America's Cup- Italians confirm Minoprio as Match race tactician

by Sail-World on 10 Apr 2014 A media release from Italian America's Cup Challenger Luna Rossa has confirmed that Adam Minoprio (NZL) has slotted into the tactician's role on the match racing circuit with helmsman Francesco Bruni.

Minoprio was formerly with Emirates Team New Zealand, and sailed for the team in the 2011/12 Volvo Ocean Race aboard Camper, but did not continue into the America's Cup when that event finished in July 2013, about the time the team's first AC72 was launched.

In February 2014, it emerged that Minoprio had signed for the Italian team, and he has been named in the match racing crew for the 50th edition of the Congressional Cup. His role with the team, outside the match racing circuit is yet to be confirmed. Minoprio is a former world match racing champion, which he won at the age of just 24 years after competing for four years in the World Match Racing Tour.

The full release from the Italian team at the Congressional Cup continues:

Today at 11 AM local time (8 PM in Italy) will be the kick-off of the 50th edition of the Congressional Cup, the oldest and most prestigious match race event, second only to America’s Cup, where participation is by invitation only.

This year the event organizers invited Luna Rossa who decided to include the competition in the team’s preparation program for the 35th America’s Cup.

Francesco Bruni, winner of the Congressional Cup in 2010, will be the helmsman and will compete against nine crews counting some of the biggest names in the international match racing scene: Taylor Canfield, the skipper from the U.S. Virgin Islands currently number one in the international match race ranking list, British Ian Williams (second), New Zealander Phil Robertson (fourth), Australian Keith Swinton (fifth) and Frenchman Mathieu Richard (sixth). The team of Simone Ferrarese, defending champion and eighth in the world ranking list, is also participating in the event.

'The Congressional Cup is one of the most prestigious and challenging match race events in the international sailing scene,' said Max Sirena, skipper of Luna Rossa. 'The match race will be the focal point of our preparation for the 35th America’s Cup and, given the high level of the crews, this event will be an important test after the winter break.'

The Congressional Cup, organized by the Long Beach Yacht Club, will run from Wednesday the ninth to Sunday the 13th of April. The crews sail with the Catalina 37 one-design monohulls that, following an initial draw, will be rotated on a daily base among the teams. The event format is a Round Robin, followed by semi-finals and final.

The Luna Rossa team consists of Francesco Bruni (helmsman), Adam Minoprio (tactician), Xabier Fernandez (mainsail trimmer), Simeon Tienpont (pitman), Pierluigi de Felice (trimmer), Max Sirena (bowman).