151 Miglia – Trofeo Cetilar: the tenth, unforgettable edition comes to an end
The tenth edition of the 151 Miglia – Trofeo Cetilar has come to an end. The offshore race started in Marina di Pisa on Thursday the 30th of May and finished on Saturday the 1st of June, with the arrival of the last boats in Punta Ala.
A record-breaking regatta. Because of the number of partecipants: 220 boats were at the start between Livorno and Marina di Pisa and 212 of them have smoothly crossed the finish line; because of the time of the Maxi Rambler 88: it sailed the 151 miles of the route in 13 hours, 50 minutes and 43 seconds, resulting 1 hour and 40 minute faster than Pendragon, which was holding the old primacy; finally, because of the satisfaction found at the dock after the arrival.
Rambler 88, the incredible Maxi of the shipowner George David lead by the New Zealand skipper Brad Butterworth, won the first of two Challenge Trophies for being the first boat to cross the finish line (at the second place Vera of Miguel Galluccio and at the third SuperNikka of Roberto Lacorte), besides the trophy Porto di Pisa.
The second Challenge Trophy was won by the Comet 38 Scricca of Leonardo Servi, first in ORC overall before other 155 boats. The sail was just incredible, since there were only two sailors on boat: toghether with the shipowner Servi there was the sailor Franco Manzoli, a great oceanic experience and many races won in the Mediterranean Sea. “We still can’t believe we have won the ORC overall classification and the challenge trophy, also because of course we aimed to the victory in the Double Handed category. Having left behind dozens of super quoted boats which were sailing with a full crew is something which simply exceeds every good expectation, a feeling that is hard to explain. We’re so happy, especially because the 151 Miglia is the Regatta, with a capital “R”.
The others awarded, besides the class winners (HERE all the rankings), are Niquida of Lorenzo Merlini Manzoni (Gran Crociera), Rossko of Timofey Zhbankov (IRC overall) and the Maxi di 82’ of the Dutch skipper Bouwe Bekking, which not only arrived second after Rambler 88, but also won the IRC Over 60 classification for the Maxi, before Rambler and Supernikka. The one’s of Vera was basically a perfect regatta, thanks to the tactical decisions of an inspired Michele Regolo. “Knowing that around 9 it would have been calm, we chose to have a fast start, taking some risks, to get immediately some miles and leave the rest of the fleet behind” has explained. “We reached the Giraglia when the wind dropped and there we took a jibe which essentially allowed us to land to the rock, and not 500 metres away, which gave us a lot. Then, we have also been lucky, which is always good, but in general we worked very good and found a good result”.
There was also a great enthusiasm among the organisers of this tenth edition: according to Roberto Lacorte, President of the Yacht Club Repubblica Marinara di Pisa and Vice-President of Pharmanutra Spa “it has been a memorable, amazing 151 Miglia. After the second buoy, when I looked back and saw more than 200 boats, so many that the sails covered the shore, I felt incredibly thrilled. My congratulations to all the people involved in the organization of the regatta, to our partners and to the hundreds of sailors who have made the 151 Miglia come true: we will wait for them next year, for an even more stunning and immersive edition”.
The words of Alessandro Masini, President of the Yacht Club Punta Ala have been along the same lines. He pointed out the commitment of the Organizing Committee in the managment of more than 200 boats. “An exceptionale work, because the logistical management of such a huge fleet is really an extrordinary work and I’m very glad to see everything worked out for the best. Other than that this edition, which will come to an end with the Dinner Party at the Yacht Club Punta Ala, has been unforgettable from every point of view”.
The presence of the Vice-President of the Italian Federation of Sailing (FIV) Alessandro Mei is to be reported; he was hosted both at the award ceremony and at the Dinner Party. In the following days, RAI Sport will dedicate a long special to this 151 Miglia – Trofeo Cetilar, the plastic free regatta which has supported the cause of many associations dedicated to the safeguard of the planet, like Worldrise, Marevivo and One Ocean Foundation with Cartha Smeralda.
The event has been organized by a Commettee formed by YC Repubblica Marinara di Pisa, YC Punta Ala and YC Livorno, with the cooperation of porto di Pisa, of Marina di Punta Ala, of the partners PharmaNutra S.p.A. with the brand Cetilar®, Rigoni di Asiago, North Sails e TAG Heuer, and of Devitalia Telecomunicazioni, which has ensured the connectivity at the porto di Pisa and at the Marina di Punta Ala. The 151 Miglia is also a stop of the Italian Offshore Championship of FIV, of the Medterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge, the sailrace for the Maxi Yachts, and of the Trofeo Arcipelago Toscano.