjoyed the starboard entry in its match against Italy’s Azzurra and used it to advantage in a dialup that took both boats well above the line before they sailed back with Ben Ainslie on the British boat chasing Italian Francesco Bruni. Ainslie grabbed the right as they split away at the gun but Bruni kept it close and when they crossed for the first time Ainslie on starboard came down and hunted the Italian who tacked close to leeward and forced the British boat away. It happened again before they came into the weather mark overlapped, with Ainslie holding his opponent out from rounding. They tacked above the mark and the British boat luffed the Italian until Bruni capitalized on a miscommunication on Ainslie’s boat. Bruni was first to set a spinnaker and rolled over TEAMORIGIN forcing the British boat to gybe away. From there the Italians controlled the next three legs, finishing with a comfortable 53 second margin.

Azzurra beats Team Origin. Auckland, 9 March 2010. Photo copyight Ian Roman / Team Origin

Race Three: Emirates Team New Zealand def. Artemis, 01:40 – Dean Barker overcame the handicap of a port entry in the pre-start to grab the right side of the course off the start line. Strong outgoing current and shifty breezes played a major role as Terry Hutchinson steering Artemis took the fight to Emirates Team New Zealand but trailed by 55 seconds at the weather mark. Artemis came charging back on the run to close within 12 seconds at the leeward gate but then lost ground in lighter air under North Head. The Kiwis extended to win comfortably.

Race Four: ALEPH Sailing Team def. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 03:26 – The Russian boat steered by Karol Jablonski dominated Bertrand Pacé’s French entry in the pre-start only to see ALEPH wriggle clear and lead by three boat lengths at the gun. Jablonski kept it very close, pressuring Pacé on the first beat and was only 11 seconds astern at the top mark. As the sun set over the Auckland City skyline it was also sunset for the Russians as they ran over their spinnaker at the leeward mark. The French sailed away to a comfortable victory.

ALL4One and Azzurra conclude Valencia training

It has now become customary for a number of teams that take part in the Louis Vuitton circuit to come and train in Valencia a few days or weeks before each event. This week it was the turn of Mascalzone Latino AUDI Team (brand new Challenger of Record for the 34th America's Cup), Azzurra and ALL4One to sharpen their skills in Valencia in view of next month's Louis Vuitton regatta in Auckland. It has been a bumpy seek overall, with a couple of excellent days but also a few awful ones with either too much or too little breeze.

Unfortunately, the closing session of this training week got underway under very light conditions, with an easterly breeze that barely passed 6-7 knots, and finished under heavy rain. The two teams practiced together a number of prestarts as well as a handful of windward/leeward races.

It was also an excellent opportunity to see again how the yachts that now everybody calls "dinosaurs" fare in 4 knots of breeze. It's true that once one has watched Alinghi 5 and USA zoom at 15 knots even in such light breezes the ACC yachts seem to be stuck on the water. This is something that the new America's Cup class will remedy, or at least try to. We'll have to see to what extent the new Defender incorporates in the new rule the feedback from all the current and potential teams and doesn't come out with an RC88.

ALL4One and Azzurra conclude their training for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 18 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

ALL4One and Azzurra conclude their training for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 18 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

ALL4One and Azzurra conclude their training for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 18 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

ALL4One and Azzurra conclude their training for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 18 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

ALL4One and Azzurra conclude their training for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 18 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

ALL4One and Azzurra conclude their training for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 18 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

ALL4One and Azzurra conclude their training for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 18 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

ALL4One and Azzurra conclude their training for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 18 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

ALL4One and Azzurra conclude their training for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 18 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

ALL4One and Azzurra conclude their training for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Valencia, 18 February 2010. Video copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Francesco Bruni talks about the LV Trophy and the Monsoon Cup

Francesco Bruni, the skipper of Azzurra, is in Kuala Terengganu with 4 members of his crew, racing in the Monsoon Cup. After following his practice race against Torvar Mirsky we caught up with the Italian sailor and talked about his team's surprising victory in the inaugural event of the Louis Vuitton circuit, his participation in the closing event of the World Match Racing Tour as well as the general state of affairs of match racing in Italy.

Valencia Sailing: Let's start with the LV Trophy in Nice. I suppose that winning the regatta is a stupendous result for you.
Francesco Bruni: Absolutely. It was an unexpected result, but we were well prepared. The fact we had raced in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in Auckland was important, we chose a crew that already had America's Cup experience and finally we also had some training in Valencia before the event. We carried out a good preparation job for the event. We went to Nice convinced we would have a good result but we didn't think we would leave with a victory.

Valencia Sailing: You said the result was unexpected. What result did you have as an objective when you went to Nice?
Francesco Bruni: Our objective was initially to repeat the good performance we had in Auckland last February, to show and confirm that it was not an isolated case. Regarding the leaderboard, our objective was to reach the semifinals because we knew there were many teams that were, potentially, ahead of us; BMW Oracle, Team New Zealand, Artemis, Team Origin, even ALL4One. It was the same number of potential teams as in Auckland, the only difference being Artemis taking the place of absent Alinghi. As I said to my crew, if we can repeat the performance we had in Auckland that would be good.

Then we reached the semifinals and as we say in Italy, appetite comes with eating. So we said, it would be nice to beat Team Origin. We beat them in the first race, then we lost in the second one due to an error at the start with strong winds. We finally won the last race and at that stage we were, obviously, satisfied. We approached the final against Team New Zealand relaxed, thinking we had nothing to lose and that was in my view the best psychological attitude possible. We were in ease and we were thinking "we are here, we have had a great performance and we achieved much more than what we had expected". But since we were at the final, we thought we would try and achieve something even better. I was also feeling more confident because we had light conditions in the finals and I knew we could be more competitive.

Valencia Sailing: That was also a general comment throughout the event, that Italians perform much better in lighter conditions. Had the wind been stronger in Nice would your result have been different?
Francesco Bruni: Potentially yes, but don't forget that in Auckland we also had some exceptional races in strong breeze. We raced Team New Zealand twice in Auckland. They won the first race with 15 knots of wind while we beat them in the second one with 13-14 knots of wind. So, going to Nice our score was tied at 1-1. I think that it wasn't a mathematical certainty that in a strong breeze we wouldn't perform well. It's true though that we had one race in strong breeze, the one against Team Origin, and we were badly beaten but it was mainly due to the fact it was 2 weeks we were sailing in light winds and to making the switch wasn't that obvious. I was a little bit out of phase as well but I'm still convinced and I repeat it that it's not a mathematical equation, strong breeze equals bad performance for Azzurra. For the moment, the equation is light breeze equals strong performance but the contrary has to been proven.

It is true that in general lines, Italian sailors sail usually very good in light conditions, in a large number of classes or the Olympics, because our country rarely has strong winds. Yet, in Auckland we were fourth in strong breeze. That doesn't mean we don't have to improve our sailing in stronger winds. It's a point we have identified we have to work on.

Valencia Sailing: Given Azzurra's intention to participate in the entire LV circuit, hasn't this initial victory raised the bar too much? You will now return in Auckland in March as winners of the Nice trophy and the expectations will certainly be very high.
Francesco Bruni: I have had that thought as well. It is obvious it will create some problems. Winning is difficult by itself, but winning twice is even more difficult. In fact, it is my intention to make it clear to everybody (crew, sponsors, management and the media) that it will be extremely difficult to repeat our performance in the next regatta. It's a question I have reflected upon longly.

Valencia Sailing: What is Azzurra's long-term plan? Is it limited to the LV Trophies or will it take part in a conventional America's Cup, if and when it takes place?
Francesco Bruni: Our long-term objective is that. The problem though is that there isn't any clarity in the current situation. Look at all the other teams that had to scale down or even disappear. For that reason, we have decided to take a step-by-step approach. We start with the Louis Vuitton Trophy and we invest into that even. Then, depending on what the 34th America's Cup looks like we will take a decision. We will not participate at all costs!! If for example the protocol is not fair and it's not an interesting game where you have at least some chances in winning then we will not do it. We'll do something different. I only hope that whoever wins the 33rd match doesn't repeat the same errors of the past.

Valencia Sailing: Are other classes, such as the TP52's, under consideration by Azzuurra?
Francesco Bruni: Not the TP52's. Our project, the rebirth of Azzurra is still in its very early stages and we are already investing a lot of resources for the 5 events of the Louis Vuitton circuit, and if you also add the training sessions before the events it will become very precipitated to think about the TP52's. Don't forget that we would be starting from zero if we entered the TP52 circuit. We've never had one before and it would require time and money we can allocate elsewhere. For the moment we focus on the World Match Racing Tour, to sharpen our match racing skills, and the LV Trophies.

Valencia Sailing: What about the RC44's? As a sailor is the circuit interesting for you?
Francesco Bruni: It's an interesting class and circuit and I like the mixture of match and fleet races. Nevertheless, we see that it has reached a limit in the number of teams and we don't see it growing. I doubt Azzurra would enter that circuit at this moment. We would rather do a few things well than a lot of thing bad. If at any stage there is an RC44 owned by an Italian we might have some of crew onboard but there will not be an Azzurra RC44 team. We want to have one project and be successful in that.

Azzurra scores 2-0 shut out of Emirates Team New Zealand to win Louis Vuitton Trophy

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] The team from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda makes a triumphant return after a 22-year hiatus.

Even before the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur began, Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni spoke of his passion and honour to be leading an iconic sailing brand back into the fray after a long absence. This afternoon he could barely describe his joy.

Bruni and his Azzurra crew, including tactician Tommaso Chieffi, defeated Emirates Team New Zealand 2-0 in the Grand Final to win this match race regatta.

Azzurra, from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, made its international sailing debut at the 1983 Louis Vuitton Cup but has been in hiatus since the 1987 event off Western Australia. The team was re-launched last month and today Azzurra won the first race by 25 seconds and the second by 17 for a well-deserved championship.

“It’s an amazing sensation. I can’t find the words to describe it,” said Bruni, the 40-year-old skipper from Sicily. “We knew we could do a good job. We had very good training before the event. But we never thought about beating New Zealand in the final.”

Emirates Team New Zealand entered the final as the favourite. It won the round robin, suffering just one loss in 10 starts, and then defeated the upstart Synergy Russia Sailing Team in a hard-fought semi final match.

Team New Zealand has won many regattas this year, including the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in February and the TP52 World Championship in September. Today, however, the Kiwis lost the first cross in both races and could never find a way around the Italians on the short courses of less than 5 nautical miles.

“I think we sailed well today but Azzurra was clearly better than us. They did everything right,” said Dean Barker, skipper of Emirates Team New Zealand. “Sometimes that’s just the way it is. You’re either in the right place or you’re not. Today Azzurra sailed very, very well.”

The two races were sailed early in the morning as the race committee was intent on deciding the regatta on the water and not on countback, which might’ve happened if racing couldn’t be conducted. The best winds of this two-week event were often early in the morning, and today the first warning signal was sounded at 0800 CET, one hour earlier than scheduled.

The northwesterly wind blew between 6 and 10 knots for the two races and was very shifty and patchy. Pressure differences often accounted for different sailing angles as 1 or 2 knots more wind can lift a yacht as much as 10 degrees higher than its opponent.

Chieffi, who won the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup as tactician of Il Moro di Venezia, thought the Kiwis’ success played against them in the final.

“Beating TeamOrigin yesterday was a big plus for us; we’d done our share of work,” said Chieffi. “So we came in with smiley faces today despite the early morning. I could sense the Kiwis were more tense because they were the favourite; they were leading throughout the regatta. This played a role in our favour.”

The winning crew included skipper Bruni and tactician Chieffi, Tom Burnham (strategist), Bruno Zirilli (navigator), Daniele De Luca (mainsail trimmer), Stefano Rizzi (jib trimmer), Pierluigi De Felice (spinnaker trimmer), Gabriele Bruni (trimmer), Piero Romero (runner grinder), Nicola Pilastro (mainsail grinder), Massimo Galli (port grinder), Francesco Scalici (starboard grinder), Cristian Griggio (pitman), Luca Albarelli (mastman), Pietro Mantovani (mid-bow), Matteo Auguadro (bowman) and Michele Cannoni (pit assist).

Despite the win, Azzurra had its mishaps on the racecourse. The skipper and tactician both described three problems in the two races. In Race 1 a helicopter got too low to the water and disrupted the wind flow, reducing a four-boatlength lead to one.


In the second race the crew didn’t judge a bias in the leeward gate. They made a starboard rounding, but the mark was farther downwind and again they gave away three boatlengths.

The biggest mishap came at the top of the second beat in the second race. Approaching the windward mark on starboard tack with Team New Zealand two or three lengths behind, Mantovani, the mid-bowman, slipped overboard while preparing the spinnaker for the rounding. As the yacht sailed past the aft grinder, Romero, ran into the scoop and grabbed him out of the water “like a fish,” according to Bruni.

Chieffi said: “Even with the mishaps, the crew did a solid job to not lose concentration. Yes, we had five-boatlength leads, but one length is enough. The crew did an outstanding job keeping it calm, steady and tidy. We’re very pleased with the result.”

Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur Final Standings
Team (Country) Skipper (Nationality) Won-Lost

1. Azzurra (ITA) Francesco Bruni (ITA), 11-5
2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Dean Barker (NZL), 11-4
3. Synergy Russia Sailing Team (RUS) Karol Jablonski (POL), 8-6
4. TeamOrigin (GBR) Ben Ainslie (GBR), 9-6
5. All4One (FRA/GER) Jochen Schumann (GER), 5-8
6. BMW Oracle Racing (USA) Hamish Pepper (NZL), 5-8
7. Artemis (SWE) Paul Cayard (USA), 5-7
8. TFS – PagesJaunes (FRA) Bertrand Pacé (FRA), 1-11

Video: Highlights from the 3rd day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

Video highlights from the 3Rd day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Nice, 21 November 2009. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Video: La semifinale di Azzurra

With approximately 10% of our viewers from Italy, I thought it would be fair to post a nice video Team Azzurra produced on Friday. The Italian "newcomers" are on a roll and Bruni, Chieffi & Co have proved they are from being the outsiders. After today's comfortable win over Team Origin, Azzurra will face Emirates Team NZ on Sunday for the Trophy in a best-of-three final, weather allowing.

The semifinals according to Azzurra. Nice, 20 November 2009. Video copyright Azzurra

Video: Highlights from the 1st day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

Video highlights from the 1st day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Nice, 19 November 2009. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Azzurra opens semis with win at Louis Vuitton Trophy

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Light winds frustrate competitors, organisers and postpone schedule.

Italy’s Azzurra opened the Semi Final Round of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur with a solid win, but the second Semi Final match between Emirates Team New Zealand and Synergy Russia Sailing team was postponed until tomorrow due to light winds.

Today’s lone match began in winds between 8 and 10 knots from the north, but the velocity dropped to between 4 and 5 knots at the finish of the short, 5.2-nautical-mile race.

“We were hoping to get more racing completed but there just wasn’t enough velocity,” said Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio. “The direction was consistent enough from the east, but the strength was between 3 and 5 knots. The boats might’ve been able to sail upwind in that, but they’d never make it downwind in the sloppy seaway.”

Azzurra scores a significant victory over Team Origin. Nice, 19 November 2009. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

Reggio stressed the importance of having steady conditions because of the nature of the semi finals. The first crew to score 2 points wins each series. “We don’t want these series becoming sudden death,” Reggio said.

The postponement also affected the Knockout Round matches for 5th through 8th places. The pairings – BMW Oracle Racing versus TFS – PagesJaunes and Artemis against All4One – are setback a day.

In the Azzura-TeamOrigin race skipper Francesco Bruni led his crew to a decisive victory of 1 minute, 34 seconds. The Italians played the right side of the racecourse and snuck inside the British crew at the windward mark to gain the advantage.

Azzurra held the early lead on the first leg when it tacked to starboard well above the layline to the windward mark. The British tacked to leeward and outside the Italians and made gains in a right-hand shift.

TeamOrigin skipper Ben Ainslie tried to shoot the windward mark, luffing directly into the wind, but Bruni got a late overlap and the British had to bear away and let the Italians round the mark first. The British thought they’d closed the door on the Italians.

“We felt we were safely clear ahead when we entered the circle but that was not to be their (the umpires’) decision and so we trailed into the first mark,” said TeamOrigin General Manager Mike Sanderson. “Azzurra did a lovely job thereafter of protecting their lead to take the win. At the end of the day, to win the semis, one team still has to win two races we just used our ‘get out of jail free card’ a bit earlier than we had hoped.”

Azzurra scores a significant victory over Team Origin. Nice, 19 November 2009. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

The Azzurra crew led by 9 seconds at the first mark and 27 seconds at the leeward gate. The Italians protected the right side on the next upwind leg and increased their margin to 1:16 as the wind started to fade.

“It was a very important race for us and now I’m more confident on the starting line,” said Bruni, the skipper from Sicily. “During the pre-start we fought for the right and won it. We made a mistake on the first layline (by overstanding), but (tactician) Tommaso Chieffi did a good job calling the wind shifts and we regained our lead.”

Tomorrow the first warning signal has been moved up a half hour to 0830 CET. The race committee plans to start the BMW Oracle-TFS – PagesJaunes match first, followed by Emirates Team New Zealand-Synergy Russia Sailing Team and then Artemis-All4One. Additional racing is planned but will be dependent on the weather.

Azzurra at the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice

[Source: Yacht Club Costa Smeralda] The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is to launch a new challenge which will bring the Italian flag to international waters under the name Azzurra. Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Commodore Riccardo Bonadeo announced the participation of team Azzurra in the Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta, scheduled to be held in Nice from 7th to 22nd November 2009, to an audience of national and international press at the Genoa Boat Show this afternoon. The new Azzurra team will be led by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda member Giovanni Maspero of Joe Fly, under the responsibility of skipper and helmsman Francesco Bruni, supported by tactician Tommaso Chieffi and team manager Alessandra Sensini among others.

“The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is delighted to be embarking on this new adventure together with Giovanni Maspero,” said Commodore Bonadeo. “The firmly believes in the values which drive this young Italian team: first and foremost a passion for sailing combined with a constant search for improvement and a desire to seek out new challenges. The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda brought Azzurra to the America’s Cup in Newport in 1983, where we were total newcomers and certainly not among the favourites, but we competed well and our passion captured the collective imagination of the Italian public. I believe that Italian sailing now needs a team like this one, made up of young, enthusiastic and highly dedicated sailors”.
Giovanni Maspero has won several European titles in the Farr 40 and Melges 24 one-design classes as well as finished second in the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship in 2008 and in the Audi Melges 32 World Championship in September of this year. Francesco Bruni and Tommaso Chieffi are accomplished America’s Cup sailors having amassed a total of six campaigns between them, while the rest of the crew has a range of match race and one-design sailing experience.

“Our common objectives and the faith placed in our team by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and Commodore Bonadeo is extremely rewarding for our entire sporting group – declared Giovanni Maspero – We feel an enormous responsibility, but I am firmly convinced that our sailing team’s merit, coupled with the experience of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda staff, which will join us in this exciting adventure, will provide excellent conditions to compete at the highest level.”

At the first event in Nice, racing will take place on equalized version 5 ACC boats supplied by the organization, and Azzurra will be competing against BMW Oracle Racing (USA), Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), K-Challenge (FRA), Swedish Challenge Artemis (SWE), Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS), Team Origin (GBR) and Team French Spirit (FRA). The team will also evaluate participating in future World Sailing Team Association events co-organised by Louis Vuitton in 2010. All events will be similar to the successful Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, held in Auckland in February of this year, which generated over 360 hours of television content and reached over 500 million viewers worldwide.

The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is renowned for organizing international sailing events such as the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the Sardinia Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup and this year completed one of its busiest seasons. The Club hosted twelve regattas in 2009 including two ISAF world championships, the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, the Audi Melges 32 World Championship and three events for superyachts – the Dubois Cup, the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta and the Perini Navi Cup — in addition to the 20th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. In the past, the Club has also promoted international challenges such as Azzurra, the first Italian Challenger for the America’s Cup (1983) and the motor yacht Destriero, which to this day holds the transatlantic crossing record set in 1992. The Club’s members currently number more than 500 and bring the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda colours to the most important sailing events across the globe.

The participation in the Louis Vuitton Trophy is the first step in a programme which intends to return the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the brand Azzurra to the forefront of international yachting as a protagonist in global sailing events in addition to its established role as an organiser of world class regattas.

Azzurra crew list
Francesco Bruni – Helmsman
Tommaso Chieffi – Tactician
Tom Burnham – Strategist
Bruno Zirilli – Navigator
Daniele De Luca – Mainsail trimmer
Stefano Rizzi – Upwind trimmer
Pierluigi De Felice – Downwind trimmer
Gabriele Bruni – Checkstay
Piero Romeo – Checkstay grinder
Nicola Pilastro – Mainsail grinder
Massimo Galli – Grinder
Francesco Scalicci – Grinder
Cristian Griggio – Pit
Michele Cannoni – Pit
Luca Albarelli – Mast
Pietro Mantovani – Mid bow
Matteo Auguadro – Bow

Michele Gnutti – Reserve
Giuseppe Leonardi – Reserve

Gabrio Zandonà – Coach