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Lottery - Progetto Vela with the collaboration of Lions Club Ravenna Bisanzio
1st JAMES SPITHILL TICKET N. 3402
2nd PAOLO CIAN TICKET N. 2532
3rd DAMIEN IEHL TICKET N. 316
4th PHILIPPE PRESTI TICKET N. 297
MATCH RACE
The challenges of Luna Rossa and the finals between Alinghi
and Team New Zealand are still fresh in our memories but we are still
ready for the XIII edition of the Roberto Trombini Challenge Trophy Match
Race to be held from 11th –15th July.
Marina di Ravenna prepares itself to be world capital of great sailing
shortly after the finals of the XXXII America’s Cup at Valencia.
The Roberto Trombini Challenge Trophy, the first ISAF grade 1 match race
organized in Italy, is firmly among the most important events on the international
calendar thanks to friends of Progetto Vela and the valued collaboration
of Circolo Velico Ravennate.
Marina di Ravenna is traditionally a great locality for sailing, it has
grown over the years as we can see from the number of top skippers who
have been to and return to the ‘Trombini Trophy’. Since the
first event new sailing champions from Ravenna have emerged; Giovanni
Ceccarelli (the ‘creator’ of our Tom 28) designs boats for
the America’s Cup (see +39), shipyards and various companies have
undergone extensive technological development today producing important
components for the most sophisticated boats.
I am certain that all this sailing activity contributes to the overall
growth of the sector thus developing our economy. We are proud of these
achievements.
And now … to the sea.
Fair winds to you all.
The President
Progetto Vela
Andrea Trombini
Match
Race – Trofeo Challenge Roberto Trombini – Thirteenth edition
The thirteenth edition of the “Roberto Trombini
Challenge Trophy will be held in the renovated Marina Di Ravenna, ever
more pleased to host this one-to-one race between top class skippers.
The Roberto Trombini Challenge Trophy Match Race is an international event
which, throughout the years, has helped to promote our city; organized
by Progetto Vela in collaboration with the Circolo Velico Ravennate and
the support of many local associations.
I am proud that, in additional to bringing to Ravenna the best Skippers
from all over the world, it is also one of the events that brings merit
to all that Ravenna has to offer.
In fact the Tom 28, the type of boat used for the event, was designed
by Giovanni Ceccarelli of Ravenna specifically for the Roberto Trombini
Challenge Trophy. A talented designer such as Ceccarelli, returning from
the Valencia America’s Cup, adds lustre to the whole city. We are
proud also of Michele Ivaldi and Matteo Plazzi who were members of the
Luna Rossa challenge at Valencia.
Sailing creates invaluable infrastructures and the opening of Marinara
has marked an important goal for the area and for sailing enthusiasts.
I am sure these infrastructures convey new potential and represent added
value to the area enhancing the characteristics of the lidos.
Indeed the Roberto Trombini Challenge Trophy reminds us that Ravenna has
a lot to be proud of and that there is much we can achieve , together
with sailing enthusiasts, by launching excellent projects for the future.
Wishing you all a great race and fair winds.
The
Mayor of Ravenna
Fabrizio Matteucci
Memorial - Roberto Trombini
The type of competition which distinguishes Match Race challenges is undoubtedly
the feature which more than any other identifies with Roberto Trombini
in the determined yatchsman as we knew him during the numerous duels experienced
together at sea. In the seventies and eighties he passed from olympic
onshore boats to offshore yachts, as owner and skipper, participating
in the Trieste and Naples Ton Cups always with national teams. He had
great success with the yachts Felipe, Ovosodo and Garibaldi, from the
Italian championships at Castiglione della Pescaia in 1974 to the Mediterranean
championships in 1977 at Palma di Majorca to the Italian championships
of Anzio and Cala Galera in 1977 and 1982, just to mention a few. A sort
of spontaneous rivalry with Raul Gardini lead us to spend many winter
weekends in improvised competions using similar yachts. In every case
Roberto was always the helmsman or the skipper who sailed his own boat
in regattas, never having made use of professional yachtsmen, he loved
to win or lose personally, together with his team.
Tino Giannella
“ It all started in a restaurant on the beach at Marina di Ravenna,
it was summer 1996, probably July, the table was laid, a plate of pasta,
mutton chops with baked potatoes and tomatoes, the first rough sketches
of Tom 28 on the back of a menu.
I was with Andrea Trombini, Matteo Plazzi, Tino Gianella and other match
racing friends.
Some of those present wanted to buy a production boat adapted from the
One Design.
Andrea was in no doubt at all, he wanted his boat, different from the
others, to have a first class event, the best, and he was right.
Together with Matteo and Tino we decided on the length, 28 feet, which
we thought to be ideal for racing within the harbour, 4 crew members ….
the perfect choice.
The Tom 28 was the first boat in the world to be designed specifically
for match racing and is still today a point of reference.
Over coffee we discussed the stern, should it be open or closed ? Andrea
wanted the classic closed design but in the end we opted for the more
modern and functional open stern, on hindsight it was the right option.
From the beginning there were no doubts on the colour, green deck, white
hull like Ted Turner’s 12 metres ‘Courageous’ but also
like my ‘Forza Giò’ one of my first projects of the
1980’s, a Quarter Tonner for the IOR class built of cedar lamellate
and epoxy coated at the boatyard De Cesari of Cervia at that same time
Roberto Trombini’s One Tonner ‘Garibaldi’ was being
built.
The Tom 28 was my first project for a match race boat, it is a fascinating
and enthralling sport, much more exciting than any of the other sailing
classes.
The one-to-one races bring to mind the ancient knights’ challenges,
there is no second place, only the winner, an epic regatta.
I have carried on, thanks to the success of the Tom 28 in match racing
and approval of top helms; Russel Coutts, Peter Holmberg, Magnus Holmberg,
James Spithill, Jens Gram Hansen, Chris Law, and the Italians Matteo Simoncelli
and Paolo Cian.
For the last 7 years designing match race boats has been one of my full
time activities. Firstly as principle designer or, more specifically,
project manager for Vincenzo Onorato’s ‘Mascalzone Latino’
(New Zealand 2003) then for the last America’s Cup in Valencia in
the same role for team +39 challenge and the Lake Garda challenge with
my Ita 85 with the up and coming helm of match racing Ian Percy.
The +39 challenge left me with some regrets, I designed a very good boat
which improved day by day, some say it was one of the most innovative,
we had excellent teams and shore staff but the mismanagement of financial
resources did not allow the necessary preparation for a challenge such
as the America’s Cup. My only regret, therefore, was that the boat
could not reach full potential.
It was, however, another very important stage of my professional life.
The Tom 28 is different from the America’s Cup boats, different
sizes, different budgets but the same approach. Starting with a project
from ideas together with the owner, sometimes sketched on a piece of paper
in a restaurant, later developed and analysed until it is transformed
into reality then, when it is finished, sea trials to optimise every single
detail.
The projects for the America’s Cup, or for the smaller Tom 28, entail
the same sort of problems - the big difference is the time which is needed
for the America’s Cup, studying each detail takes years of research.
The Tom 28 has a father in Andrea Trombini, and in me – well I am
the one who translated the wish to have an innovative boat, safe and fast
on the waters of inner harbour, into reality.
The owner or patron is very important, he forms the teams, motivates them
and provides the resources to go ahead, even when things get tough.
This concept, which is very evident in sailing where there is an alliance
between the boat and the team, is highlighted in the America’s Cup.
At the core of each sporting or business success or failure there is always
a man with a team surrounding him.
Together with Tino, Matteo, myself - and Tom 28 – Andrea has been
able to transform the Roberto Trombini Challenge Trophy event into becoming
a point of reference in world sailing by creating a strong a motivated
team around him.
And now, 10 years on, I am ready with another blank sheet of paper to
take on new challenges together with Andrea. “
Giovanni Ceccarelli
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