ALL 2016 SAILOR OF THE YEAR NOMINEES FROM A TO Z

We present the full list of nominees for the 2016 Sailor of the Year.

CARLO ALBERINI (Owner)
For the past two years the Romagna-based owner has been on the crest of a wave among the J70s, a class frequented by strong sailors with Olympic pasts. Last year, aboard his Calvi Network, he took silver at the World Championship in La Rochelle.

PIERANGELO ANDREANI (Designer)
Building on a long experience in automotive design (Ferrari, Maserati, Moto Guzzi), he joined the Beneteau team, with whom he created the latest generations of motor ranges before moving into sailing with the Oceanis Yacht 62, whose design he oversaw.

CESARE BARABINO (Athlete)
Landing at the Optimist European Championships in Wales after a long selection process, Olbia’s Cesare Barabino stunned everyone with an incredible third place finish in a comeback, confirming himself as a promise to watch.

AMBROGIO BECCARIA BALDUZZI (Seaman)
Ambrose has an iron will: he went to retrieve a wrecked Mini 650 in Portugal, repaired it taking months of work in a shed in La Spezia and, aboard his creature, became the 2015 Italian Mini Series Champion.

DANIELE BENEDETTI (Athlete)
Together with lifelong friend Mattia Camboni, he is the most concrete hope for the RS:X in Rio. He is credited with qualifying the nation. May the best man win.

FRANCESCA BERGAMO (Athlete)
Francesca Bergamo, Italian Women’s Radial Champion, also went strong at the international level in 2015. The Trieste native won the EUROSAF Under 19 European title.

GAIA BERGONZINI (Athlete)
Gaia is an athlete we will hear about: she won silver at the Women’s Optimist World Championship. But not only that, at the Italian Championships he lined up the boys by finishing on the highest step of the podium. Data in hand, she is the strongest optimist in Italy.

NICCOLO’ BERTOLA / JACOPO IZZO (Athletes)
Stepping down from the 470 for a moment, the two Air Force athletes indulged in a parenthesis on the Vaurien: in Sneekermeer, Holland, they gave the white taking home the rainbow title. Not bad for someone coming from another class!

VITTORIO BISSARO / SILVIA SICOURI (Athletes)
Our 2015 Sailors of the Year Bissaro and Sicouri continued to travel in the upper reaches of ISAF Ranking, constituting a more than concrete hope of medaling at the Rio Olympics in the mixed Nacra class. The eyes of the sailing world are on them: come on guys!

ALBERTO BOLZAN (Seaman)
Born in Romans d’Isonzo, in the province of Udine, Italy, Alberto Bolzan received his ocean “baptism”: the former helmsman of Esimit Europa 2 was the only Italian competing in the Volvo Ocean Race, along with the Turkish-American team of Alvimedica. By all accounts, he performed very well, proving himself to be a complete and “leathery” professional.

FRANCESCO BRUNI (Athlete)
Francesco Bruni, once his dream of competing in the 2017 America’s Cup with Luna Rossa faded, did not lose heart and was immediately able to relaunch himself by winning the Melges 32 World Championship with Stig’s team in August. Soon after, he joined the Swedish Artemis syndicate with which he will compete in the America’s Cup. Always at the top, the good Checco.

FEDERICO BUDRONI / CHIARA BEGHETTI (Athletes)
You never hear much about the Hobie Cat 16 class: too bad, because internationally it is one of the most popular and rich participants. Federico Budroni and Chiara Beghetti are excellent catamaran performers: at the U21 European Championships they won the bronze medal.

ALESSANDRO BURZI (Owner)
Alessandro Burzi (pictured, wearing the red jersey), owner of the Este 31 Globulo Rosso, scored a hat trick in 2015: Italian Offshore Class 4 Champion and Uvai Owner of the Year, also in Class 4. Not bad considering the boat is from 1996!

MATTIA CAMBONI (Athlete)
As of today, the Lazio athlete seems to be the closest candidate to punch his ticket to the Rio Olympics RS:X class. A beautiful story his, made of sacrifices and marked by the deep friendship with his direct rival Daniele Benedetti. Italy has not shined in the men’s board for a long time, but Mattia may indeed prove to be a surprise: in the last two years, he has hardly ever fallen out of the top 10 in the ISAF ranking. Who knows, maybe in Brazil he will make a “splash.”

CIRCOLO CANOTTIERI ROGGERO DI LAURIA (Athletes)
At the “zero” event of the newly formed Italian Sailing Champions League (at the RYCC Savoia in Naples: 45 tight races in three days aboard the Este 24s) the boys from Circolo Canottieri Roggero di Lauria took victory, placing them at the top of the national club rankings. In addition to Gabriele Bruni, the crew included Matteo Ivaldi at the helm, Filippo La Mantia, Giuseppe Angilella and Giuseppe Leonardi).

MATTEO CAPURRO / MATTEO PUPPO (Athletes)
An excellent result was achieved by the Yacht Club Italiano’s Capurro and Puppo: the “two Mattei” (as they are known in the environment) won the 2015 Junior European title in Bourgas, Bulgaria. There is plenty of time to mature and pick up Gabrio Zandoná’s legacy. The prerequisites are all there.

FEDERICA CATTAROZZI (Athlete)
What a banner season for Federica Cattarozzi! The woman from Trentino on the strength of Circolo Vela Torbole in 2015 won the European Under 16 and Under 18 Laser 4.7 Championships, and not content she also went on to win silver at the Under 16 World Championships.

ALESSANDRO CESARINI / DIANA ROGGE (Athletes)
Alessandro Cesarini and Diana Rogge also proved they have a way with catamarans: in Gargnano, on Lake Garda, the two Tarquinia-born men took silver at the European Under 21 Hobie Cat 26 Spi. There is an Italy that wins on multihulls. Chapeau.

STEFANO CHIAROTTI (Owner)
That the Jeanneau Sunfast 3600 is a competitive boat is now an established fact. Aboard Lunatika Stefano Chiarotti (pictured, left) was the undisputed star of the doubles racing season, winning the title of Italian Offshore X2 Champion after winning races such as the Giraglia x 2, the Roma x 2 and the Lunga Bolina. Not surprisingly, also third in the overall ranking!

TOMMASO CHIEFFI (Athlete).
Class is not water. And, year after year, Tommaso Chieffi proves it. Investing in a professional like him on board is never wrong: in 2015 the Russian hull Bronenosec, with the Tuscan sailor as tactician and a stellar crew, was confirmed as the undisputed winner, for the third consecutive year, of the Gazprom Swan 60 World Championship.

LEONARDO CHISTE’ (Athlete)
The world of new dinghies is teeming with promising youngsters: one of them is Leonardo Chisté, a specialist in the 29er class (he won the tricolor title with partner Federico Zampiccoli): he demonstrated his versatility by winning bronze at the European O’pen Bic Championships.

CARLO CIABATTI (Athlete)
Carlo Ciabatti from Cagliari is a regular on these pages: he was also among the candidates last year by virtue of his placings on the Techno 293. He switched classes, but the results were not long in coming: he finished third at the European Youth Championships in Mondello (Palermo, Italy) and at the EUROSAF Youth in Brest (France), firmly placing himself among the world’s sailing elite.

DUCCIO COLOMBI (Athlete)
Every team needs a good team manager: those at Low Noise 2, Giuseppe Giuffré’s Italy 9.98, have found him in Duccio Colombi. Duccio led the crew to win two consecutive ORC World Championship titles. Not content, as tactician on the Cookson 50 Cippa Lippa won the 151 Miglia in ORC Overall.

ALESSANDRO COMUZZI (Designer)
Young and clear-minded designer. He was born in Udine in 1982 and graduated in architecture from the University Institute of Architecture in Venice with a thesis in Yacht Design (MYDA 2013 winner).Last year, with his Parigi 30, he believed in a “difficult” boat such as the daysailer, dictating a new design philosophy that is paying off.

GIULIA CONTI / FRANCESCA CLAPCICH (Athletes)
The two girls are coming off one of the greatest seasons in history as far as Italian Olympic classes are concerned. On the 49er FX, they made the “hat trick”: World, European and Italian titles. Who stops them anymore? By their own admission, they are going to Rio to win.

FRANCIS DE ANGELIS (Athlete)
The Neapolitan yachtsman turned in a fine performance at the Rolex Middle Sea Race, the “Fastnet of our seas”: aboard Michele Galli’s TP52 B2, he won in IRC after a duel to the death with fellow citizen Vincenzo Onorato on the Cookson 50 Mascalzone Latino.

VINCENZO DE BLASIO (Owner)
The UVAI Overall and Class 3 Owner of the Year titles went to Vincenzo De Blasio of Naples, aboard his faithful NM38 Scugnizza, which has won so much in recent years (in addition to having two Offshore World Championships in his bag, this is the fourth time De Blasio has won the title). De Blasio is certainly one of the most successful shipowners in Italy

BENEDETTA DI SALLE / ALESSANDRA DUBBINI (Athletes)
These two girls have all eyes on them after they won in Thessaloniki, Greece, the Women’s 470 World Youth title. Olympic hopes? For both of them, sailing is a family affair-Benedetta is a daughter of the family. His father Roberto won the world championships in the 420 class in 1979 in Setubal, Portugal, paired with Roberto Vassallo. Alessandra also comes from a family of very strong sailors, especially on the 470.

LUCA DI TOMASSI (Athlete)
Further confirming how sailboarding, after Alessandra Sensini’s entry into the federation, is experiencing a new golden age, is Luca Di Tomassi’s excellent third place at the Under 17 RS:X World Championship in Poland (a bronze laden with regrets since Luca also led the standings).

GIOVANNI DI VINCENZO (Owner)
Giovanni di Vincenzo, aboard his X-41 Lisa, became Italian Offshore Champion in Class 1 thanks to his many achievements throughout the season. Out of them all stands out the excellent performance at the 151 Miglia, where Lisa placed third overall winning the ORC 1 classification.

PATRIK DIETHELM (Athlete)
Patrik Diethelm is Italy’s … fastest athlete on the water. In Luderitz, Namibia, where the Chris Benz Speed Challenge is held every year, Diethelm reached the incredible speed of 52.33 knots. Imagine what it is like on a sailboard to reach 100 kilometers per hour!

LUCA DOMENICI (Owner)
In 2015, the Italian J70 saw the exponential growth of the Notaro Team captained by Notaro’s Luca Domenici: a crowning season culminating with the European class title win in Monte Carlo, achieved ahead of another Italian crew: Franco Solerio’s L’elagain.

DUVETICA GREY GOOSE (Boat)
Sergio Quirino Valente’s Arya 415 Duvetica Grey Goose has been at the center of controversy after a “wrong” rating favored it too much at the Italian Championships: the fact remains that the crew won the national title, and the results obtained during 2015 confirm all the goodness of the crew.

ENFANT TERRIBLE (TP52 – Boat)
The TP52 is a boat that, if you know how to carry it well, guarantees you excellent results not only in real but also in corrected time. And he proved that he knows how to do it in a big way Alberto Rossi: the Marche native won the ORC (class A) rainbow title as part of the 2015 World Offshore Championships in Barcelona.

MATTEO EVANGELISTI (Athlete)
It is a silver with a bitter taste that won by Matteo Evangelisti in the RS:X class of the Eurosaf in Brest. In fact, the Civitavecchia windsurfer arrived at Sunday’s Medal Race with several points ahead of host Le Bosq, but in the Medal he ran into a seventh-place finish that relegated him to second place. Still, Evangelisti is on the roof of Europe and we will hear more about him.

EXTREMA (X35 – BOAT)
The X35, if well led, can always provide satisfaction, even in compensated time. Ravenna’s Fabio Emiliani, aboard Extrema, was crowned Italian Champion in Class 3 Cruise/Regatta at the 2015 Offshore Nationals in Civitanova Marche.

UMBERTO FELCI (Designer)
Umberto Felci confirms himself as one of Italy’s most prolific, eclectic, and esteemed designers: in 2015 he signed series boats such as the Dufour 460 GL and 310 GL, high-performance cruiser racers such as the Ice 52, and a blue water (but still high-performance) such as the Grand Soleil 58. At 51, he is certainly one of the most influential designers on the international scene.

GIACOMO FERRARI / GIULIO CALABRO’ (Athletes)
Rome’s Giacomo Ferrari and Giulio Calabrò, both class of 1996, managed to finish third in the 470 Youth World Championship in Thessaloniki. The result, which passed slightly under the radar by virtue of the victory, among the females, of the aforementioned Di Salle-Dubbini, is actually worth a great deal, considering the technical level of the Olympic doubles. We will hear more about them.

EDOARDO FERRARO / FRANCESCO ORLANDO (Athletes)
At the 420 Under-17 World Championship in Castle Bay Karatsu, Japan, Edoardo Ferraro and Francesco Orlando took victory. A great result for the young San Remo couple (regulars in the upper reaches of the rankings), achieved with an impressive 21 points ahead of the seconds. Looking forward, they can really be a bet for a possible Olympic double. About Edward’s sister, we tell you-about her below!

VERONICA FERRARO / GIULIA IERARDI (Athletes)
Veronica Ferraro (sister of the aforementioned Edward), along with Giulia Ierardi, won the women’s ranking at the 420 Under-17 World Championship in Castle Bay Karatsu and gold at the Women’s European Championship in Bourgas, Bulgaria. It really must be said: there is no shortage of “meat in the fire” in the Ferraro family, the future for these brothers looks more than rosy.

MASSIMILIANO FERRUZZI (Owner)
The owner of the Moro di Venezia I (a 2015 TAG Heuer Innovation award-winning boat) last year triumphed in the prestigious Panerai circuit reserved for Classic Boats, confirming that he is a regular in the high ranking areas.

ALESSANDRO FORNASARI (Athlete)
Yet another athlete protagonists of an excellent 2015: Alessandro Fornasari took silver at the European Under 18 Championships in the Laser 4.7 class. Even on the most famous single in the world, we have all the credentials to be well represented in the future!

MICHELE GALLI (Owner)
The owner of TP52 B2 (right next to Francesco De Angelis) took home the IRC victory of the 2015 Rolex Middle Sea Race: a victory can be the result of a fortunate series of events. But since B2 also triumphed in 2013 at the Mediterranean’s toughest regatta, let’s face it: Michele is really good!

GUIDO GALLINARO (Athlete)
Guido Gallinaro is, data in hand, a potential phenomenon: in 2015 he won the 4.7 Under 16 World Championship in Medemblik by 62 points (sic!) over the second, also taking bronze in the overall ranking. A bronze medal that, at the end of the day, is a bit tight for the young athlete (born December 20, 2000) of Fraglia Vela Riva: until the very end he was in the place of honor just two points behind the leader. Not content with that, he went on to win the U16 and U18 European titles in Poland!

GIANCARLO GHISLANZONI (Owner)
For many years now, the “Ghisla” (second from right) has been a protagonist in offshore racing. The 2015 season, although passed slightly more defensively, saw him graduate as Shipowner of the Year in Class 1, thanks to the excellent results achieved by his J-122 Chestress 3.

GIANIN VI (Hallberg-Rassy 41 – Boat)
Can an old Hallberg-Rassy 41 from 1976 (you read that right, 40 years old!) win the Giraglia Rolex Cup for the second time? The answer is yes: Pietro “Ciccio” Supparo, owner of Gianin VI, which won in both 2011 and 2015, succeeded. This means two things: great crew and timeless boat

GIANCARLO GIANNI (Owner)
The Circolo Canottieri Aniene shipowner, with his Carroll Marine 60 Durlindana III, completed a cracking 2015 ARC (from Gran Canaria to Saint Lucia), finishing third overall (out of 268 starters) and winning silver in the Racing A category, behind – just think – VO65 Team Brunel!

PAOLO GIARGIA (Athlete)
Ligurian Paolo Giargia helped replenish the already rich medal haul obtained by Italian athletes in the season just past: his was bronze at the EUROSAF U19 European Championships for the Laser Radial class.

GIUSEPPE GIUFFRE’ (Owner)
Last year we honored him with the TAG Heuer Performance award for winning the ORC World Championship on his Low Noise. The likeable Milanese publisher replicated the success again in 2015 (on Low Noise II, during the Barcelona Offshore Worlds), confirming himself as the owner to beat for the second year in a row, even with a different boat. How good!

MARCO GUALANDRIS / MARTA ZANETTI (Athletes)
The Paralympic Sailing World Cup in Melbourne was sweet for the two Italian athletes-Mark and Marta took home bronze in the Skud 18 class. The pair is more than worth keeping an eye on ahead of the Rio Paralympics.

HURAKAN (TP52 – Boat)
Another TP52 among the candidate boats: it is Marco Serafini’s Hurakan (with Michele Regolo as tactician), winner of the Italian Offshore Championship in Class A Regatta in Portocivitanova.

THE MORO OF VENICE (Maxi – Boat)
Gérman Frers’ hand is felt even after more than four decades. The Moro di Venezia I, in laminated wood, the first in the successful series of boats desired by Raul Gardini in 1975 and now armed by Massimiliano Ferruzzi, finished in first place among the Classics on the Panerai circuit. There are boats know how to go beyond the limits dictated by time. The Moor is one of them (which is also why it was awarded the TAG Heuer Innovation prize back in 2015).

MICHELE IVALDI (Athlete)
Michele Ivaldi (nicknamed “the spider man” because he used to climb the 32-meter-and-a-half mast in search of wind gusts on Luna Rossa) in 2015 made a name for himself on the international match-race circuits by winning the World Championship title in the RC44 class with the Russians of Bronenosec.

ROBERTO LACORTE (Owner)
Roberto Lacorte had the new Vismara Mills 62 SuperNikka built with one goal in mind: to win as much as possible while being at the helm. And indeed he succeeded: in 2015 he triumphed at the Mini Maxi World Championship in Porto Cervo. First, however, he took the satisfaction of winning the regatta he designed, the 151 Mile. An enlightened owner who is giving so much to sailing in Italy.

DARIO LEVI (Owner)
He owned a lot of offshore boats, Dario Levi, before discovering his true passion: the Melges 20. With his Fremito D’Arja in 2015, he triumphed at the European Championship in Trapani, where crews of the highest level were competing (along with Levi, on board were Niccolò Bianchi, Stefano Lagi and Francesca Masotto).

MARCO LOSTUZZI (Designer)
The Grand Soleil 46 LC was one of the most “nominated” boats in the major world awards. It bears the signature, as far as the hull is concerned, of Italian designer Marco Lostuzzi. The designer worked well, managing to achieve, while maintaining streamlined lines, great habitability on deck and in the interior.

LOW NOISE II (Italy 9.98 – Boat)
What a boat Low Noise II! The Italia 9.98 fruit of Matteo Polli’s pencil (owner Giuseppe Giuffré, tactician Duccio Colombi) won the Offshore Worlds in Barcelona in ORC C. The design has been so successful that, from a one-off boat, it has practically gone mass-produced with orders from all over the world.

FRANCESCO MARRAI (Athlete)
Sensational was his victory at the Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta, a pre-Olympic test event in the waters where the Games will be held this year. Needless to say, he immediately passed into the special watch list, considering that his all-time idol, the evergreen Robert Scheidt, finished three places behind him in the rankings. If all goes as it should Francis could really come back from Rio with a medal around his neck.

MORGAN IV (Grand Soleil 39 S – Boat)
Apulian Nicola De Gemmis’ Grand Soleil 39 Sport triumphed in class 2 Cruiser/Regatta at the Italian ORC Championship in Portocivitanova: the boat, launched in 2012 to a design by Claudio Maletto, is more than performing!

ELISA NAVONI (Athlete)
You may have noticed how many important medals our athletes have won within the Laser class-the risk is to downplay the value of each individual performance. Heaven forbid! The silver medal obtained by Elisa Navoni at the European U18 Laser 4.7 Championships is also a purely prestigious result, which bodes well for the future of the Garda sailor!

VINCENZO ONORATO (Owner)
Together with the aforementioned Michele Galli, Neapolitan tycoon Vincenzo Onorato was the absolute protagonist of the Rolex Middle Sea Race with his Cookson 50: in IRC Galli won but in ORC overall the Neapolitan managed to come out on top. Result: in 2015 the Middle Sea spoke completely Italian!

JACOPO PASINI (Athlete)
Jacopo Pasini won the 2015 Italian match-race title. Does it seem little to you? Absolutely not, when you consider that this is the sixth time the Circolo Velico Ravennate holder has won it, and the fifth consecutive time. In fact, he is undefeated since the 2011 edition. No one beats him.

GIANCARLO PEDOTE (Seaman)
Wherever he goes, he wins. Giancarlo Pedote is probably the strongest ocean sailor we have in Italy: in 2015, the FFV (the French sailing federation) awarded him and Erwan Le Roux, his partner on the Multi 50 trimaran FenetrèA-Prysmian, the prestigious 2015 Trophée des Champions following their important achievements during the year: winning the Transat Jacques Vabre, the very tough race from Le Havre (France) to Itajaì (Brazil) and all the other Multi 50 races on the calendar.

MARCELLO PERSICO (Designer)
Persico is synonymous with excellence. Internationally recognized, especially after the miraculous repair work on Team Vestas after the Volvo Ocean Race incident. Marcello Persico is head of the Nembro (Bergamo) shipyard, which is currently the most important “hi-tech” entity in Italian sailing. This is where the most cutting-edge boats are churned out, and this is where the new VO65s will be produced ahead of VOR 2018.

ANDREA PIETROLUCCI (Owner)
Andrea Pietrolucci, owner of the Mylius 14E55 Milu, is one of the most important players of the 2015 season. He graduated, after a close fight with friend/rival Leonardo Servi, Italian Offshore Champion overall and in Class A. He also took away the satisfaction of winning the Owner of the Year award in Class A (fourth overall).

MATTEO PILATI / FRANCESCO RUBAGOTTI (Athletes)
Matteo Pilati and Francesco Rubagotti embody a new generation of sailors: the “flying” ones, thanks to foils: in fact, they triumphed at the 2015 Redbull Foiling Generation Italia in Malcesine (Verona, Italy) race on Flying Phantoms. They thus qualified for the world finals of the event to be held this year.

GIANMARCO PLANCHESTAINER (Athlete)
The athlete in force at Fraglia Vela Malcesine in 2015 “shot” two luxury silver medals at both the European and World Youth Radial (just one point behind the first!) in Portugal and Canada, respectively. He then responded with an additional silver at the EUROSAF U19.

MATTEO POLLI (Designer)
Matteo Polli, Chief Designer of Italia Yachts, is the hottest designer in ORC racer/cruisers. From 2014 are the Italia Yachts 15.98 and the fast cruiser-racer Low Noise 2 commissioned by Giuseppe Giuffré (for whom Polli also optimized the M37 Low Noise), 2015 World Champion. Wherever he gets his hands on, he is likely to have boats he has modified win: his, for example, are the appendages on the First 36.7 BluOne and the optimization of the Mumm 30 Mummy One as well as the J-111 Black Bull. Polli is good at it.

TONI PUNZIO / ILENIA INDACO (Designers)
Totally made in Italy is the 435 Sail catamaran, the third (after the 625 and the 455) made by the Syracuse-based Set Marine shipyard designed by Toni Punzio and Ilenia Indaco (pictured): underdeck spaces with an original layout and aggressive hulls make it one of the most interesting boats of 2015. Let us not be told that catamarans are just the stuff of the French!

ALESSIO QUERIN (Owner)
Minialtura in Italy is making a comeback after a period of substantial darkness. Minialtura’s Owner of the Year is Alessio Querin, in command of Mummy One. The verdict could not have been different, as Querin’s boat (with Trieste’s Jacopo Cunial at the helm and Monfalcone’s Loris Plet at the mainsail) had won the Minialtura tricolor in Chioggia in May.

ANDREA RACCHELLI (Owner)
At the Melges 24 World Championship in Denmark, Andrea Racchelli went strong aboard Altea, taking a well-deserved silver. Suffice it to say that he left behind the Yankee phenomenon Bora Gulari!

DEMI RIO / MARIA COLUZZI (Athletes)
Another pair of girls to watch closely: Demi Rio and Maria Coluzzi made headlines by finishing the U19 Women’s European Championships in 420 in third place, confirming themselves as “special watchers” for 2016.

ALESSANDRO ROMBELLI (Owner)
Aboard his Stig, Alessandro Rombelli took the rainbow title in the Melges 32 class in August in Trapani: it was by no means easy, because the competition was more than ever fierce: behind Stig were the Americans of Argo (Carrol-Appleton). On board with Rombelli are Francesco Bruni, Giorgio Tortarolo, Pierluigi de Felice, Filippo La Mantia, Luca Faravelli, Michele Giovannini and Daniele Fiaschi.

ALBERTO ROSSI (Owner)
Winning the 2015 ORC World Championship in Barcelona, Class A, makes four. Four times, Alberto Rossi from Ancona, owner of the TP52 Enfant Terrible, has held the rainbow title (the other times were in 2011, 2012 and 2014). And forgive me if it is little.

RICCARDO SEPE (Athlete)
Lazio-bred optimist Riccardo Sepe achieved many good results in 2015. But the most resounding is the Garda Optimist Meeting victory, already a 2012 Guinness World Record for the number of participants, which in 2015 had the participation of 29 nations and 863 young sailors (187 cadets and 676 juniors).

RICCARDO MARIA SERRANO’ (Owner)
Riccardo Maria Serranò ended the 2015 season with a nice one-two punch. Aboard the Tripp 40 Stripptease, he won the title of Offshore Champion in Class 2 (and fifth overall) and Owner of the Year in Class 2 (ninth overall). These are achievements of great merit because the Stripptease is the result of a design by American Bill Tripp, which is beautiful but rather dated: the boat was voted “best racing boat of the year” in the U.S. in 1991.

LEONARDO SERVI (Owner)
Leonardo Servi, owner of the First 36.7 BluOne. He won the 2015 Italian Offshore Champion title in Class 3 and by only two points missed out on victory. Anything can be said, except that the Beneteau First 36.7 (designed by Farr in 2001) was born for pure racing: but with a good, close-knit crew and the right redesign of the appendages you can
win it all.

SHIRLAF (Swan 65 – Boat)
At the 2015 Volcano Race in Gaeta, a 1976 Swan 65, Shirlaf, gave all the other ultratech maxis a run for their money, including none other than Esimit Europa II, Igor Simcic’s bolide. What a joy for owner Giuseppe Puttini and all the crew, which counted, among others, Paolo Cian.

MAX SIRENA (Athlete)
Max Sirena, former key man of Luna Rossa, is entrusted with Italy’s fate in the America’s Cup. That’s right, because should he win it with the New Zealanders, for whom he has now provided his services, the rules of the America’s Cup will change and there will be a return to an “ancien régime.” Go Max!

GIOVANNI SOLDINI (Sailor)
He set the time reference on the San Francisco – Shanghai route, participated in the Sydney Hobart with Maserati, finishing in fourth place. it was a good 2015 for Soldini, who hangs up the VOR70 to devote himself to trimarans.

GIORGIA SPECIAL (Athlete)
The Latins used to say “nomen, omen.” If your name is Special, you can’t be a half-wit. The board specialist on SEF Stamura’s strength in 2015 won the U17 Techno 293 European Championships. A young heir to Sensini?

ANTONIO SQUIZZATO (Athlete)
The strongest in the 2.4 mR Paralympic class is him, Antonio Squizzato. Always at the top of international rankings, he will represent us at the Paralympics in Rio. And who knows, maybe he will give us a medal….

STUDIO BRENTA (Designers)
Studio Brenta confirms itself capable of original choices, as in the case of the Brenta 80 DC, a brand new model presented at Cannes in 2015, commissioned by Michael Schimdt, historical founder of Hanse Yachts. The eighty-footer is a concentrate of cutting-edge design and solutions.

NAUTA STUDIO (Designers)
There is virtually no shipyard that has not collaborated with Studio Nauta of Mario Pedol and Massimo Gino, the top international experts in interior design. Pedol in 2015 was awarded the title of ambassador of Italian excellence by Altagamma.

SUPERNIKKA (Vismara Mills 62 – Boat)
A super owner like Roberto Lacorte could only “ride” a super boat: the Vismara Mills 62 SuperNikka won the 2015 World Mini Maxi and the 151 Miglia.

FLAVIA TARTAGLINI (Athlete)
Woe betide calling her the heir to Alessandra Sensini: she is Flavia Tartaglini and she is at the top of the ISAF rankings in RS:X-a more than real hope for an Olympic medal in Rio.

ENRICO TETTAMANTI (Seaman)
Enrico Tettamanti is the skipper, with more than 150,000 miles on his shoulders, who aboard the Solaris 72 Kamana has been sailing around the world since 2002, offering everyone the chance to be hosted on board: this year from Hong Kong he will set sail for Kamchatka and the Aleutians, and then launch into the Northwest Passage in 2017 and sail down to Panama.

RUGGERO TITA / PIETRO ZUCCHETTI (Athletes)
The newly formed 49er crew of the Fiamme Gialle Tita-Zucchetti, an explosive mix of young talent and experienced bowman with excellent results: at the first Word Cup in Miami they take ninth place showing their potential. Tita, with Gicaomo Cavalli, finished second at the Under-23 49er World Championships in 2015.

ROBERTO TOMASINI GRINOVER (Owner)
Our 2015 Sailor of the Year ended the season on a high note by winning the Barcolana. And now Robertissima is retiring to make way for a new hyper-tech Maxi!

GIANLUIGI UGOLINI / MARIA GIUBILEI (Athletes)
Gianluigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei won bronze at the EUROSAF European SL16 catamarans in the season that just ended.

SILVIA VACIRCA (Athlete)
Another prestigious result among the Lasers: Silvia Vacirca took the European U17 Radial bronze. Very good!

VASCO VASCOTTO (Athlete)
In 2015 World Champion, ORCi (Enfant Terrible), TP52 and 52 Super Series as tactician of Azzurra, with 25 Worlds in his career he is the world’s most titled sailor. By a whisker he is “only” Maxi 72 World Vice-Champion on Robertissima. The strongest one is him!

CARLO VENCO (Seaman)
Carlo Venco on land doesn’t know how to stay there: he has a round-the-world tour (completed in 2015) and 40 Atlantic crossings on his shoulders. Total miles on the rump: 200,000. Need we add more?

FILIPPO VINCIS (Athlete)
The Italian O’pen BIC has found in Filippo Vincis a masterful performer: in 2015 he won silver at the European Under 16.

ALESSANDRO VISMARA (Designer)
The Tuscan designer is, with Mark Mills, the creator of Lacorte’s new SuperNikka, which is going strong. Great originality must then be given to him for the new V50 Dragon.

YACHT CLUB COSTA SMERALDA (Athletes).
The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda team (Federico Michetti, Filippo Maria Molinari, Flavio Favini, Branko Brcin) won silver at the Sailing Champions League played at home, thus finishing second in Europe in the sailing “Champions Cup.”

MICHELE ZAMBELLI (Seaman)
A challenging season ended with a beautiful second place in the second leg of the Mini Transat among the Protos. At 25, Romagna-born Zambelli is a complete sailor, ready for even more important siphons

FEDERICO ZAMPICCOLI (Athlete)
In the O’pen BICs he is probably the strongest of all: in fact, he triumphed cal European Under 16 Championship. Zampiccoli is also going strong on 29ers.

ENRICO ZENNARO (Athlete)
Enrico Zennaro is another whose name is a guarantee. The year 2015 saw him aboard Lino Sonego, the Italian challenge in the very difficult Extreme 40 circuit. The team grew stage by stage, even coming in a very good second place in the St. Petersburg act.

MATTEO ZERBIN / GIULIO MACCARONE (Athletes)
Excellent 420 class specialists, Zerbin and Maccarone in 2015 won silver medals at both the Eurosaf U19 and U17 European Championships. The two Venetians will surely grow up well!