From Lake Garda to Brazilian paradise (racing with Umberto Felci)

What prompted designer Umberto Felci to move from his Padenghe del Garda (Brescia) studio to the paradise that is Fernando de Noronha, the wild archipelago 220 miles off the coast of Brazil?

A must-do: participate in the Recife- Fernando de Noronha long race (300 miles), a real must for Brazilian “velejadores,” which has more than 100 boats at the start each year. Felci, along with his wife Elda Cortinovis (co-founder of Felci Yachts in 2001), was aboard the Dufour 500-a design of his own, Ventaneiro 3.

Here is the beautiful account of the regatta, which ended in eighth place overall, sent to us by Elda.

LA RECIFE-FERNANDO DE NORONHA BY FELCI YACHTS

He climbs the podium, 3rd in category and 8th overall “Ventaneiro 3” the Dufour 500 on which we embarked. It is Wednesday, Oct. 16, and the Recife – Fernando de Noronha regatta in Brazil ends with a joyous and rowdy awards celebration. The harbor of Santo Antônio welcomed all 100 participating boats, a half-mouth of a volcano with black magma that trickled down to the sea, breaking up the enchanting golden beaches.

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It is windy as it has been throughout the regatta.

Fifteen to twenty knots, almost constant southeast direction; every now and then a “Pirajad” that washes you from head to toe, that’s what they call oceanic showers in Brazil. Twenty minutes of water with gusts with no change in wind direction, nothing like the unpredictable Mediterranean storms.
Thirty-four hours of racing swapping at the helm with short shifts until the finish.

It all begins on Oct. 11 in Recife where at 8:30 a.m. we embark on Ventaneiro 3, Renato and Kadja Cunha’s Dufour 500, former winner of Buenos Aires to Rio and Antigua Sailing Week.

At 10 a.m., in bright sunshine and 30 degrees, the crew meeting begins. The captain reminds us that it is an Ocean Race and so he does not fail to explain all the safety measures. Life jackets, safety belts, life line, epirb, life raft, man overboard recovery systems with Gps and software that changes the boat’s course.

I do not hide some excitement well mixed with a hint of anxiety. It’s my first ocean race! 11:30 a.m. All set, the anchor struggles to rise, the bottom of the harbor is littered with sacks that wrap around the anchors and make an easy operation, a struggle against time.

The opposing boats pass very quickly within a few meters, and we, already with the mainsail up, as soon as we are free from the anchorage set off.
The start is at 12 noon for the big parade along the Recife Pier. Hundreds of people applaud, whistle, wave, all to the beat of music. One by one the boats parade by, announced over the loudspeaker. It’s time for photos, for glory, and even though the regatta is still to come, those ashore cheer you on as heroes.

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Then the start at 12:30 p.m.; now it’s off for real, every man for himself from Recife to Fernando de Noronha 300 miles away in the Atlantic Ocean.

Also on board was Umberto Felci; it is always interesting for the designer to sail his own boats during regattas, particularly on this occasion in the Atlantic Ocean.

The boat is in racing trim, new mainsail and jib, Code Zero and a good gennaker. The wind is as predicted for days: 15-20 knots from the southeast, and it remains that way throughout the race.
The billows, the farther you get from land, get long and high. Alongside, competitors half disappear into the hollow of the wave to re-emerge and proceed full sail.

Hoisted the gennaker, Ventaneiro 3’s speed is 8/10 knots. We are covered and protected by layers of cream because the sun in the open sea beats and burns, even though the daylight hours are not many.

The light changes rapidly, and by 5 p.m. dusk is already coming. A spectacular and fast sunset closes the day; by 5:30 p.m. it is dark, but the moon gives us unexpected visibility.
We have already taken two sudden and fast “Pirajad” without lowering the gennaker. We carry on without ever letting up as in a duel, even though throughout the long night it is impossible to see our challengers.

People eat, take turns, sleep, scanning the horizon. At first light immediately the gaze looks for the opponents; they are there, now we just have to measure the distance because the finish line begins to get close and the course must be the best.

The wind drops a little and this worries us because we estimated to arrive toward evening in no more than 34 hours and only the wind can help us. We take advantage of the Pirajads and all the gusts we see to speed up the boat.

Darkness returns as quickly as the previous evening, we sail by counting down, then suddenly out of nowhere a giant black rock appears.

It is Fernando de Noronha, a volcanic island 18 kilometers long and about 4 kilometers narrow, surrounded by cliffs and islets. A volcano of which a large pinnacle remains, towering over the heights, which are nothing more than the peaks of an underwater mountain range.

A wild island whose turquoise sea of the bays overlooking Brazil, and the deep blue sea of the open sea, are home to dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and rays that we will be lucky enough to see on our layover days.

We skirt its entire length, in the background roars of lions. It is the sea sucked out of the caverns of the rocks making grotesque sounds; who knows what the early explorers imagined upon hearing these ominous roars. At 10:30 p.m. we cross the finish line, hug each other, it’s done!

The port of Santo Antônio welcomes us and will cradle our well-deserved sleep.

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