Sailor of the Year, the Magnificent 52 / 3 (Ferruzzi to Low Noise II)

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 third 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.

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!

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!

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!

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).

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.

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.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT THE SECOND 10 CANDIDATES

CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT THE TOP 10 CANDIDATES

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