The Genova team brings the “tricolor” to The Ocean Race
Genoa – Not only the “Grand Finale” of The Ocean Race and promotion in the foreign stages of the toughest and most fascinating regatta in the world. Genoa will be able to count, at the departure in Alicante on Sunday 15 January 2023, on another important element of promotion. Another big challenge. From the partnership between The Austrian Ocean Racing and some important Genoese and Italian companies was born “Team Genova”, a crew that will participate in The Ocean Race regattas in the VO65 Sprint category. First stage Alicante-Cape Verde (January 15), then Aarhus-The Hague (June 8) and finally The Hague-Genoa (June 15), with arrival at the Ocean Live Park in Genoa which will be set up in the Waterfront di Levante from June 24 to July 2, 2023.
Alongside Genoa, Iren, Sangiorgio Marine, the Italian Navy and the Italian Sailing Federation have come on board. The relationship between the Austrian boat and the Ligurian capital is, on the other hand, a relationship that has been increasingly tightening in the last two years. The young crew led by the Dutch skipper Gerwin Jansen had already thrilled in The Ocean Race Europe with a noteworthy comeback and a last minute overtaking against the Lithuanians of Ambersail-2 at the finish of the Lorient-Cascais stage, later also appearing well in the Cascais-Alicante and Alicante-Genoa regattas.
The Ocean Race, the Austrian crew in Genoa
The boat will therefore have a double flag: the Austrian one and the Italian one. Some Italian sailors will also be on board. In the first stage Alicante-Capoverde Cecilia Zorzi and Alberto Riva will represent the Italian flag. The skipper Gerwin Jansen will be joined by the brothers Konstantin and Oliver Kobale, founders of the Austrian project, Michiel Goegebeur, Anna Luschan, Jolbert Van Dijk, Deborah Blair, Ruaridh Wright, Daniel Gaw and Stefan Leitner.
“As Austrians without access to the sea – explains the team captain, Oliver Kobale – we are thrilled to have found such a wonderful port in Genoa, which not only offers everything a sailing team needs, but also has a lively international atmosphere which the whole team enjoys. We have prepared the boat from top to bottom and are grateful for all that Genoa has to offer as a sailor’s paradise. It was a huge task, but we achieved it thanks to the dedication of the whole team and the support of the city.”
An international partnership which will give further visibility to Genoa and to the whole world of Italian sailing. “We are proud to have a boat with our flag and the name of our city at the start of this extraordinary competition”, underlines the mayor of Genoa, Marco Bucci. “It has been a long and not easy job, but all those who are here today, aboard Team Genova, believed in it and the thanks of the whole city go to them. It is an additional extraordinary promotion for Genoa worldwide and an important confirmation of our excellence in the world of sailing and boating on an international scale”.
Applause also comes from the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Edoardo Rixi: “Today we are here to celebrate a boat that will represent the indomitable character of Genoa and all Genoese people at The Ocean Race. The culmination of a journey that has seen us at the forefront for some time for an event that, in terms of importance and reputation, sails hand in hand with the America’s Cup. Sustainability, environment, courage and respect are the watchwords”.
“For Iren – underlined Luca Dal Fabbro, president of the Iren Group – the establishment of Team Genova is a further significant opportunity to affirm our closeness to the territory and to sport and our commitment to sustainability objectives, with a particular focus on sea health. In fact, and especially in Liguria, our company has always worked to guarantee the quality of the marine environment, a common heritage and an essential good for the area. It will also be an opportunity to put yourself in the spotlight the issue of water resourcesstrategic not only for our group but for the whole country”.
Sangiorgio Marine and San Giorgio Del Porto have given life, on the Superba docks, to a reality dedicated to production and refit of boats with a high technological and innovative content. Last September the Class40 of Ambrogio Beccaria – Allagrande Pirelli set sail from the same docks, second classified at the Route Du Rhum in November. The Austrian VO65 entered the Sangiorgio Marine shipyard in September and today, “dressed” with the flag of Genoa, is preparing to leave again. On the hull there are the brands of Iren, supporter of this project, of the Italian Navy, which thanks to the Hydrographic Institute of the Navy has supported this project and of the Italian Sailing Federation with the involvement of the entire Primazona.
“The Navy could not fail to be on board the Genova team – Rear Admiral Massimiliano Nannini proudly says – we believed in it from the beginning and our collaboration and presence is not only institutional but really wants to bring added value to the boat but more generally at the regatta and at the grand finale in Genoa. A special thanks to the mayor Marco Bucci and to all the team that has worked hard in these months, indeed years to make all this possible”.
“There are opportunities that must be seized on the fly”, smiles Francesco Ettorre, president of the Italian Sailing Federation. “Being able to participate in three sprint stages of The Ocean Race represents a source of pride for all of us. For Italian sailors it certainly represents the first step towards what, I hope, will be the presence of an entirely Italian boat in the next editions. I thank all those who participated in the construction and the Sangiorgio Marine shipyard which made this operation possible in record time”.
Evelina Christilin, president of the Genoa The Grand Finale Steering Committee, underlines the added value of Team Genova: “It’s the icing on the cake, we can say it. Genoa will be the absolute protagonist of this 50th anniversary edition of The Ocean Race which will arrive in Italy for the first time in history. See the flag of St. George even on one of the boats that will arrive at the “Grand Finale” is a further reason for pride and extraordinary promotion of the international vocation of the city”.
#Sailing #Team #Genova #Ocean #Race