Azzurra leads Emirates Team New Zealand in the Louis Vuitton Trophy finals. Image copyright Stefano Gattini/Azzurra.
by Jill Campbell
Azzurra, skippered by Francesco Bruni with tactician Tommaso Chieffi, has taken victory over Emirates Team New Zealand to win the Louis Vuitton Trophy – Nice Cote d’Azur 2009. The Italian sailing team born just a few months ago of the partnership between Giovanni Maspero and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda bears the name of the first Italian America’s Cup challenger launched by the club for the 1983 edition. Twenty-six years on and this young team has more than lived up to its aim to relaunch an iconic sailing brand.
“A fantastic day, I can’t describe how happy we are.” Confirmed skipper and helmsman Bruni. “The team did an excellent job, we had so many problems today – a helicopter which stole our air on the first upwind, the mark which was repositioned in a very strange way and finally the spinnaker in the water with our pit assistant hanging on to it! Luckily we got him back though. Both Tommaso Chieffi and my brother Gabriele up the mast did an excellent job. We really felt the support of the fans, when we won they put on the Italian national anthem, I think the fact we are all from the same country and speak the same language really pushes us to win.”
Azzurra's crew celebrate winning the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice. Image copyright Stefano Gattini/Azzurra.
Tommaso Chieffi, an America’s Cup veteran with 4 campaigns to his name, was proud of the team’s victory: “It has been great getting back on these ACC boats, so many teams want to keep racing despite the problems with the America’s Cup. The event has been great, my thanks go to the organization. Our victory is particularly special because Azzurra is a name that dates back 26 years: after the first challenge people in Italy began to call their daughters Azzurra, their shops, their businesses and everyone started talking about sailing. Hopefully this victory will bring back that same enthusiasm to young and old alike.”
Azzurra certainly had plenty of support as YCCS founder and President, His Highness the Aga Khan followed proceedings, together with Princess Zahra Aga Khan, Commodore Riccardo Bonadeo and a formidable group of friends and supporters aboard the 85 metre tall ship “La Signora del Vento”, which is serving as the team’s support base in Nice this weekend.
H.H. the Aga Khan: “An unforgettable day for me, for my daughter Zahra and for the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. The sporting quality is excellent, on this basis we will go forward.”
1st match: Azzurra wins by 25 seconds. Azzurra took the start and the first cross and led a close race on the first upwind leg to round the mark 14 seconds ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand. The Italians extended their lead to as much as 120 metres downwind but New Zealand were able to gain back some ground towards the end of the run and rounded the downwind mark 18 seconds behind Azzurra. Bruni and company steadily built their advantage to 23 seconds at the third mark and crossed the finish line 25 seconds ahead of their adversary.
2nd match: Very close racing saw the Italians lead from the start and round the first mark 18 seconds ahead of the Kiwis. Azzurra held this lead until the second half of the final downwind leg when in a nail biting final run ETNZ managed to slip into the lead by approximately 20 metres and take starboard. Azzurra fought back the advantage and crossed the line 17 seconds ahead to take overall victory.
Azzurra
Louis Vuitton Trophy
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