Ambrogio Beccaria superhero of the Atlantic. He also wins the Ostar
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Everyone feared him, and he did not disprove the predictions, winning the legendary Transat CIC (formerly Ostar, find out HERE why it is a legendary race), the solo North Atlantic crossing from Lorient to New York on his Class 40 AllaGrande Pirelli. Ambrogio Beccaria, 32, is the superhero of Italian sailing.
Ambrogio Beccaria the superhero
The navigator milanese, triumphing in 11 days, 16 hours, 17 minutes and 55 seconds at the regatta (3,900-mile course) that enshrined such holy monsters as Chichester, Tabarly, Peyron (he is the third Italian to win it after Ciccio Manzoli and Andrea Mura), adds another piece to his crazy resume, after his recent victory in the Transat Jacques Vabre (France to Brazil), his second place in the Route du Rhum (France-Guadaloupe), and his 2019 victory in the Mini Transat (the first Italian to do so).
If there is a superhero of the Atlantic, it is him, Ambrose Beccaria aka Bogi. His palmares then is full of victories and podiums in French Class 40 races (such as first place at theCICNormandy Channel Race).
Beccaria, problems, lightning strikes, and the fight with Lipinski
The victory in the Transat CIC, a very tough race where there were many retirements due to “tough” weather conditions, comes after many technical problems (at the bowsprit, at the rudder…). “This round I’m happy because I knew what I was going to do, I was ready, I knew some messes were going to happen. When I broke the bowsprit, in two hours I repaired it. At one point in the race in 24 hours I lost 80 miles, this could have killed me. Instead, I liked how I handled the situation. There were also moments of panic, such as when lightning discharged a few meters from the boat. I stayed for an hour shaking. It was come a bomb in the boat, electronics that didn’t work….”
The triumph came after a no-holds-barred struggle with his French opponent/friend Ian Lipinski aboard Credit Mutuel.
After experiencing technical problems early in the race, Beccaria dropped to fourth position and stayed there until he emerged from the first major low pressure. When the winds died down, Bogi began to grind out miles and build up advantage. He had 74 miles on Lipinski, then the wind dropped. In the Gulf Stream and lighter winds it suffered a bit, again losing all the advantage to Lipinksi.
But in the last transition Ambrose, sailing a little further south, managed to stay in a stronger flow: then upwind to the finish (at a point 110 miles from New York), where Beccaria was in total control.
“My flaw? Maybe the maneuvers, I still have a lot to learn. But my virtue I know by now. I always push to the maximum, I don’t give a shit“
Credit to his undisputed skill and how he manages to push his highly envied boat, the Musa 40 Made in Italy project by Gianluca Guelfi (read our interview with the designer here) and Fabio D’Angeli.
Now the arrival of the other Italian skipper in the race, Alberto Bona, in fifth position aboard IBSA, is expected. Race tracking here.
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