Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, la crew list di Team Shosholoza

Louis Vuitton Pacific Series – Valencia – A distanza di pochi mesi dall’ultima uscita ufficiale – la Barcolana di Trieste – l’equipaggio di Team Shosholoza è tornato a radunarsi per prepararsi in vista delle Louis Vuitton Pacific Series.

Tanti i volti nuovi che sono entrati a far parte del team guidato dal Comandante Salvatore Sarno e guidato dallo skipper Paolo Cian, affiancato dal tattico Tommaso Chieffi. Si può tranquillamente affermare che a bordo di RSA-83 la lingua di riferimento è l’italiano: ben dodici dei componenti il sailing team sono infatti nostri connazionali e appartengono in buona parte al Gruppo Sportivo delle Fiamme Gialle. Oltre a tutto il team che solitamente lo affianca nel World Match Racing Tour – Paolo Cian, reduce da una buona stagione, è attualmente il numero 4 al mondo – Cian e Chieffi hanno inserito nel gruppo, oltre ad alcuni debuttanti, alcuni velisti di +39 Challenge, di Mascalzone Latino e di Luna Rossa.

“Il primo giorno di allenamento non è stato certo indimenticabile: il mare era mosso ed era freddissimo – ha commentato il timoniere partenopeo – Ma da quando siamo arrivati le condizioni meteo sono migliorate molto”.

Nel corso dei dieci giorni di allenamento, RSA-83, rientrata da alcune settimane dalla trasferta triestina, si misurerà con gli equipaggi di Damiani Italia, Luna Rossa e Alinghi, tutti intenti a raffinare la preparazione in vista del nuovo evento griffato Louis Vuitton, in programma tra l’1 e il 14 febbraio.

Team Shosholoza, Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, crew list
Prodiere – Pietro Mantovani
Aiuto prodiere – Giuseppe Leonardi
Albero – Charles Nankin
Drizzista – Guido Antar Vigna
Aiuto drizze- Solomon Dipeere
Aiuto drizze- Santino Brizzi
Aiuto drizze – Massimo Gherarducci
Grinder – Massimo Paradiso
Grinder – Reinhardt Rauscher
Tailer – Salvatore Pavoni
Tailer – Pierluigi De Felice
Grinder – Cameron Wills
Traveller – Pierluigi Fornelli
Randista – David Rae
Timoniere – Paolo Cian
Tattico – Tommaso Chieffi
Stratega – Cameron Appleton
Navigatore – Francesco Mongelli
Grinder – Andrea Pavan
Grinder – Moctar Fall
Grinder – Vernon Neville

Team Principal – Salvatore Sarno
Shore team manager – Jo Lees

SHOSHOLOZA BACK IN VALENCIA TO TRAIN FOR NEW LOUIS VUITTON PACIFIC SERIES
[singlepic=1357,170,250,,left][Team Shosholoza Press Release] South Africa’s Team Shosholoza plan to start 2009 on a high “downunder” in New Zealand when they come up against nine crack international teams from eight countries competing in the first ever Louis Vuitton Pacific Match Racing Series starting on 30 January in Auckland.

The new series has attracted the cream of the America’s Cup including 2007 winners the Swiss Team Alinghi, runners up Emirates Team New Zealand, Italy’s Luna Rossa and the USA’s BMW Oracle Racing. Britain’s Team Origin, France’s K-Challenge, China Team, the new Damiani Italia and a recently formed Greek Challenge make up the rest of the contesting fleet.

The teams will take turns in racing one-on-one on Team New Zealand‘s yachts NZL-92 and NZL-84 and BMW Oracle Racing‘s yachts USA-87 and USA-98. There will be six races each day in Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour and a daily draw to decide which yacht competing teams will sail that day.

Meanwhile despite the icy cold spell in Europe, the Shosholoza team selected for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series has arrived at the South African base in Valencia, Spain, where they are holding an intensive 10 day sail training session aboard yacht Shosholoza RSA-83 before heading south to New Zealand.

“Our first day back on Shosholoza was a little tough because the sea was bouncy and choppy and very very cold! We left the dock in miserable seven degree gloom and rain but the guys were eager to get going and the weather has improved daily since then,” said Shosholoza skipper and helmsman Paolo Cian.

The training session in Valencia will also include practice races against Damiani Italia, Luna Rossa and Team Alinghi who are also in Valencia for sail training. There will be a further week’s practice racing for all the teams from 24 – 29th January in New Zealand.

Shosholoza is at the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series after making her debut at the 2007 America’s Cup. The team was the first ever challenger from the African continent in the 156 year history of sailing’s most prestigious contest. Celebrated for their gutsy, “can do” attitude the team, comprising mainly amateur club sailors with no previous America’s Cup experience, felt victorious as first timers to bow out of the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup in 7th place ahead of the French, Italy’s +39, the Germans and China.

Italy’s Paolo Cian and Tommaso Chieffi were among those who brought America’s Cup expertise and international professional experience to the fledgling South African team in Valencia and they will be on board again in Auckland as skipper and tactician respectively. Shosholoza‘s make-up in New Zealand will hence be more international with South African and Italian sailors making up the rest of the team.

Cian and his crack match racing team who ensured a high profile presence for Team Shosholoza on the 2008 World Match Racing Tour will form the core of the Shosholoza crew in Auckland. Cian is No 4 in the Open Ranking of the ISAF world match racing rankings after holding the no 3 spot throughout 2008 – only slipping to 4th with the final rankings release on 17th December. He is currently 7th on the 2008 World Championship Leaderboard of the World Match Racing Tour.

Shosholoza sailors from the 2007 America’s Cup on board for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series include Charles Nankin (mast man), David Rae (main trimmer), Solomon Dipeere (pitman) and grinders Reinhardt Rauscher, Cameron Wills and Moctar Fall. Jo Lees will manage the shore activities. New to the team is Zimbabwean born Vernon Neville, a top athlete who grew up in South Africa and later became a professional sailor. Neville was a grinder with Italian Louis Vuitton Cup finalists Luna Rossa in the 2007 America’s Cup and previously with the America’s Cup challenger, Team Prada.

Shosholoza founding managing director Captain Salvatore Sarno said Shosholoza had a tremendous 2008 even though continued court action between Alinghi and BMW Oracle keeps the America’s Cup on hold.

“We should have already been well into preliminary regattas for the 33rd America’s Cup. But new and unexpected opportunities such as the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series have come our way. They have allowed us to bring some members of the 2007 America’s Cup team together again and still generate excellent exposure for our sponsors MSC Crociere and Breil Milano. We are deeply grateful to them for remaining loyal to their investment in us and we are confident 2009 will bring more great opportunities for Team Shosholoza” said Captain Sarno.

Team Shosholoza, Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, crew list
Bowman – Pietro Mantovani
Mid-bow – Giuseppe Leonardi
Mast – Charles Nankin
Pit man – Guido Antar Vigna
Pit assist – Solomon Dipeere
Pit assist – Santino Brizzi
Back up pit – Massimo Gherarducci
Grinder – Massimo Paradiso
Grinder – Reinhardt Rauscher
Up-wind trimmer – Salvatore Pavoni
Down-wind trimmer – Pierluigi De Felice
Grinder – Cameron Wills
Traveller – Pierluigi Fornelli
Main trimmer – David Rae
Helmsman – Paolo Cian
Tactician – Tommaso Chieffi
Strategist – Cameron Appleton
Navigator – Francesco Mongelli
Grinder – Andrea Pavan
Grinder – Moctar Fall
Grinder – Vernon Neville

Team Principal – Salvatore Sarno
Shore team manager – Jo Lees

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