Sailor of the Year, the Magnificent 52 / 1 (Alberini to Cesarini-Rogge)

Soon we will start again: warm up your mice. In these days, from A to Z, we will learn more about the stories of the 52 candidates who passed the first stage of the Sailor of the Year. You will be able to vote for them again starting March 4 (1 p.m.), with the online poll closing on March 15 at 12 p.m. (remember that the votes from the first phase are reset): only 25 will remain.

Below are the top 10 of the “magnificent 52” (50 + 2 chosen by you, Salvatore Mantaci and Pietro Supparo). At the bottom of the list, however, you will find the rules for the 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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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 – CONCLUDED) – FROM 100 to 52 CANDIDATES.
– 100 CANDIDATES to vote online on our website from Jan. 29 (from 1 p.m.) to Feb. 16 (closing at 12 p.m.)
– 20 CANDIDATES INDICATED BY YOU (you can send us names and motivation from Jan. 29 to Feb. 4 to email speciali@panamaeditore.it) voted online on our website from Feb. 5 (from 1 p.m.) to Feb. 16 (close at 12 p.m.)
– 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 (from 1 p.m.) to March 15 (closing at 12 noon)
– The 25 highest vote-getters pass the round
– THIRD STAGE (CONSULTATIVE VOTE) – 25 to 5 CANDIDATES.
– 25 CANDIDATES to be voted for online from March 31 (from 1 p.m.) to April 15 (closing time 12 noon). 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.” Each of the winners will be awarded a TAG Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 5 high-precision waterproof chronograph (pictured opposite), capable of withstanding depths of up to 300 meters. Who the winners are you will only know on the evening of May 6 in Santa Margherita. You are all invited!

For any information regarding the Sailor of the Year, please write to us at speciali@panamaeditore.it

FIND OUT WHAT IS SAILOR OF THE YEAR

AT THIS LINK FIND OUT IN DETAIL THE FIRST ROUND OF VOTING FOR THE MAGNIFICENT “100”

DISCOVER ALL 100 INITIAL CANDIDATES FOR SAILOR OF THE YEAR, FROM A TO Z

FIND OUT THE STORIES OF THE “CHOSEN BY YOU” NOMINEES AND THE REASONS FOR THE NOMINATIONS