Sail-World.com : Louis Vuitton Trophy - Francesco Bruni steers Azzurra to victory
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Louis Vuitton Trophy - Francesco Bruni steers Azzurra to victory |
'I have the advantage of being a Star skipper,' said Francesco Bruni before he took a seat on the dais next to Emirate’s Team New Zealand’s skipper Dean Barker.
The two skippers would face off in the Grande Finale at the Louis Vuitton Trophy – Nice. Francesco Bruni, the Italian Olympic Star skipper in Athens and a contender for the Italian Olympic slot in Qingdao, skippered Azzurra.
Bruni steered the Italian team to two straight wins in the Grande Finale at the first World professional Sailing Team Association (WSTA) event in Europe. The Italians won both starts and were in the controlling position at the first cross in each race. They held their advantage throughout each race.
Azzurra, the name for the 1983 and 1987 Yacht Club Costa Smeralda America’s Cup campaigns, has returned to the milieu of interclub and nationalistic sailing competition by fielding an entirely Italian team for its WSTA debut at the Louis Vuitton Trophy-Nice. The Azzurra team brings together Giovanni Maspero’s Joe Fly sailing team, which has done so well in one-designs such as the Melges 32 and the Farr 40, and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda under the Azzurra trademark.
The charismatic skipper Bruni and tactician Tommaso Chieffi have quite a spirited following in Nice.
The tall ship, Signora del Vento, is the largest presence on the Baie des Anges. Chartered by YCCS, the yacht provides club members with the best on the water VIP experience during the day and has played host to gatherings of team members, their guests and potential sponsors during the evenings. Signora del Vento docked out at sunrise to be present for the Finals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy against Emirates Team New Zealand. H.H. the Aga Kahn was among the many supporters aboard who witnessed Azzurra beat the Kiwis in the first race of the Finals. The last time the Italians beat the Kiwis in an ACC boat was about a decade ago.
Said skipper, Francesco Bruni, who hails from Palermo, 'It is unusual to have an America’s Cup team in which everyone is from the same country and speaks their mother tongue. The entire team goes the extra mile because it is pushing for its flag and its country.'
Francesco Bruni, Iain Percy, Hamish Pepper and Paul Cayard were among the Star sailors in the afterguards of the eight teams that competed in the Louis Vuitton Trophy – Nice. Among the Star sailors who rounded out the grinding and pit crews among the teams, Brian Sharp went the furthest as a member of the Petite-final winning team, Synergy Russia Sailing Team. Francesco Bruni, however, carried the Star lineage all the way to the top as the winning skipper of the entire series.
by Lynn Fitzpatrick
7:56 PM Sun 22 Nov 2009 GMT
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