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Recent
yachting
and boating events covered by Outimage Publications |
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Audi Winter
Series
2009 - Sydney. |
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RORC Caribbean
600
Antigua
February 23-25, 2009.
Photographs by
Carlo Borlenghi
and Stefano Gattini. |
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Volvo Ocean Race
2008-2009. |
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61st Brisbane to Gladstone
Yacht Race 2009. |
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Audi Sydney
Offshore Newcastle
Yacht Race 2009. |
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XXV Primo Cup
Trophée Credit Suisse
Montecarlo, Feb 5-15, 2009.
Photographs by
Carlo Borlenghi. |
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Louis Vuitton
Pacific Series
Auckland New Zealand,
Jan 24 - Feb 14, 2009.
Photographs by
Stefano Gattini. |
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| The 2008 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race |
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| The 2008 SOLAS Big Boat Challenge 2008. |
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| The 2008
Rolex Trophy One Design Series |
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Sydney
Short Ocean
Racing Championship
November 29-30, 2008. |
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Rolex Middle Sea Race 2008 Valletta, Malta.
October 18 - 25, 2008. |
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Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy
September 1 - 6, 2008. |
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| Sydney
to Gold Coast Yacht Race 2008. |
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Giraglia
Rolex Cup 2008
Saint-Tropez France
Genova Italy
June 8 - 14, 2008. |
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Rolex Farr
40 Worlds 2008
Miami Beach, Florida |
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| Grand Banks
Rendevzous, Hawkesbury River NSW Australia 2008. |
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| Lack of wind, luck for Emilia and Bona. |
| by the Portofino Rolex Trophy Media Team |
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Photos By
Carlo Borlenghi for Rolex.
Edited by Peter Andrews. |
May 10, 2009. |
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Portofino’s
Harbour Clears of Classics, Dinner at La Cervara and Varuna’s
Centennial
Portofino glowed brightly this morning with solid sunshine
as Portofino Rolex Trophy participants readied in the dock
for the final day of racing in this weekend’s classic
yacht regatta. While offshore in the Ligurian sea the wind
was up to twenty knots with a moderate sea state, along
the coast and in the gulf there were more waves than wind.
With the classics often needing a minimum of eight knots
to get going, racing was postponed until mid-day and then
eventually cancelled as the south-easterly breeze barely
hit six knots. |
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Luigi Donna's Varuna and
Gabriele De Bono's Cintra, during the
Portofino Rolex Trophy 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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| The prize giving
ceremony took place at 16.00 in the main Piazzetta. The overall
winners in the 12-Metre and 8-Metre Classes were Emilia and
Bona respectively, both taking home a coveted Rolex Yacht-Master
Rolesium in addition to their trophies. Cintra placed 2nd
overall followed by Varuna in 3rd for the 12-Metre Class,
while it was Elsinore in 2nd and Helen in 3rd in the 8-Metre
Class. |
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Giovanni Mogna and crew from Bona with
their prizes after the presentations for the Portofino
Rolex Trophy 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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| "This year
we tried to do a test with the metre classes," said
Dr. Carlo Croce, president of the Yacht Club Italiano and
president of the Italian Sailing Federation. "In October
of 2008, when we decided to go ahead with the regatta, the
2009 race calendar was already very busy, so it was difficult
to find a good place for this year’s Portofino Rolex
Trophy. We are very optimistic for next year as we could
have as many as 50 boats, hopefully including the international
J-Class, and we will begin planning for next year as of tomorrow." |
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Ambiance on the docks, Portofino
Rolex Trophy 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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| The Portofino
Rolex Trophy is organized by the Yacht Club Italiano, in
collaboration with Circolo Velico of Santa Margherita Ligure
and under the patronage of the Cities of Portofino and Santa
Margherita Ligure. |
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La Cervara.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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Social
complement to the Portofino Rolex Trophy: La Cervara
Last night participants of the Portofino Rolex Trophy flocked
to La Cervara for the Rolex Dinner Party, the social highlight
of the regatta calendar. Declared a national monument in
1912, this historic Benedictine complex welcomed guests
for an evening of local specialties, live music and an
unrivalled view over the Gulf of Tigullio.
Surrounded by ancient Mediterranean woods, La Cervara is
an abbey (Abbazia di San Girolamo) in the hills between
Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure. For the evening’s
festivities the gardens were delicately lit and the statues
slowly moved, coming to life before dinner, much to the
entertainment of the 400 some party guests.
As the day’s light faded, the coast began to twinkle
and all made their way to the tables as the full moon rose,
orange and large, in the evening sky. The dinner party
was in honour of the Portofino Rolex Trophy, this weekend’s
classic yacht regatta that found its perfect social complement
in this historic Italian monument, founded in 1396. |
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La Cervara.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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La Cervara contains
marvellous Italian-style gardens, a church, cloister and
buildings that once hosted illustrious names of history,
literature and the Christian faith. The first stones were
laid in the summer of 1361 by the resident Benedictine monks
in the name of San Girolamo.
What was once their vegetable garden is now the only Italian-style
monumental garden in the Liguria region. Extending over
two levels that are connected by arbours and steps, the
gorgeously well-tended garden is home to a variety of enchanting
species and has been included on the exclusive list of "Great
Italian Gardens."
The Cervara complex has since changed hands many times
and has undergone many modifications and modernisations
over the following centuries. The current owners purchased
the complex in 1990 and instigated important recovery and
restoration projects under the supervision of the Ligurian
Office of Natural and Architectural Properties. Architect
Mide Osculati oversaw the project and Pinin Brambilla Barcilon,
the celebrated specialist who restored Leonardo da Vinci’s "Last
Supper," reconditioned the paintings inside La Cervara. |
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Luigi Donna's Varuna,
during the Portofino Rolex Trophy 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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Varuna,
racing with the Hindu Gods for over 100 years
Originally launched in 1909 as White Heather, this yacht
is thought to have been constructed in accordance with
the 1906 International Rule for the 12-Metre Class. In
accordance with her owner’s wishes, Alexander Richardson
designed White Heather’s hull to resemble the yacht
Britannia, and she was even fondly nicknamed "Little
Britannia" in honour of this likeness.
Tragically, a majority of the shipyard archives were destroyed
during World War I, so not much is known about the yacht’s
original construction or her early history. What is known
is that in the 1930s she underwent a transformation from
a gaff rig into an easier-to-handle Marconi rig, along
with other changes including an engine and, more importantly,
a new name inspired by the Hindu God of the rivers and
oceans: Varuna.
The last 30 years of the 20th century saw Varuna suffer
from neglect in various Mediterranean and Caribbean ports
and she was eventually abandoned. While this may have meant
the end for Varuna, perhaps the Gods had other plans as
fate led her elsewhere. |
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Luigi Donna's Varuna,
during the Portofino Rolex Trophy 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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In the 1990’s
she was transferred to the Imperia Shipyard in Italy where
she eventually underwent a three-year restoration. With limited
archive information recovered from the British museum, architect
Franco Giorgetti was able to restore Veruna’s interior
in accordance with her original layout.
Her hull was repainted it’s original black and the
initial Burmese teak planking, which was in remarkable
near-perfect condition, was reused in her restoration.
Varuna stands out in any fleet with her mid-ship doghouse,
dark black hull and towering gaff rig. Varuna is currently
owned by Wanda and Luigi Donna and is here in Portofino
this weekend for the premiere edition of the Portofino
Rolex Trophy. |
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Luigi Donna's Varuna,
during the Portofino Rolex Trophy 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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| The Portofino
Rolex Trophy is part of the Rolex Yachting Portfolio that
includes over twenty world-class sailing events that take
place around the world. Rolex is also the title sponsor of
classic races such as the Rolex Sydney Hobart, the Rolex
Middle Sea Race and the legendary Rolex Fastnet Race. |
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| For more information
about the host club, Yacht Club Italiano, and the Portofino
Rolex Trophy, please visit their website at www.yachtclubitaliano.it. |
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| Outimage and
Rolex © 2009 |
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| Scuttlebutt Europe Daily News Feed. |
| Produced by boats.com Europe, Scuttlebutt Europe is a digest of sailing news and opinion, regatta results, new boat and gear information and letters from sailors. |
| To the Scuttlebutt Europe Daily News Feed Page. |
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