Update
Italy’s Ambrogio Beccaria approaches the finish of the 2019 Mini Transat on his Verdier-designed Pogo 3 to win the Series division by nearly a day and finish an unprecedented third overall with only two theoretically much faster Protos ahead of him. The well-proven Pogo 3 is not a scow in the sense of Raison’s IDB Marine Maxi 650 but there is still plenty of fullness in the bow for power downwind
these great individuals and represent a club that, as I have learnt, has an incredibly special place in the history of our sport. The team at American Magic. I don’t think I could say enough
about the folks who work day in day out chasing the Cup. It is fun to see the group grow, operate. We are not without our dysfunctions and, like any team, we are learning and growing together. Who knows how this great adventure ends, I would like to think I know, but I am incredibly thankful to all involved and to the families who support us. It is not easy! Happy New Year, standing by, 12 December in a cold Pensacola, Florida!
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED – Ambrogio Beccaria Ambrogio Beccaria, 28 years old, rising star of solo navigation, started out as a favourite in the Mini Transat Series division and did not disappoint, going well beyond expectations. In addition to winning both stages, with a total margin of more than 22 hours over the runner-up, he arrived at Le Marin third overall, only a few hours after the first two Protos – even leading the entire fleet for a while as they approached Martinique! An incredible performance that earned him yet more respect from
the French. By the way: in the 42 years the Mini Transat has been running Beccaria is the fourth non-French sailor to win it and the first Italian. For the record, another Italian, Giancarlo Pedote, came very close to it in 2013. Round-the-world champion Giovanni Soldini said: ‘Ambrogio’s
victory is a great result that comes after a great season and an exemplary race in which he dominated his opponents – very good!’ Vittorio Malingri added: ‘I’m very happy. Beccaria is a thoroughbred horse. One who must always run stronger than the one in front of him – by instinct, always, and at any cost!’ Seahorse:Ambrogio, you were born in Milan where there is no sea… Ambrogio Beccaria: That is part of the reason I started late with sailing, none of my family ever went on a boat! As a child I did not do the common path of Optimist and dinghies. I’ve always liked
16 SEAHORSE
sport and competition, but neither tennis nor football continued to please me once I’d reached a competitive level that required more effort! In sailing I found that extra stimulus and with some high school friends I bought a Laser 4000 after attending Duccio Colombi’s Skiff School on Lake Como. From there we won an Italian championship and came third at the European championship. But I’m always hungry to learn new things – I wanted to have as
many different experiences as possible. When you sail on big yachts you can learn many things watching others, but in solo sailing you have to ‘get your own hands dirty’. I started to take an interest in the Mini 6.50 looking on the web, in the meantime moving to La Spezia (just east of Genoa) to study nautical engineering. While studying I also worked as captain on a 56ft catamaran, so I learned how to manage every aspect of a bigger boat, especially when I started working in the yard, an experience that proved very important. Later I bought a Pogo 2 in Portugal that had been shipwrecked
in the 2013 Mini Transat. It took me seven months to rebuild it and in 2015 I started racing. First in Italy, where I immediately got good results, including against some good sailors from abroad, winning the Italian Mini Championship… on a ‘salvaged’ old boat. So I started looking for a sponsor, but he found me, thanks to
an event I organised at the Italian Naval League in Milan. Among those present was the owner of Ambeco, an environmental logistics company, who became main sponsor for my first Mini Transat in 2017. He still supports me, although alone he could not afford the bigger budget as I moved forward. But it is wonderful that he continues to be close to me, and it works nicely with my new sponsor, Geomag, owned by Filippo Gallizia. He is a fan of sailing and all extreme sports – he contacted me through Facebook! Geomag is a construction game based on magnetism – their
slogan is linked to invisible forces, such as that of the wind. I already had several technical sponsors, who were later joined by Tarros, a shipping group based in La Spezia. Among those who helped me was also Giovanni Soldini, which meant I was able to work on my boat in La Trinité, hidden behind his MOD 70 Maserati! In fact, all the Maserati team helped me a lot.
CHRISTOPHE BRESCHI
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