A 20-year-old Cookson 50 rental and an Ice 52 win the 151-mile race

Can you charter a 20-year-old boat and win regattas? Of course! TestaCuore Race, Giacomo Loro Piana’s Cookson 50, is the winner of the 151 Miglia Challenge Trophy, the most coveted prize, dedicated to the first Overall in compensated time belonging to the largest class, the ORC. An evergreen (and everwinning) boat, designed by none other than Bruce Farr, New Zealand archistar and father of some of the boats that have made sailing history, winners of the world’s major offshore races, such as the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Sydney Hobart Race.

And if you look at the IRC ranking (the other compensation system adopted) at the top you surprisingly find the
ICE 52
No Regret, born as a fast cruiser that also turns out to be an excellent pure racing boat.

TestaCuore Race (Cookson 50) wins the 151 Miglia

The quintessential medium-duration Italian offshore regatta, which is raced along a course through the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, touching the legendary island of Giraglia, hadstarted Thursday from Livorno with 180 boats and more than 2,000 sailors lined up on the start line. It was a 151 Miglia characterized by very light wind conditions, so much so that the Race Committee, before the start, had already decided to shorten the course from 151 to 124 miles, skipping the passage to the Ants of Grosseto. Giacomo Loro Piana’s TestaCuore Race, with former Italian Francesco Ivaldi aboard as skipper and tactician, prevailed over the more than 120 boats in the ORC International grouping (as well as in the ORC A group), finishing the race in 24 hours 29 minutes and 34 seconds.

Cookson 50, the secrets of a superboat

Behind TestaCuore Race is the hand of Bruce Farr. Cookson 50 is an evergreen boat, now rather “dated,” as the first to be launched from the New Zealand shipyard touched the water in 2004. At 15.24 meters long (13.85 at waterline) and 4.33 meters wide, it has an ultralight displacement hull (only 7 tons) that winks at TP52s. With an exaggerated beam and almost zero draft, the freeboard is quite high to optimize the height in the underdeck and make it comfortably habitable even when cruising.

The canting keel, with steel fin and lead bulb (3.00 m draft, hydraulically controlled with maximum 35° tilt and optionally extendable to 3.25), and the central canard (appendage at the prow of the mast that helps maintain the course and allows the boat to go upwind) contribute to improved performance in navigation.

The hull is built in female mold and is made of carbon fiber with Corecell foam core. The laminates are infused with epoxy resin, consolidated under vacuum and controlled heat. The load points are reinforced with carbon laminates.

Do you want to win too? Rent it

The Cookson 50 is still an expensive boat, used today costing 375,000 euros, but with a quality certified by the splendid result of TestaCuore Race, already winner of the RAN 630 in 2022. A dream, to helm it, that you might even realize, perhaps renting it as in the case of Giacomo Loro Piana, who took to the race course with a more than competitive boat, taking a different path from his father who bought a ClubSwan 80 instead. This year TestaCuore Race will also participate in the Giraglia, Les Voiles de Saint Tropez and Middle Sea Race, and is still available on charter for the Palermo-Montecarlo, departing next August 22.

No Regret (ICE 52) wins the overall IRC ranking

Another boat that is now a legend and that after years never ceases to amaze, No Regret, Egidi De Felice’sICE 52, dominates the IRC ranking, as well as, of course, winning in the IRC A category. With a gap of nearly 50 minutes, in compensated time, he crossed the finish line after 31 hours, 52 minutes and 26 seconds.

• Here are all the rankings for the 151 Miglia 2023

James Barbaro