TAG Heuer 2015 Sailor of the Year: the charge of the drifters

The presentation of the 2015 TAG Heuer Sailor of the Year nominees continues: in this installment we present in detail the drifters who have performed well on international race courses.

WHAT IS THE SAILOR OF THE YEAR
Here we go. Once again this year the time has come to award the most prestigious prize in Italian sailing. The Sailor of the Year has been awarded since 1991 to the best Italian sailor elected by a web poll that involves thousands of fans in the first phase and is decreed by a jury of quality. And, this year we thought we would involve you even more: never, as in the coming days, it will be your votes that will decide who will be part of the shortlist of candidates for the final victory, among whom will be revealed, at the 2015 TAG Heuer VELAFestival (May 7-10 in Santa Margherita Ligure: find everything about the event here), the TAG Heuer 2015 Sailor of the Year.

THE “MAGNIFICENT HUNDRED”
There are many, deserving sailors who have distinguished themselves through achievements, feats, passion and even patronage. Too many to make a strict initial selection. So, rankings and articles in hand, in the editorial office we took stock of the past season by identifying 100 “nominees” among drifters, specialists in Olympic classes, monotypes, IRC and ORC offshore racing on the vintage sail circuit, sailors and designers. But not only that. Every owner knows that the boat has a soul. So, we said to ourselves, why not treat it as a person? We also created two ad hoc categories related to both offshore and classic winning boats.

HOW IT WORKS.
These days we are presenting to you, category by category, the candidates we selected. Mind you that the categories are only indicative, because this will be a real “cauldron” in which the rule of “all against all” will apply: once the submission of nominations is over, we will go to the votes, and it will be you, with your preference expressed on our site, who will make the subsequent skimming. From 100 there will be 50 left, from 50 25, and so on, until you identify the shortlist of hopefuls whom you can meet in person at the TAG Heuer VELAFestival and among whom a quality jury, made up of the best journalists and sailing professionals, will decide (also taking into account the number of votes you cast) the winner of the TAG Heuer Sailor of the Year 2015.

KNOW IN DETAIL THE CANDIDATES ALREADY SUBMITTED

1- IRC/ORC WINNING OWNERS,
2- THE MARINERS

CANDIDATES ON THE CATWALK – THE DRIFTERS

GIULIA ALAGNA
Giulia Alagna, a Sicilian, is among the very young and many promising sailboarders who are the fruit of the “Sensini school.” Fifth at the Under-17 Techno 293 World Championships, 11th at the Nanjing Youth Olympics.

CAROLINA ALBANO
Triestina, she is the strongest Italian performer in the Byte CII class: 16 years old, last year she won the European overall and missed the world podium by a whisker by finishing fourth. She qualified the nation for the Youth Olympics in Nanjing, in which (again on the Bytes) she finished in eighth place after being in the podium area until the end. Carolina also races in the Laser Radial, where she took second place at the Youth Nationals.

MICHELE BENAMATI
An exponent of the large Laser team, Michele Benamati, class of 1994 and in force at Fraglia Vela di Riva del Garda, is the best Italian Under-21 talent: seventh place at the World Standard U21 does not do him justice, as a penalty prevented him from playing for the podium!

ETTORE BOTTICINI/LORENZO GENNARI
The Vaurien, whose design dates back to 1951, is a drift in which we excel. Ettore Botticini and Lorenzo Gennari, from Maremma, won in the waters of Grosseto the World Class Championship. There must have been a few boats, you will say. Wrong. Eighty crews from all over, very high level. Good guys.

ALEXANDER CALDARI
For the future, we must focus on him. Alessandro Caldari, from Romagna, reigning Italian Optimist Champion: class of 2001, won the national title with a day to spare (in addition to many other regattas around the Boot)!

CARLO CIABATTI
We had already pointed him out (in the February 2014 issue of the GdV) as one of the athletes who could have “made a splash”: Carlo Ciabatti, a 16-year-old from Cagliari, did not disappoint us, winning the Under-17 Techno 293 World Championship in Brest last summer.

TOMMASO FABBRI
The youngest sailor of these “magnificent 100” is named Tommaso Fabbri, class of 2004, and last September he won the Primavela Optimist Cup among Cadets. We will hear about him.

ELIZABETH FAITHFUL
A native of Cagliari, born in 1999, Elisabetta Fedele ended her Optimist career on a high note by winning the Italian Championship in her women’s ranking, moreover finishing fifth overall. Power to women!

VALERIO GALATI
Italy’s youngest match-race ace is named Valerio Galati, he is 21 years old and from Puglia, like his older colleague Simone Ferrarese: he won the European Under 23 title (with Francesco Manzi on the bow, Federico Pasini on the sheets and Ukrainian Taras Khomchyk on the mainsail).

VICTORIO GALLINARO
The male equivalent of the aforementioned Carolina Albano is named Vittorio Gallinaro: for him in 2014 a fourth place at the Byte CII World Championships and qualification for the Youth Olympics in Nanjing.

RICCARDO ANDREA LECCESE
Who knows if kite surfing will be Olympic class in Tokyo 2020: what is certain is that we already have a phenomenon ready to go to medal. It is Riccardo Andrea Leccese, the absolute ruler of the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Melbourne and always on top in all international kiteboard events.

RUGGERO LO MAURO
Another young man with good hopes joins the large group of athletes engaged on Techno 293 sailboards: he is Sicilian Ruggero Lo Mauro, who represented us well at the Youth Olympics in Nanjing by finishing in ninth position. At the Under-17 European Championships, he instead finished in eighth place.

DIEGO NEGRI/SERGIO LAMBERTENGHI
It may no longer be an Olympic class, but the Star continues to be the drift most frequented by international sailing bigwigs. And the success of the Star Sailors League is full proof of that. By the way, do you know who is at the top of the SSL ranking, out of more than 1,000 top-level skippers? Diego Negri, at the top for a very long time. In tandem with Sergio Lambertenghi, he also won silver at the World Class, which has tremendous sporting value.

CARLOTTA OMARI/FRANCESCA RUSSO CIRILLO
Trieste’s Carlotta Omari and Francesca Russo Cirillo are the future of women’s doubles: they won the 420 Women’s World Championship in 2014 and are also virtually unbeatable in Italy. Chapeau, girls!

GIANMARCO PLANCHESTAINER
After being Under-17 World Champion in 2013, Gianmarco Planchesteiner continued his string of good results on the Laser Radial in 2014: second at the EuroSAF European Championship, third at the European Youth Championship, and triumphant at the International Youth Cup. The athlete on the strength of Fraglia Vela Malcesine is one of the talents to watch closely.

MARGHERITA PORRO/ANDREA FRANCESCA DALLORA
The two “Brescian lionesses” (as the local press dubbed them), after winning the RS Feva women’s world championship in 2013, continued on the 29er with equal luck. Third females at the Eurocup and national champions.

ALICE DRY/MARTINA GALVAN
Let’s not underestimate Equipe, which has little following in Italy but is a popular boat in Europe: Alice Secco and Martina Galvan, from Loano, graduated as 2014 European women’s champions (second overall). Bravissime.

GIORGIA SPECIAL
Nomen, omen, said the Latins. Giorgia Speciale, 14, from Ancona, Italy, on the strength of Sef Stamura, is indeed a special sailor: in 2014 she won her second consecutive Under-15 World Championship in Brest, following her triumph in Sopot in 2013. Never before had any Italian in its category, the Under 15, achieved the double.

GIANLUIGI UGOLINI/GIULIO ZIZZARI
The Hobie Cat 16 offers excellent and always crowded regattas. In Italy, we have two true champions: Gianluigi Ugolini and Giulio Zizzari of the Compagnia della Vela of Rome, winners in 2014 (for the second consecutive time) of the National Class Championship.

THE FULL LIST
While we wait to know the story of each of them in detail and the reasons for our candidacy, here is the list of names (strictly in alphabetical order) of the “magnificent hundred,” men and boats:

Achille Onorato, Alberto Bolzan, Alberto Bona, Alberto Rossi, Alberto Simeone, Alessandro Caldari, Alessandro Di Benedetto, Alice Secco/Martina Galvan, Andrea Fornaro, Andrea Mura, Andrea Pendibene, Angry Red Unitenergy (T-34), Antono Squizzato, Baciottinho (Dufour 34 Performance), Black Bull (J-111), Blu Colombre (First 40.7), Carlo Alberini, Carlo Ciabatti, Carlotta Omari/Francesca Russo Cirillo, Carolina Albano, Cippa Lippa (Cookson 50), Daniele Benedetti, Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi, Duvetica White Goose (Arya 415), Edoardo Lupi, Elena Berta/Giulia Paolillo, Elisabetta Fedele, Energy Solution (ILC26), Ettore Botticini/Lorenzo Gennari, Flavia Tartaglini, Flavio Favini, Francesco Conte, Francesco Marrai, Giancarlo Pedote, Gianclaudio Bassetti, Gianluigi Ugolini/Giulio Zizzari, Gianmarco Planchesteiner, Giorgia Speciale, Giovanni Ceccarelli, Giovanni Soldini, Giulia Alagna, Giulia Conti/Francesca Clapcich, Giuseppe Giuffré, Giuseppe Puttini, Globulo Rosso (Este 31), Guido Miani, Il Moro di Venezia (Maxiyacht IOR, 1975), Joyce Floridia, Lanfranco Cirillo, Latifa (Fife, 1936), Low Noise (M37), Luigi Pavese, Marco Gualandris/Marta Zanetti, Marco Rodolfi/Matteo Auguadro, Margherita Porro/Andrea Francesca Dallora, Marino Quaiat, Mario Pirri, Marta Maggetti, Martino Orombelli, Matteo Miceli, Matteo Polli, Mattia Camboni, Maurizio Cossutti, Michele Benamati, Michele Cittadini, Michele Ivaldi, Michele Zambelli, Milù (Mylius 14E55), Namib (Sangermani, 1967), Neo (Neo 400), Nyala (12 M.S.I., 1938), Paolo Bertuzzi, Patrizio Bertelli, Piero Plato, Pietro Bianchi, Riccardo Andrea Leccese, Roberto Biscontini, Roberto Bosi, Roberto Spata, Roberto Tomasini Grinover, Ruggero Lo Mauro, Samurai (Sangermani, 1962), Sandro Montefusco, Selene (Dehler 44), Silvia Zennaro, Simone Ferrarese, Sirius (New York 32, 1937), Stefano Cherin/Andrea Tesei, Studio Nauta, Tommaso Chieffi, Tommaso Fabbri, Tommaso Spadolini, Toni Punzio, Umberto Felci, Valentina Balbi, Valerio Galati, Vasco Vascotto, Vittorio Bissaro/Silvia Sicouri, Vittorio Gallinaro, Wianno (1932).

DO YOU THINK ANYONE IS MISSING AMONG THE IRC/ORC/ALTURA OWNERS? NO FEAR
If you believe that some other name may be part of the shortlist, please do not hesitate to indicate this by sending an e-mail to speciali@panamaeditore.it, accompanying it with a photo of the candidate of your choice and the reason for the nomination. We will create a special section of “your picks,” and the top vote-getters will have the right to join the nominees.

FIND OUT WHAT THE SAILOR OF THE YEAR IS
FIND OUT WHO WILL BE HONORED
DISCOVER THE DAY OF CHAMPIONS