Press Release august
29th 2006
SOLITAIRE AFFLELOU LE FIGARO
NANNI DIESEL FINISHES THE SOLITAIRE AFFLELOU LE FIGARO PLACED 20TH.
Pietro D’Alì: “ I will be back….to win”
In difficulty during the entire
Solitaire event due to speed even when sailing under spinnaker, the Italian
skipper – Pietro D’Alì finished the 4th and final leg - from Dingle
to Concarneau – yesterday (Monday) in 11th place, only two hours and
21 minutes after the winner of this leg: Gérald Veniard. Within the general
classification, reported by Nicolas Troussel, the Nanni Diesel skipper closes
this event in 20th place amongst 44 competitors. He therefore comes
full circle in this magnificent season (winner of the Transat AG2R, 2nd in the
‘Solo Med’ ) and assures us that he will return next year….much stronger. To win.
“ My assessment is that
I am obviously disappointed with my classification, considering I came
here to compete as a protagonist. But I found my self in difficulty due to a
speed problem even with the spinnaker and was not in a position to truly
increase my chances. That’s the bottom line: if one does not have the correct
speed at all moments, one cannot hope to win such a high level event…but I
still thoroughly enjoyed it, learnt a lot and will return next year and do my best
to win”. This
morning, along the Concarneau wharf, Pietro D’Alì’s spirits are still high,
after recuperating for just one night and half a day following “an extremely tough last leg” from Dingle
to Concarneau in which the entire fleet started off with strong winds (up to 30
knots) before finding themselves stuck in an area totally void of wind just
“An extraordinary season”
Pietro
D’Alì himself, achieved a good result in this last leg having arrived in 11th
place, but, obviously is not totally satisfied. “I got off to a good start from Dingle and all went well until I
reached Fastnet; after that I made a couple of small errors and above all my
lack of speed prevented me from gaining ground and going for ‘the win’! On
arrival I felt exhausted and disappointed. One cannot always win and I have,
however, had a formidable season – winning the Transat and gaining 2nd place in
the Solo Med’. With sailing one can easily take part in world championships all
one’s life without winning one single event!” The Nanni Diesel skipper is most
certainly not one to ‘lose heart’!
Pietro
D’Alì will most certainly return and take part in the next ‘Solitaire’. “I have full intentions to return and…why
not….fulfil my dream of winning this event. It is, in any case, the best
possible preparation towards the project of a bigger boat and one day taking part in the Vendée Globe”, affirms
the Italian skipper.
For
the moment, Pietro D’Alì will allow himself of few more days of rest before
involving himself in other nautical ventures. He will then move on to the FARR
20 world championships at
Results, ranks, interviews ,
photos in the official website www.lasolitaire.com
Press Release august
24th 2006
SOLITAIRE AFFLELOU LE FIGARO
Pietro D’Alì, 18th upon arrival at Dingle: “ I will do my best in the last leg”
Tuesday, in the
Bay of Dingle where not less than 35 boats out of
During last night, amidst the Irish fog, Pietro D’Alì
crossed the finishing line a 0,46just 10 minutes and 9 seconds after the winner
Gérard Véniard (Scutum) who succeeded in gaining the lead just one hundred
meters from the finish, in front of Eric Drouglazet (Pixmania com)and the
debutant Gildas Mahé (Le Comptir Immobilier).
After a tough battle lasting 3 ½ days along
“Any one of the boats could have won” A victim of data
processing problems that penalized him at the start of the first leg, Pietro
D’Alì has not been too successful in this leg from Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie to
Dingle. But.. he looks for no
excuse and is ready resume his sailing. “I made a slight mistake at the start,
which put me behind. But I gained some ground during the first and second night
when I came close to the first 10. There was not much wind along the coast. The
third night was then very strange as the forecast did not coincide to what had
been foreseen, and twice the wind dropped completely; there was a very dense
fog and visibility was zero; the finish was absolutely incredible and any boat
could have won”
This is what high sea regatta are all about. Up to now there has been only one ‘classic’ leg ( the
first one) and two others which have been extreme: with incredible gusts
between Santander and Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
and the other with this arrival with so many boats so close which has
never ever happened in 37 events of the Solitaire.
Pietro D’Alì has perhaps not achieved, for the moment,
the results he had hoped for, but his spirits are still strong. “ One cannot always win” explains Mauro
Piani, the Nanni Diesel sports director.”The
Solitaire history has proven its difficulty, and only skippers such as Jean Le
Cam or Philippe Poupon have confirmed this and not always on board the same
boat. The standard is very high and homogeneous. One must not forget that
Pietro could have won last year…Therefore, even though we have the desire to
take part in the Vendée Globe, we will return to the Solitaire; it is extremely
formative; look at Michel Desjoyeaux and Alain Gautier who initially won this
regatta before winning the Vendée Globe….”
Pietro, at the end of this leg..slept,
he slept a lot. “tough,
very tough, extremely cold..impossible to remain
constantly out on deck.” What now? “Now
there is one more leg to go, most certainly with a lot of wind, and I will give
it my ‘all’ to achieve a good result. As I always do.”
The boats set out again on Friday towards Concarneau
for the fourth and final leg of this Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro.
Results, ranks, interviews ,
photos in the official website www.lasolitaire.com
Press Release august
17th 2006
SOLITAIRE AFFLELOU LE FIGARO
Pietro D’Alì (Nanni
Diesel): “ an attempt at winning one leg”.
The Santander-Saint Gilles Croix de Vie leg, although
the shortest in this regatta, was absolutely incredible: two skippers, Nicolas
Troussel and Thierry Chabagny, choosing
an extreme westward course, won this leg distancing by a good ten hours the
rest of the fleet: an unprecedented event. Pietro D’Alì, on board Nanni Diesel,
following the direct course towards east, was deceived, similarly to the other
42 participants, by an area hit by a total absence of wind for a period of 12
hours. Currently in 19th position within the general classification,
the Nanni Diesel skipper is still determined to give his best and even attempt
to perhaps win one of the last two legs. The fleet will take off once again
tomorrow morning, this time towards
“I do not intend to keep an eye on the general
classification. This leg, although the shortest, has been incredible: the
weather forecast was constantly wrong and all weather conditions, apart form a bit of luck, favoured the two boats which were
in the lead. Troussel and Chabagny are both very quick and great sailors; the
advantage they now have is impossible to catch up on.” , On the wharf in
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, although placed 23rd in this last leg and
with over 11 hours distance from those in the lead – placing him 19th
in the general classification – Pietro D’Alì remains positive. Obviously the
Nanni Diesel skipper was hoping to achieve more, but he is also aware that “ These situations are also part of high-sea
sailing! At times incomprehensible events take place. Having said that, amongst
those in my group following the course towards east, I believed I was sailing
well, searching for even the tiniest gust in order to move ahead, always in
contact with the best. For a long period
I was in a group with Nicolas Bérenger and we thought we were in a good
position, amongst the first 10, and then it all became similar to a lottery and
we were all astounded….there was absolutely no wind, the opposite to what the
weather forecast had foreseen.”
Tomorrow: the departure towards
Having
overcome yesterday’s disappointment and after a good sleep, Pietro D’Alì is
once again in good spirits. Therefore, he is not dwelling on the general
classification which currently seems inaccessible with the advantage gained by
Nicolas Troussel and Thierry Chabagny. But it is certainly not the moment to
give up on the race. “As always, my
desire is to sail. To sail well and be in contact with the best, attempt to
remain amongst the first ten and then, perhaps, to be blessed with a touch of luck
which at times allows one to transform a 10th place with a 1st……
What I wish to attempt right now is to win one
of the two remaining legs, to navigate in a correct manner, and enjoy myself.
The boat is in perfect condition , even though I have
not yet reached the same speed as last year in the Solitaire….. .but I am
working on it1 The other positive point is that I am
more aware of the needs of my body and recuperate better.”
This last
element relative to the physical conditions of the sailors is extremely
important as the time they have in which to recuperate is very limited:
already, tomorrow morning, the regatta committee will announce the departure of
one more long and difficult leg, without doubt with the wind against them,
towards Dingle, Ireland: their next destination. It is not yet known if the
course will be shortened or not (
But what is
known that it will be yet another great adventure, the third, second-last, of this 37th
edition of the Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro. Two more legs
for the Nanni Diesel skipper, in which he can try to stand out. We
already knew that that was his intention. Starting tomorrow.
Press Release august
14th 2006
SOLITAIRE AFFLELOU LE FIGARO
Pietro D’Alì (Nanni
Diesel) on his way in the 2nd leg
Along with the
other 43 competitors in the Soitaire Afflelou Le Figaro, Pietro D’Alì left
“I am certain that Pietro will do his best; after that….what will happen
is already written, and it will be his destiny which will, at the end, decide.” Having joined her
‘family’ in order to encourage her skipper, Amalia Festa, Nanni Diesel
President, yesterday, Sunday, was extremely philosophical whilst standing on
the Santander wharf just before the fleet picked up the moorings on their
departure for the 2nd leg of the Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro. Having arrived
18th, just one hour and forty minutes after the winner in the 1st leg from
Moreover, no feeling of resignation transpires.
Yesterday, at the departure in the magnificent
Then came a dark and difficult night, with
uncomfortable waves and a weak wind right on course which forcing – for the
moment – all the solitaire sailors to
sail close hauled to
tack their way back up wind. The zephyrs
are weak and for the moment not very significant. This Monday morning, August
14h, at the bearing at 4.30 am, Pietro D’Alì was placed 30th, just 3,
Mauro Piani, sports Director for the Nanni Diesel
Sailing Team, also remains philosophical:
“The ‘label’ of ‘favourite’ is not an easy image to
carry. In sailing and especially within the Figaro class, one of the most
arduous in the world, there are at least 15 professional boats that could win
instantly…Therefore they are all in it to …win…to be placed 15th. We shall just
wait and see; I know with all certainty that Pietro always gives his utmost to
emerge and achieve a good result. It is the best way to convince a sponsor to
accompany him along in a 60
ft boat design in order to
participate in the Vendée Globe.”
Results, ranks, interviews ,
photos in the official website www.lasolitaire.com
Press Release august
10th 2006
SOLITAIRE AFFLELOU LE FIGARO
Pietro D’Alì (Nanni
Diesel): “The race is still on”
Last night,
Wednesdasy 9th, at the end of the first leg of the Solitaire
Afflelou Le Figaro, Nanni Diesel reached
The race is still on. There are 3
legs to go”. Last night, upon arrival at
No intention
whatsoever of giving up. After all, the Vendée Globe hero and twice winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre Jean Pierre Dick
is worse of arriving 37th and 5 hours after the winner.. Eric Drouglazet
is also behind Pietro, whilst Kito de Pavant, the other great favourite arrived
12th, only 20 minutes ahead of Pietro D’Alì.
“We have thoroughly enjoyed it all”
There are still
nearly
Now, before
leaving for Saint Gilles Croix via Belle Ile next Sunday, Pietro and the other
43 skippers participating in this Solitaire have a few days during which they
can rest, recharge their batteries, examine the weather forecast… There will
most certainly be a lot of talk about the ideal weather conditions during this
first leg, including an ‘express’ crossing of the Gulf of Gascogne. There will
be a lot of comments about the sea and the beauty of sailing. “We thoroughly enjoyed it; there were some
exceptional long surfs, and magnificent sailing conditions. Whatever the
situation, I always feel great on the water”. The strain? “Compared
to last year, my sleeping pattern has improved – in fact I sleep whenever I
feel the need; I am able to manage my body a lot better and feel fine. My face though is totally
sunburnt…..I believe I waited too long before putting on some sun-cream!”
These are the
Nanni Diesel skipper’s last comments before going off to enjoy a deep
sleep and, perhaps, dream about the next
leg which will take them all once again towards France. It was going back up in
Spain last that year Pietro D’Alì
exhibited his best skills and where his talent was noticed by all those
interested in high sea sailing.
Results, ranks, interviews ,
photos in the official website www.lasolitaire.com
Tuesday August 8th 2006-08-08
SOLITAIRE AFFLELOU LE FIGARO
Pietro D’Alì – half way through the first leg and always competitive!
Following a superb take off from
Towards
“Kito de Pavant says that upon water I am a
killer?......But so is he!” Pietro D’alì, upon hearing this
anecdote at the start of the race on Sunday afternoon, immediately burst out
laughing! They are both great favourites considering they have won almost every
event this season, the Nanni Diesel and Group Bel skippers have already covered
half the course of this first leg of the Solitaire Afflelou to
Today,
Tuesday morning at 8.30am, the fleet of the 44 Solitaire sailors was in the
latitude of Concarneau, with Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert) and Charles Caudrelier
(Bostik) in the lead. Currently, weather conditions are excellent, with a
substantial north-easterly wind, the Figaro Bénéteau II are now moving down towards south in these
ideal conditions for any sailor, with great surfs and, at the moment, winds averaging 10 knots. Therefore…great fun
on board Nanni Diesel and generally for all the other boats taking part in this
Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro.
11.am
- this Tuesday morning
All is
going well for the Nanni Diesel skipper, who at 8.30am was in 11th
position, 6,5 from the leader. As a weakening in the wind is foreseen, with it possibly
totally disappearing by tomorrow in the vicinity of the Spanish coast, Pietro
d’Alì still stands a great chance of conquering a good position in this first
leg in
Pietro
D’Alì’s objective in relation to this first half of the leg: “I will do my best to place myself amongst
the first 15 as everything could become decisive only a few miles from our
arrival at
It will be
then that we will see!
Press Release august
4th 2006
SOLITAIRE AFFLELOU LE FIGARO
Pietro D’Alì: “I
am here to win”.
At 43, Pietro
D’Alì is not secretive regarding his intentions: he is participating in the Afflelou
le Figaro as a protagonist, possibly to win. The Nanni Diesel skipper has good
reason to believe this. The leader for a long period last year, winner of one
leg at ‘
What if – for the first time – an
Italian skipper won the ‘Solitaire’? What can be said is that this year such a
thought is not impossible. Pietro D’Alì, the Nanni Diesel skipper, has already
amazed everyone for his speed and abilities – acquiring not only the nickname
‘Pietro Ferrari’ but high praise from the ‘Professor’ Michel Desjoyeaux. The
Italian, ex mainsail trimmer for the Prada team in the
Since then, Pietro D’Alì has proved
to be a real champion: winner of the TRANSAT AG2R with Kito de Pavant and 2nd
in the Cannes-Istanbul with the same co-skipper, also currently one of the 12
great favourites of this regatta.
“Therefore,
I am here to win” the Italian skipper affirms without hesitation, just two
days before the start at
“I am more serene”
This Friday afternoon NANNI DIESEL
and 43 other boats will take part in the Afflelou Prologue – a short course to
warm up and of no importance in regards to the classification.
The start has been scheduled for
Sunday, beginning with the longest leg of the regatta:
Therefore….Pietro D’Alì will be a ‘tough
obstacle’ as many of his opponents say. “The
fact is that now I am a lot more experienced; I am also a lot calmer and more
serene compared to last year; I am more knowledgeable in regards to the regatta
and also the boat which has been prepared to perfection by all the team and my
sports Director Mauro Piani. Last year I was going into the ‘unknown’ –
confronting myself, as best I could, in regards to solo sailing. This year is
another story and I feel confident. I am also fully aware of the fact that on
water…anything is possible.”
In
That moment has not yet arrived.
Currently there are
Results, ranks, interviews ,
photos in the official website www.lasolitaire.com
Press Release june
17th 2006
Solo Méditerrannée
Pietro D’Alì (Nanni Diesel) conquers
2nd place, only 1 point behind Kito de Pavant !
By just 1 point, the minimum difference possible,
Pietro D’Alì finished the Solo Méditerranée in 2nd place, right behind
his friend Kito de Pavant and in front of Charles Caudrelier. Winners, last
month of the Transat AG2R, Kito and Pietro will be on the first two steps of
the podium! Today, Saturday, the final leg which could have possibly changed
the classification, was cancelled due to strong winds in Porquerolles.
“Yesterday I
encountered certain difficulties which probably cost me the victory, but I do
not feel any animosity whatsoever. It is an amazing result and I am extremely
satisfied and very happy for the winner to be Kito ! He is a good friend of
mine !” Pietro D’Alì, the Nanni Italian skipper of the Figaro
Bénéteau is to be admired for his sportsmanship as he speaks from Porquerolles where, due to winds over 30
knots, the fleet of the 29 solo sailors were forced to remain alongside the
wharf. The final leg was cancelled.
Therefore, following the two legs disputed yesterday,
Friday, it is the result of the general classification which counts as the
final one, celebrating Kito de Pavant as the winner, with just 1 point of
advantage over Pietro D’Alì. “This time
he is the winner; perhaps next time it will be me!”, jokes the Nanni
skipper. “With Kito we train together, we
choose our sails together, we won the Transat together, and although we do not sail
in an identical manner, we are however both very fast and continually learn
from each other”, explains Pietro D’Alì.
A good result before “
Can you give us an evaluation of the regatta? “Very
positive, starting with the speed of the boat which is good and in which I now
have a great deal of faith, an extremely important fact as without that one
cannot hope for anything on a Figaro Beneteau”, explains Pietro. “The strongest memory of this 2006 edition
will always be the satisfaction of having conquered the longest leg of the
regatta:
“When one is aware
of the quality of the skippers involved, winning is always a great moment”, assures
Pietro. “Technically everything works, but one can always improve and I can
still practice in relation to certain technical stages, for example in being
more aggressive at the start.”
It is obvious to all that this ‘almost victory’
satisfies the Italian skipper who is now one of the natural favourites for the
classic regatta in August: the ‘Solitaire Afflelou le Figaro’. “…and Yes! I hope it is a good omen!”, he comments, “but…there are very slight differences amongst the best also at the
‘Solitaire’. I believe that this year about 10 to 12 skippers can aim at
winning and…yes I think I am part of that group,” assures Pietro who has
never hidden his intention of participating in the 2008 Vendée Globe.But that
is another story. For the moment, with Amalia Festa, President of Nanni Diesel,
Mauro Piani, sports Director, and the rest of his team, the time to celebrate
Pietro has arrived. This evening, at the awards ceremony in Porquerolles, the
party will most certainly feel an Italian influence!
The end
AMALIA FESTA : “Very important for Italian sailing”
Amalia Festa, President of Nanni Diesel, legitimately
feeling very proud of Pietro D’Alì and his Figaro Bénéteau, sponsored by the
group that specialize in marine engines. “This
classification confirms that Kito and Pietro are inseparable! They make up an
amazing tandem! It is such a great pleasure to see them both on the two highest
steps of the podium. They motivate each other and learn from one another.”
Having launched
herself completely into this adventure three years ago, Amalia now reaps the
harvest of her hard work. “At the
beginning I was quite alone.” But
today, “The Lady of the Seas” (the imaginary character in the poetic book
written by Amalia Festa) is extremely happy. “I am happy for the entire Nanni Diesel family, and also for Pietro. He
is a rare talent, followed closely by the Italians, becoming ‘their’ skipper,
‘their’ ambassador. The results he has achieved are very important for the
sport of sailing in
SOLO MED’
- June 15th 2006-06-15
WINNER OF THIS LAST
LEG, NANNI DIESEL HAS CONQUERED
PIETRO D’ALI’ TRIUMPHS AT PORQUEROLLES.
The incredible Pietro D’Alì ! Just like last year at Gruissan, the Italian
skipper, at Porquerolles, has achieved victory of a long high sea leg in the
Solo Med’….and what a leg!! After an extremely combative
Wednesday June 14th – 100 pm. “PIETRO FERRARI” has returned ! Just like at
Gruissan last year during his first regatta on the Figaro Bénéteau, similarly
to the ‘
Pietro
D’Alì , with this leg at coefficient 3, takes the lead in the general
classification, beating his friend Kito de Pavant with whom only a few weeks
ago he won the Transat AG2R. In the general classification, the Nanni Diesel
skipper, now has 6 points advantage over Kito de Pavant, 9 over Charles
Caudrelier and 11 over Gildas Morvan.
Considering that the one placed 5th has 30 extra points, the
fight for victory will most probably be disputed between these 4 boats in the
four legs (coefficient 1) between now
and Saturday.
Constantly
in the front group since the start on Monday at Gruissan, alternating the lead
with Laurent Pellecuer, Armel Tripon, Gildas Morvan or Eric Drouglazet, Pietro
D’Alì has succeeded in holding the lead for the entire distance, before
revealing his knowledge of speed as well as the course to follow during the
last
At the
conclusion of an emotional arrival, around the magnificent
Solo Méditerranée
One more podium for Pietro D’Alì at the helm of
Nanni Diesel.
Pietro D’Alì, the Nanni Diesel Italian skipper is
sparkling on the Figaro Bénéteau. Just one month after having won the Transat
AG2R with Kito de Pavant, he has just ensured himself 3rd place for the first
leg of the Med’ Solo, behind the Australian Liz Wardley and the winner Kito de
Pavant.
Thursday,
June 8th 2006 – 3.00 am. “An
extremely good result for one’s spiritis! Pietro has sailed very well and has
gone from 10th position to 5th in the general
classification. An excellent result…”
Mauro
Piani, sports director for Nanni Diesel, was extremely happy on Wednesday night
in Gruissan for the 3rd place achieved by his protégé Pietro D’Alì,
who immediately went to rest, worn out by this last leg of
“Pietro has shown he knows how to fight.”
This leg is worth triple (coefficient 3) in
this regatta where every point counts, a regatta in which Pietro D’Alì became
known to the French public last year when he in fact won the leg at Gruissan.
This year, one had to reach Gruissan leaving from Cassis, passing by the
islands of Médes, at the extreme north-east of
“ A part from this result which is obviously
very positive,” adds
Mauro Piani, “what pleases me most is
that Pietro reacted extremely well, having found himself, close to the finish,
in an area with absolutely no wind. At that moment he could have lost it all,
but he gave his utmost and reached the podium.”
Considering
many amongst the first 10 skippers suffered during this leg, the Nanni Diesel
skipper achieved a spectacular comeback within the general classification,
going- in just one leg – from 10th position to 5th.
It goes
without saying that one will confront oneself with him and his Nanni Diesel
until June the 17th, finishing date of the Solo Med’ at
Porquerolles.
Today,
Thursday, and tomorrow, Friday, will be two days totally dedicated to a
well-earned rest; the race will be back on as from this weekend with the legs
of the Gruissan Grand Prix. There will then be one more week of competition,
during which one leg worth triple for a Pietro D’Alì in top form to race. It
looks promising!
Press Release june
5th 2006
Solo Méditerrannée
Pietro D’Ali (Nanni Diesel) : « Everything possible
to win some legs »
After four competitive legs on Thursday, Saturday
and Sunday in Marseille and Cassis, the Nanni Diesel skipper is currently in 10th
place in the general classification of the Méditerranée Solo. A good result,
considering the extremely high standard of the 30 skippers involved, but not
one that fully satisfies Pietro D’Alì. The Nanni Diesel skipper is there to win
and will do everything in his power to win a number of legs. He still has two
weeks to achieve this.
“I am
slightly disappointed as it took me a great deal of time to find the correct
speed; I had a few problems in adjusting the boat and did not do my best in
conditions of unstable winds. But everything is now resolved, and the regatta
will continue for two more weeks, with some high-sea legs with a coefficient of
3; therefore my spirits are still high: I will give my utmost to win some legs.
We will then see the final result at the end of it all.”
These
are Pietro D’Alì’s feelings on Monday morning at Cassis, minutes before leaving
for the 5th leg of the Solo Med, with mild winds of 7 / 8 knots.For the
Nanni Diesel skipper the race is far from over and, although up to now the
results are slightly lower than expected, his spirits are high. “We have found the solutions for the boat”,
adds Mauro Piani, sports Director for Nanni Diesel, “and now the speed is satisfying and Pietro aspires at gaining ground in
the classification, even though this regatta is far tougher than last year’s,
the average standard of the outsiders is far higher than usual.”
Up to
now, in the four disputed legs, Pietro D’Alì has finished in 8th, 20th, 8th and
15th position.
“I would like to
do better. A part from the problems relative to the speed, I made some slight
mistakes which can be easily rectified.” confesses the
Nanni Diesel skipper, winner of the recent Transat AG2R. “It is better to make these mistakes now rather than during the
Afflelou Le Figaro Solitaire,” states Mauro Piani.
There is still a while to go with the regatta ending
at Porquerolles on June 17th. There are still coastal routes, buoys to go
around and high-sea legs which are worth three times as much and could
therefore completely change the classification, considering also that the boats
are all close in points.
Almost immediately, right from the start of this leg,
Pietro is in the front group with his Nanni Diesel. He tacked around the buoy
in front of Casis in 3rd position, with
To follow the regatta please consult: www.solo-mediterranee.com
Pietro D’Alì, on
board ‘Nanni Diesel’, is currently the favourite for the ‘Mediteranée
Single-Handed’ 2006 regatta, which
begins tomorrow in Marseille.
The Italian
sailor Pietro D’Alì, recent winner together with Kito de Pavant of the Transat AG2R,
will participate this week in the Mediterranée single-handed regatta which
takes off tomorrow from Marseille. The
‘Nanni Diesel’ skipper is already one of the favourites, only one year after
his debut on board the Figaro Bénéteau monotype.
“When sailing,
one cannot always win and this year at least a dozen sailors can aim at gaining
first place, but that is my reason for being here. On the other hand, it is
also very important for me to achieve good results as, apart from this regatta,
I hope to find a sponsor to enable me to take part in the next ‘Vendée Globe’.
Pietro D’Alì does not disguise his intentions: the ‘Nanni Diesel’ skipper is at
the start of the ‘Mediterranée Solitaire – previously General Solitaire – in
the capacity of a protagonist.
It could
not be otherwise if one considers his victory last year in one lap in this same
regatta at Gruissan, followed by his successes in the Solitaire Afflelou Le
Figaro (1st amongst those making their debut and one victory on one
lap); he is also without doubt more confident due to his recent victory with
Kito de Pavant in the Transat AG2R
(short handed) at Saint Barthélemy.
“Stronger
than last year”.
“Pietro is
in excellent form, the boat is at her best: he was personally in a position to
verify this by sailing her himself from Genoa to Masrseille to complete all
automatisms relative to single-handed sailing”, adds Mauro Piani, sports
Director for the Nanni Diesel Team, who once again this year will remain close
to Pietro D’Alì.
As Mauro
Piani affirms: “Pietro is stronger than last year, more serene, even more in
harmony with the boat, and has learnt to
save and balance his energy for the final stages of each leg. He has achieved
excellent results which also help in strengthening ones self-esteem and he
still has a strong desire to complete a job well-done and win”.
Alternating
Olympic routes around the buoys and long deep-sea legs between all ports
relative to the regatta - Marseille,
Cassis, Gruissan and Porquerolles – the ‘Mediterranée Solitaire’ does not give
any respite: it is a regatta based on points, in which every leg counts,
certain legs having an estimated coefficient of 2 or 3. This all means that
regularity pays off…..and regularity is certainly one of Pietro D’Alì’s
qualities; always cited as a possible winner amongst the other pretenders to
the podium within the Figaro Bénéteau class.
Today,
Wednesday, the prologue has been cancelled due to the strong Mistral in the
“It will be
hard going right from the start, with a lot of hard work involved to achieve a
job well-done. In this regatta it is essential to try and avoid making the
slightest mistake”, explains Pietro D’Alì, with the confidence of one who knows
exactly what he is talking about.
To follow
the regatta please consult: www.solo-mediterranée.com
An interview with
Pietro D’Alì
Pietro D’Alì,
the only Italian sailor to have taken part in an America’s Cup final (with the
PradaTeam on board the 2000 Louis Vitton Cup winner “Luna Rossa”), participated
in the 2000 SydneyOlympic Games (Star Class), in the 1993/94 Whitbread Around
the World Race (on board “Brooksfield”) and in the 1997 Admiral’s Cup on “Brava
Q8, adding one more important victory to his already incredible curriculum.
Together with Kito De Pavant he won the Transat Ag2r from Concarneau to Saint
Barthélemy in the French Antilles..
For a
little over a year now, Pietro D’Alì has been training on the one design 10.1m
Bénéteau Figaro 2 “Nanni Diesel”, of which the success, not just competitive
but also commercial, is extremely widespread in France and has become
well-known in Italy. On “Nanni Diesel” the Milanese skipper, who has
adopted Genoa as is home, had already made himself known during last season
making his debut in the Figaro class, racing in regattas and in single handed
events. He won one leg of the famous “Solitaire Le Figaro” finishing, at the
end of the four events, first amongst the beginners and eighth in the general
results.
Having just
returned to Italy, this is what Pietro D’Alì told us:
What
does one feel having achieved such an important victory in an Atlantic crossing?
Without
doubt the arrival is exciting, considering also that there were a large number
of boats around us and, after so many days at sea, to arrive, as the winner, is
most definitely very moving. The excitement is tremendous. Even though it was
very early in the morning, the quay was crammed with people waiting. The moment
was slightly sad for those who came in second as there was no one around for
them; ten minutes later though, they also began to celebrate, although the
spectator boats remained close around us.
Was the
battle quite a challenge for you against Dominc Vittet and Lionel
Lemonchois on “ATAO Audio System” who came in second?
It was, but
more towards the end when they came up close behind us, as during the last
three days the wind dropped consistently. Therefore the fleet was briefly
re-formed. However, the most hard-fought battle was against “Brit Air” (Armel
Le Cléac’h and Nicolas Troussel), who had chosen a course more to the south but
did not succeed in crossing in front of us, and three or four days before
arrival we were aware of the fact that should the wind change to south-east,
ours was the better position to be in. We took the line
Do you
get along well with Kito de Pavant?
Yes. He is
an excellent sailor. We both feel a strong reciprocal trust towards each other,
therefore no problems arose.
He has
said that he took you along with him also because, had you been on another
boat, you would have won with someone else !
Personally,
I feel that that was a great statement. I believe that the mutual esteem we
feel is due to the fact that for a long time, almost a year, we trained as
opponents. We both benefited very much from those long training sessions.
Although, a part from 2 days we had never sailed together, once on board we
instantly felt at ease with each other. He is an excellent sailor. Very worthy.
Is the
Figaro a good boat?
It is a
boat that likes to go hard because it is made well. She is not fragile, you can
really push her a lot in strong winds and that is what happened during the first
three days. Unfortunately we damaged the storm spinnaker after just 5 hours, so
we mostly used the ¾ ounce. The third spinnaker on board was the ½ ounce. This
choice was a wild guess as we thought we would find less wind in the Trades and
more doldrums, but it was not the case. In fact we used the ½ ounce for a
couple of days and we often had to put up the ¾ ounce for the gusts. We did not
gain much having this sail. To counterbalance, we only had one spinnaker (the ¾
ounce) and had we torn that one……! Yes, I had repaired the storm spinnaker, but
the material was wet, we did not have much acetone to clean it properly and
therefore it was a slightly unreliable refit. We had to be careful to preserve
this spinnaker as it had a damaged clew – the stainless fitting – the first
night that it tore and I repaired it with spectra. Particularly during the
first night, when we were on more of a run, we laid off even more in the strong
winds in order to save the spinnaker. We could have been further ahead at the beginning,
but we purposely laid off slightly so as not to take risks with the ¾ ounce
spinnaker. At the beginning it was best for us to go towards the west where
there was more northerly wind, then make better use of the wind turning towards
nor’east, gybing and the gybing again on the second successive increase in wind
before Madera. As forecast for the last
Do you
prefer to race short handed or single handed?
It is nicer
when there are two of us because one can push the boat harder and also rest
more. Single handed, especially on the Figaro, the fact that one cannot sleep
makes it very hard, also because one often sails close to the coast in zones
full of ships, fishing boats and algae, and you must not allow yourself to get
distracted for one single second. One must continually clear the algae from the
hull and rudder which is a huge amount of work. The Figaro puts you to the test
physically and therefore it is very tiring. The longer crossings, even
single-handed, leave you more time to rest as one uses the autopilot more
often.
Do you
like this race they are going to do short handed around the world?
It will be
a great race. I think we will push the boat a lot more as, with two people, one
can helm much more often and it could also be that they will use some different
sails and it is also possible to have hulls that are slightly different. More
than anything, the autopilot works best beam reaching and broad reaching.