People | From Viareggio to Johannesburg on the sea

Marcello Lippi, a sailing coach

Best known as the man who steered the Italian national soccer team to World Cup victory in 2006, Marcello Lippi is also a passionate sea and boat enthusiast, as he tells us below.

What does the sea mean to you? Is it a pleasure, somewhere to pass the time, a luxury?
I love the sea above all else – the waves, storms, regattas. Contact with salt water is something I need in my life everyday.

Did you inherit this passion for boats and the sea from your family?
Absolutely not! The biggest passion for most of the families in Viareggio when I was a lad was putting the lunch and dinner on the table everyday. The sea really meant work, tourism and exhaustion. Ever since my childhood when I spent all day on the beach from morning ’til evening, I’ve wanted to own a boat. It was a dream of mine. A dream that came true rather late in life because I bought my first boat at 50 years old and even then only at the encouragement of my family and children.

How would you describe yourself: as a sailor, a fisherman, a sea lover?
Not a fisherman. I have friends who are very good and when I go fishing with them, I do manage to catch fish. But if I go alone, the only fish I catch are in the restaurant that evening! I am a competent enough sailor. I’ve been around boats for many years and my desire to get out there is so strong that it comes naturally to me.

Are boats just objects to you?
Quite the opposite. Obviously, I can be exposed to a lot of stress because of my work so the boat, living on the sea, overnighting at anchor, fishing on my own or taking a dive into the sea first thing in the morning are things that really act as release valves and also a dream come true.

What’s your favourite memory?
After we won the World Cup, I finally had a bit of free time. I took a year off and did a wonderful 45-day cruise through all of the Italian islands. I shared it with lots of friends, people who live the sea as much as I do.

What place have you visited by boat that’s really stayed in your heart?
I am in love with the Tuscan archipelago but the Aeolians and the Egadi Islands are fantastic. The Mediterranean is the most beautiful sea in the world as far as I’m concerned.

Do you like this new concept of the “slow” environmentally-sound motoryacht?
These days a lot of people associate speed with quality of life and navigation. However, I have to say that semi-displacement yachts are the ideal choice because the cruising speed is just fast enough but you can still enjoy the pleasure of spending time on the sea in comfort. Then it’s more fuel efficient and less polluting – a major advantage!

Have you ever done any team building aboard?
It has happened but not to create a “locker room” spirit. Any situation can be used to cement a team, boats included.

What if anything of the sea do you bring on to the playing field? What do the two have in common?
I do bring something. On a boat you have a crew to manage and you need someone who’s ready to make decisions, who will make choices on the basis of the weather and sea conditions. Which is what I do from the side of the pitch.

Why are there such strong links between the sea/boats and the world of soccer?
A great many high-profile people share my passion for the sea and own boats: Ferrara, Cannavaro, Mancini. Others contact me and I give them advice on chartering boats or on navigation for short cruises.

Have you ever sailed or fished in South Africa? If things don’t go your way in the World Cup, could you see yourself doing so?
No, I haven’t but I would like to. I have to confess that every time I’ve been anywhere coastal for work, I’ve always stolen a few minutes to go “taste the salt water” and get in contact with the sea there. The ocean in South Africa must be marvellous with all those coral reefs, whales and penguins. I hope to get to know it better.

What is your next nautical project?
I would like to continue working with Azimut and then, naturally, I won’t ever stop boating and living the sea.

Carla Anselmi

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The glittering world of yachting

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