Azzurra, Bonadeo speaks

It isn’t everyone who can pick up the thread of a much-loved legend that’s lain fallow for over 20 years. But all it took was a little careful fanning for the flames of passion for Azzurra to relight. “We wanted to relaunch the club,” said the man in question, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Commodore Riccardo Bonadeo. “We wanted to come back to the international stage with something that fitted in with our history, our prestigious owners, the two Azzurra challenges, the Destriero Atlantic record and Leonardo Ferragamo’s Nautor Challenge in the Volvo Ocean Race. We initially did consider the Volvo, an extraordinary sporting and media event. Empathy, passion, adventure, all those stages and possibilities: it really has it all.”

But then you gave up on the idea...
Time was too tight. Then the Louis Vuitton Trophy came up. We entered thanks to our friend Grant Dalton and would have gone to Nice still putting the team together. But then I met Giovanni Maspero. We found each other in the space of 20 minutes at the Melges 32 World Finals here in Porto Cervo in late September. We wanted to bring Azzurra back and he had a great structure. And both of us were very Italian.

Is this, along with the Azzurra name, what keeps the group together?
I would say yes. Azzurra has a huge impact. Azzurra and Maspero’s work have built up a solid team. Even the new arrivals like Tommaso Chieffi settled in at once. Then there’s the club and the support it provides, starting with His Highness.

How much does it cost to take part in the Louis Vuitton Trophy and what plans do Azzurra and the club have for the future?
To really go at it seriously, as we intend to, then between 800 and 900,000 euro a stage. That was the final bill for Nice and what we’ll need for the next three stages in 2010. Plans? To continue with the Louis Vuitton Trophy if it goes on beyond 2011. It would definitely require a significant turnaround though. Dedicated boats and no brands that would interfere with the teams’ communications strategies. If they want a hand, we are here. It all depends on the Cup. I do not know how that will turn out. Then there’s what I’d call the moral issue. How can you ask for 70-80 million today for a boat that zigzags between two marks? I couldn’t. And I wouldn’t ask my Club or my president to take any leaps in the dark. I’d like the Cup to become an expression of all the nautical qualities of the nations taking part. That would put an end to the gold-plated signings too.

And if neither the Trophy nor the Cup existed?
We’d head for the oceans. With the help of Grant Dalton. But right now we have a match race team.

And finally, why is there going to be a stage of the LVT at La Maddalena and not in Porto Cervo?
Because the Trophy wants a big town behind it. We did meet Troublé, but Porto Cervo isn’t a big town. So it was very clever of Vincenzo Onorato to suggest La Maddalena, involve the region, the council, authorities, and find the resources. Okay, La Maddalena isn’t Nice but Vincenzo has managed to really upgrade the G8 facility. My compliments to him. If he needs any organisational support, we’re here. Otherwise we’ll see each other on the water with Azzurra.

Emilio Martinelli