After 11 days 16 hours 17 minutes and 55 seconds, Ambrogio Beccaria on “Alla Grande – Pirelli” crosses the finish line of The Transat CIC in first position in the Class40 category
Ambrogio Beccaria finished in first place in the Class40 category, the historic solo transatlantic from Lorient to New York, crossing the finish line at 5.47am (Italian time), after 11 days 16 hours 17 minutes and 55 seconds at sea and with a effective average speed of 11.70 knots. During the race Beccaria never lost the top positions of the fleet, and then took the lead halfway through the race, maintaining it, with the exception of a few short stretches, until the end. With adverse weather and rigid temperatures typical of the North Atlantic, between waves, 40 knot winds and contrary currents, the Italian skipper proved to be solid from a strategic point of view and his boat “Alla Grande – Pirelli”, a class40 of the latest generation designed by Gianluca Guelfi, it has proven to be fast and high-performance even in these conditions.
“I did exactly the regatta I dreamed of, I hoped it would really go like this… I knew it would It was full of pitfalls and I wanted to do it in the right spirit. I never lost heart and gave everything what I had”, comments Beccaria while still on board “Alla Grande – Pirelli”. “It was a tough race, the hardest I’ve done, but it’s also the one I perhaps managed best. The Transat was a completely new race for me: sailing outside the trade winds is actually wonderful, because the weather changes constantly”.
The finish line of The Transat CIC is located 100 miles from the city of New York: “Cutting the line in the middle of nowhere was a psychedelic experience, between the fog and the lack of sleep it was truly strange!”, Ambrogio concludes that he will have still about 12 hours of navigation before arriving in the Big Apple.
Ambrogio Beccaria, who had already won the Transat Jacques Vabre last November, as well as the Normandy Channel Race 2023 and the 40′ Malouine Lamotte, brings home his fourth victory in a row and confirms himself as the undisputed champion of Italian ocean sailing as well as one of the strongest ocean sailors of his generation. The nominations for two awards testify to his success: “Sailor of the Year”, organized by “Il Giornale della Vela” on May 25th, and “Sailor of the Year of the Italian Sailing Federation” which will be awarded on May 27th in Genoa . Beccaria is also supported in this sporting season by the main and lead sponsor Pirelli and by the global sponsor Mapei. Sponsors Banca Passadore and K-Way have also been added.
Regatta news: a war of jibes
As per the weather forecast, the fifteenth edition of The Transat CIC immediately proved to be a very tough regatta: Ambrogio was second, behind Nicolas d’Estais and ahead of his all-time rival, the very strong Ian Lipinski. Together they lead the fleet until halfway through the race when “Alla Grande – Pirelli”, after a war of jibes with their opponents, managed to gain the lead. In just one day, Beccaria conquered more than 80 miles making impressive speeds worthy of his opponents in the IMOCA 60 class, many of whom were overtaken by “Alla Grande – Pirelli” during his sprint towards New York. After four depressions in a row, there is numerous damage on board, including the loss of Code Zero at the masthead during a manoeuvre. Ambrogio doesn’t give up, he makes amendsa bulkhead that threatened to delaminate, fixes the bowsprit straightening system and the engine belt that it uses to produce energy. The miles gained, however, are soon lost because in crossing a completely windless ridge his pursuer, Ian Lipinski, recovers all the delay and overtakes him. Also thanks to the Gulf Stream which slows down a lot, the two sail for several days a few miles away from each other. After a thrilling match race and a last stormy night, Ambrogio aboard “Alla Grande – Pirelli crosses the finish line in the lead, about thirty miles from his pursuer.
The Transat CIC: the mother of all solo races
Originally organized by the Royal Western Yacht Club (RWYC) and sponsored by the English newspaper “The Observer”, from which the acronym OSTAR (Observer Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race) derives, it was invented in 1960 by Lieutenant Colonel Herbert “Blondie” Hasler . Born as a bet and won in its first edition by Sir Francis Chichester, it has become a legendary regatta over the years, changing its name and ports of departure or arrival numerous times, but still remaining an essential oceanic challenge today.
The Transat has taken place every 4 years since 1960 and has seen sailing the greatest ocean sailors ever, in addition to Sir Francis Chichester: Eric Tabarly, Philippe Poupon, Michel Desjoyeaux, Loïck Peyron, Francis Joyon, François Gabart and Giovanni Soldini, who he won it twice: in 1996 with the Open 50 and in 2008 with the Class 40.
There were many Italians at Ostar: Alex Carozzo first in 1968, then among others Franco Faggioni in ’72, Ida Castiglioni in 1976, still today the only Italian woman to have participated, Edoardo Austoni, Franco Malingri, Vittorio Malingri, Giovanni Soldini and then in the non-professional edition Franco Manzoli (who won it overall in 2009), Andrea Mura (who won it in his class in 2013 and 2017) and Michele Zambelli.
