| Racing cancelled
while onshore exhibition enriches historic spirits. |
by the Portofino Rolex Trophy
Media Team
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Photos
By Carlo
Borlenghi for Rolex.
Edited by Peter Andrews. |
May 9, 2009. |
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Today Portofino greeted regatta participants with warm rays of sunshine and a light south-easterly breeze. The harbour was awash in colour as crews met for the morning weather briefing at the Yacht Club Italiano.
Light winds of 5-6 knots were forecast for the day, however with the wind and the sea more calm than expected, the 11.00 warning signal never sounded and racing was postponed for lack of wind. By 13.00 the fleet had returned to the harbour, waiting without luck for an afternoon breeze to build and racing for the day was later cancelled.
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Ambiance on the docks, Portofino Rolex
Trophy 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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Racing will continue through tomorrow 10 May, with the prize-giving ceremony taking place directly following the last race of the day.
In addition to the vintage-era racing on the water, the Portofino Rolex Trophy has also filled the onshore area of this small Italian port village with maritime history. On display in Portofino’s Piazzetta is an exhibition of historic wooden one-design boats, organized in conjunction with Italy’s Old Wooden Skiff Society. |
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Luigi Donna's Varuna, during the Portofino
Rolex Trophy 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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The foundation was born from a small group of friends a little over three years ago. But while the they may have started small, the Old Wooden Skiff Society grew very quickly to over 400 passionate members, in large part due to the support of the current President of the Italian Sailing Federation, Carlo Croce, "We now have approximately 200 wooden boats that are part of the society," explained Luca Ciomei, President of the Old Wooden Skiff Society.
Ciomei jokes, "If God wanted boats to be made of fibreglass, he would have made the trees of carbon fibre," he says laughing. "But being serious, restoring an old wooden boat yourself is an important and natural experience in which you will find something. No matter who you are, it will nourish your soul, your head, your hands. when you touch a wooden boat you turn something on in your spirit." |
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Old Wooden Boat exhibition, during
the Portofino Rolex Trophy 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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The historic exhibition in Portofino’s Piazzetta highlights yachts dating from 1936 and features boats representing Star, Class A, Finn, Snipe, Flying Dutchman, Contender, Fireball, Flying Junior, Vaurien, 7M and 5.5M classes. This exhibition, combined with the boats that are racing, help paint a true picture of sailing's history, a passage through the evolution of this sport, art and pastime.
One of the very first 12-Metres still sailing strong is Gabriele De Bono’s Cintra. Cintra is celebrating her centennial this year as one of the oldest 12-Metres still in existence, matched only for longevity by Varuna and Magnolia. Fully restored and active on the sailing circuit, Cintra is racing in the 12-Metre Class this weekend in the Portofino Rolex Trophy. |
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Gabriele De Bono's Cintra, during
the Portofino Rolex Trophy 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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Designed and built to the First International Rule in 1909 by the celebrated Scottish architect William Fife III, Cintra was originally made for Andrew Coats, a well-known Scottish yachtsman. Cintra was highly competitive from the beginning, sailing fast in light winds, and she collected thirteen wins, seven second-places and four third-places (out of thirty-three races) during her 1909 first season.
Cintra continued to race and placed well over the next few years although the 12-Metre class suffered a fairly rapid decline from 1912 to 1913 due to the lack of new construction in the class. Cintra was eventually sold, and by 1919 her new homeport was Oslo. Cintra raced in Scandinavian waters throughout World War I, changing owners several times before her last official race, the 1956 Round The Island Race, following which Cintra’s history becomes vague. |
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Gabriele De Bono's Cintra,
during the Portofino Rolex Trophy 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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| Some thought she had disappeared, but in fact Cintra, although extensively modified and abandoned, was still afloat in the Thames and was discovered in 1990 by William Collier. In a 1984 transformation her elegant shape had been shortened, her rig cut down and her keel removed, replaced by a two-level deckhouse and a large engine, but she had survived the passage of time. Collier alerted classic yacht aficionado Alberto Rusconi about the discovery, and Rusconi immediately sent Cintra to naval architects Giorgetti and Magrini, based in La Bussola shipyard in Fiumcino, Italy, for extensive restoration. |
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The interior of Gabriele De Bono's Cintra,
during the Portofino Rolex Trophy 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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| The work was difficult
as there were few historical documents detailing Cintra’s
original design. However, following exhaustive research and
nine years of workmanship, Cintra was eventually restored to
the beauty and elegance of her youth, complete with her original
design and shape. This restoration all but ensured the survival
of one of the few remaining yachts designed under the First
International Rule. |
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Gabriele De Bono's Cintra,
during the Portofino Rolex Trophy 2009.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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| Cintra has since
changed hands and undergone additional restoration and reconditioning
in 2002 and in 2006. Currently owned by Mister Gabriele De
Bono, Cintra has continued to race with classic yachts in much
of the Mediterranean and has joined the Portofino Rolex Trophy
this year, one of three boats in the fleet that is celebrating
a centenary this year. |
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Luigi Donna's Varuna, Gabriele De Bono's
Cintra, and Marco Riccardo Gastaldi's Emilia, 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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