TAG Heuer Sailor of the Year and the possible dream of living on a boat

There is one day left until voting closes in this first phase of the TAG Heuer Sailor of the Year: 83,000 views of the new website http://velistadellanno.giornaledellavela.com/, more than 18,000 votes in the “poll” that once again this year set you wild: you still have a short time to vote for the sailor (or sailors, since this year you will be able to assign three votes) who most excited you among the 100 initial candidates. At 12 noon on February 15, the polls will close and the top 50 candidates will advance to the next stage.

FIND OUT WHO THE 100 CANDIDATES ARE HERE AND VOTE FOR THEM NOW

LIVING ON A BOAT YOU CAN
Dropping everything and starting a new life on a boat is the dream in the drawer of many. We are not surprised that to top the first phase of the TAG Heuer Sailor of the Year (they are currently in first and second place) were two boats that symbolized this choice.

Yakamoz (1225 votes at the time of writing), the Ovni 41 of Giampaolo Gentili and his partner Basak, who have been living aboard for ten years on “less than 500 euros a month” between the Aegean and the Mediterranean; and Gentilina (1034 votes), the Oceanis 430 that Fabio Portesan, his wife Marina and children Valerio and Leilani chose as their home. Two different stories, theirs, but united by a great desire for freedom.

Giampaolo and Basak were driven by a desire to “downsize” and escape from modern society, taking refuge in a human-scale world in which to cultivate one’s spiritual growth, without “mass distractions.” the Portesan family, after selling house, cars, shares in the IT company of which Fabio was the founder, Was looking for adventure and new experiences For little Valerius and Leilani.

Gentili writes catchily, “We are this, ordinary people who have chosen to live with little. And the avalanche of votes we are receiving, perhaps have a meaning beyond sympathy for us; I think there is a desire to identify with us, and the message that slowly, just like the keel of Yakamoz, we have been trying for years to bring forward: the vision of life based on simpler patterns. In short, there is perhaps a desire to give a resounding response to a bad system, of which sailing and boating, alas, are often no exception.”

Both Giampaolo and Basak and the Portesans were able to best communicate their philosophy rallying around the two nominations a huge claque of supporters, complicit in newsletters, posts and videos on their respective blogs (www.sailyx.com e www.valeila.com), frequent calls for votes on Facebook, and stories on Instagram that even the most “social” of “millennials” could not have achieved. Bravo.

In this regard, it is worth taking a look at the new video that the Portesans made in collaboration with Globesailor Italy, in which they tell, in their usual “light” style, the three things you absolutely must not do on a boat!

WHO’S IN THE TOP FIVE AND WHO’S AT RISK
Back to the TAG Heuer Sailor of the Year. Behind Yakamoz and Gentilina follows, in third position, with 746 votes another boat: Enrico Danielli’sX-35 Cavallo Pazzo II, which won the title of Owner of the Year in Class 3 after a season of good results between the buoys. Behind the pair of ministries composed of Matteo Sericano (717 votes) and Ambrogio Beccaria (666 votes). Currently the 50th place, the last one useful for qualifying for the next stage, is occupied by Twin Soul B (Luciano Gandini’s Mylius 80), with 79 votes.

HERE THE RANKING IN REAL TIME

Our editorial staff will constantly update you with news, posts on Facebook and stories on Instagram, on the Sail Newspaper profile and on the Sailor of the Year profile.

HERE THE DETAILED REGULATIONS OF THE SAILOR OF THE YEAR

THREE VOTES PER PHASE
Starting this year there are two new features: it will be possible to cast three votes per stage (and no longer just one)! You can decide to give three preferences to a single candidate, or divide them among several candidates. For the validation of each vote, you will be asked for your email address: we recommend that you type in the right one; you will find out why in a moment:

VOTE AND WIN!
This year there are two more (mouth-watering) opportunities to vote for your favorite Velista of the Year candidates. Among all the survey voters who will take part in the Evening of Champions (you will be asked to register for the event with the email you provided during voting), on Friday, May 3 at 7 p.m. at theTAG Heuer VELAFestival, will be raffled off a prestigious Aquaracer chronograph from our longtime partner TAG Heuer And, thanks to new partner of the Sailor of the Year Globesailor a long weekend on a boat provided by Sail Italy (May 8-9-10, 2020 in the base of Procida aboard a Beneteau Oceanis 38, 3 cabins and 2 bathrooms, skipper not included).

FIND OUT ALL THE NEWS ABOUT THE SAILOR OF THE YEAR