LUNA ROSSA BOAT OF THE YEAR

The 28^th edition of "FIV Sailor of the Year" was held in Rome on Monday June 6th in the prestigious setting of Villa Miani. The event celebrates the best athletes and sporting achievements of the previous year's sailing season.

"In the golden year of Italian sports, Luna Rossa represented the excellence of Made in Italy all over the world, allowing millions of Italians to dream as they watched her endeavours on screen: the AC75 Luna Rossa wins the Boat of the Year award - Confindustria Nautica Trophy 2022."

The AC75 "Luna Rossa" is a revolutionary 23 meter-long foiling monohull that weighs approximately 6.5 tons. Over 100 people, including 37 designers, were involved in her construction for over two years. To manufacture the boat, 7.000 square meters of carbon fiber and 400 square meters of aluminium honeycomb were used. Two mobile appendages, the innovative 5-meter-long foil arms, allowed Luna Rossa to "fly" over the waters of Auckland at speeds over 90 km/h, leading her to the victory of the PRADA Cup. In the final match of the 36th America’s Cup Luna Rossa achieved the best score ever by an Italian challenger in the history of the trophy.

Francesco Bruni, helmsman of Luna Rossa in Auckland in 2021 together with Jimmy Spithill, and one of the finalists in the running for the title of "Sailor of the Year", received the award:

"It is a great honour for me to receive this award on behalf of the whole team, and a source of pride for the incredible work carried out during the 3 years of preparation for the Auckland regattas.

It has been a fantastic evening with affirmed sailors and owners but also many promising young sailors. It is always a great feeling to be surrounded by the finalists in this event and I congratulate Ruggero and Caterina for their well-deserved Sailor of the Year award."

A special mention was also directed to the many promising young sailors attending the ceremony, “with the hope of seeing one of them soon also on Luna Rossa”.

DESIGNING A CHALLENGER