SAILOR OF THE YEAR 2016 – We reveal the candidates… from R to S!

Here we go. The time has come again this year to launch the most prestigious award in Italian sailing, given since 1991. The Sailor of the Year is awarded to the one who, based on your preferences (which you can express in the poll on our website, starting January 29), turns out to be the sailor who has most excited you. It will be your votes that will decide who will be part of the shortlist for the final victory (you can also add your favorite to the list, if not found in the “big list”, by sending an email with the cv of who you want to nominate to speciali@panamaeditore.it January 29 to February 4), among which will be unveiled at the 2016 TAG Heuer VELAFestival (May 5 to 8 in Santa Margherita Ligure: info on www.velafestival.com), during the Day of Champions on Friday, May 6, the 2016 TAG Heuer Sailor of the Year.

THE “MAGNIFICENT 100” LIST
Rankings and articles in hand, in the editorial office we made a review of the past season by identifying 100 “nominations” among Italian sailors, distinguishing them into athletes (derivists and specialists in the Olympic classes), owners and sailors (i.e., ocean sailors or those who otherwise showed off their skills in “long sailing”) But not only that. Every owner knows that the boat has a soul. We created a unique category for both offshore and classic winning boats. The categories are indicative: the challenge is all against all! We will present to you, ten at a time for ten days all 100 candidates (in strict alphabetical order), whom you will be able to vote for on our website, let us remind you, starting January 29. Let’s find out the eighth 10, at the bottom you will instead find the outline of how the 2016 TAG Heuer Sailor of the Year works.

EIGHTH ROUND – FROM RACKETS… TO SOLDIERS.

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.

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE SEVENTH ROUND – FROM HONORED TO QUERIN


HOW THE 2016 SAILOR OF THE YEAR VOTING WORKS

On Friday, May 6, at 7 p.m., the Sailor of the Year award ceremony will take place at the VELAFestival in Santa Margherita Ligure (Genoa) during the Evening of Champions. But how does one come to award the most prestigious prize in Italian sailing? With a long and “hard” online selection process where your input is crucial. We explain it in detail, step by step.

– FIRST STAGE (WINNING VOTE) – FROM 100 to 52 CANDIDATES.
– 100 CANDIDATES to vote online on our website from Jan. 29 to Feb. 16
– 20 CANDIDATES INDICATED BY YOU (you can send us names and motivation from Jan. 29 to Feb. 4) voted online from Feb. 5 to Feb. 16
– The 50 most voted and the 2 most voted among those indicated by you pass the round
– SECOND STAGE (WINNING VOTE) – 52 to 25 CANDIDATES.
– 52 CANDIDATES to vote online from March 4 to 15
– The 25 highest vote-getters pass the round
– THIRD STAGE (CONSULTATIVE VOTE) – 25 to 5 CANDIDATES.
– 25 CANDIDATES to vote online from March 31 to April 15. The online public vote has advisory value: taking into account your preferences, a jury selects the 5 who pass the round
– FOURTH PHASE – CHOOSING THE SAILOR OF THE YEAR (AND OTHER AWARDS)
-THE 5 CANDIDATES make up the shortlist of “papabili” for Sailor of the Year. These will compete, based on the jury’s decisions, for the Sailor of the Year award and the others: TAG Heuer Sailor of the Year “Passion,” TAG Heuer Sailor of the Year “Innovation,” and TAG Heuer Sailor of the Year “Performance.”

FIND OUT WHAT IS SAILOR OF THE YEAR