Andrea Mura, Sailor (and writer) of the Year
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Scoop of awards for new Sailor of the Year Andrea Mura: his logbook of the Route du Rhum he won in 2010, “L’avventura, l’ignoto, la paura” (Mursia publisher, 240 pp.), earned him overall victory at the fifth edition of the Carlo Marincovich Prize, where the best Italian volumes dedicated to the sea and its characters are showcased. “Writing a book was my third Cape Horn,” said Mura.
RACER BEFORE WRITER
His real-world victory at the 2013 OSTAR, which earned him the 2014 Sailor of the Year award, is just the latest addition to an Olympian sailing palmares. Born in Cagliari, Italy, on September 13, 1964, he has a long and prestigious sporting history: eight years on the FIV National Team, three Olympic campaigns, and one America’s Cup campaign as a mainsail trimmer on the Moro di Venezia. In 2007 he put the Open 50 Vento di Sardegna on the water, beginning his oceanic journey. In Mura’s sights, among others, ended up the Route de Rhum, won in 2010, the Twostar and the Québec-Saint Malo in 2012, in addition to the aforementioned OSTAR. At the TAG Heuer VELAFestival we conducted a long interview with him.
THE MOST DIFFICULT MOMENT FOR ANDREA MURA
Don’t expect Moitessier-style romantic sailor tales if you ask Andrea Mura about the most difficult moment in her sporting history. He will answer you like this, “The never-ending quest for budget. Over the years I have experienced dramatic moments where I have seen my economic security die. I was running out of legs, in total failure. Passion leads you to make choices that reason discourages, choices that I risked paying very dearly for. Once I started the Vento di Sardegna project, I had sponsorships in the pipeline so I covered the cost of buying the boat out of my own pocket, with the assurance that the money would come back, but there were those who did not live up to their commitments. I ended up with eight months of economic autonomy, then I would lose everything I had. I would have gone back to live at my parents’ house, like a 15-year-old, and I couldn’t even afford a bicycle.” But then, with great sacrifice, he recovered. “I say this to you who decide to take my path: believe in it, always believe in it. Spend every last penny to pursue the dream.”
YOU WILL FIND THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH ANDREA MURA IN THE MAY ISSUE OF THE JOURNAL OF SAILING
(photo by Roberto Cosentino)
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