Transat Jacques Vabre: Beccaria like Soldini in 2007, the story of two epic victories

The Transat Jacques Vabre 2023 has written an indelible piece of Italian sailing history.a in the ocean, with Ambrogio Beccaria’s victory in the Class 40 with Allagrande Pirelli and Alberto Bona’s third place on IBSA. Many have long defined Beccaria as the new Soldini, or consider him as his heir. Actually Ambrose’s profile as a sailor, and his path, are different than Soldini’s, although there are similarities.

One above all concerns precisely the Transat Jacques Vabre, which Soldini himself won in 2007, paired with Pietro D’Alì, the first Italians to succeed in this feat. We had to wait another 16 years before another success, but the two feats are written in the history of Italian sailing.

Transat Jacques Vabre: 2007-2023, party Italy

It was the year 2007, Giovanni Soldini was already a myth for Italian sailors after his solo round-the-world successes in the 1990s and his rescue of Isabelle Outissier. The Italian sailor comes to the Class 40s after some unlucky seasons with Orma 60 trimarans during which results struggled to come. The Class 40s for Soldini represent around 2005-2006 the possibility of a fresh start.

Different story for Ambrogio Beccaria, who instead made it to the Classes after dominating in the Mini 650, and after a bit of a groundswell on other classes, including the Figaro 3 and the Classes themselves. Soldini for the 2007 Transat had a new 40 designed by Verdier, and the boat was built in Lorient: the era of round bows is a long way off, but Telecom Italia, as Giovanni’s boat was called, proved to be very fast right away. Paired with Pietro D’Alì, he won the 2007 Transat Jacques Vabre hands down, finishing second in the Solidaire du Chocolat, from Nantes (France) to Progreso (Mexico).

Different path for Ambrogio Beccaria, who chose an all-Italian design for his Allagrande Pirelli with designers Guelfi-D’Angeli and the Sangiorgio Marine shipyard.

Similarities and differences during the race as well: both dominated for large stretches, but Allagrande Pirelli’s average was 4 days less (albeit on a partly different course than in 2007 that ended in Brazil, 22 days Soldini and 18 Beccaria). The boats have changed, today’s Class 40s sail at 9-10 knots target in the average wind, glide well over 20 on the slack, speeds unthinkable for the classic Class 40 Telecom Italia bow.

Beccaria’s victory compared to Soldini’s in 2007 was much more sweaty: Soldini was in full control of the fleet from mid-race onward, while his “heir” had to struggle not a little. Indeed, there were difficult days on Allagrande Pirelli when the Class 40 fleet split in two with the northern option chosen by some skippers. “Stressful because we can’t do anything about it, we can’t control them in any way.” declared just a few days ago Beccaria from aboard. And so the final masterpiece was needed, in the light Trade Wind, where with a course almost touching Brazil Allagrande Pirelli closed on a comeback, pulling away from his opponents in the southern group and going on to finish ahead of the boats coming in from the north.

History is written, and this 2023, perhaps even more than that 2007, we will remember for a long time.

Mauro Giuffrè