Lorenzo Bressani Talks To Justin Chisholm About The Incredible Success Of The Uka Uka Racing Team

IM24CA: You have built a fearsome reputation as a one-design sailor, particularly in the last few years in the Melges 24 class. Can you describe the highlights of your sailing career so far?

LB: I've sailed almost all my life. In fact when I was only a year old I spent the weekends with my family aboard our cruiser, a six-meter Sheriff. Then as my First Communion gift I was given a wooden Optimist called Refolo, in which I started my racing career at the local regattas. My home sailing club has always been the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano (S.V.B.G.), which is most famous for organising the legendary Barcolana regatta, which sees almost two thousand boats on the same starting line.

Since then I have sailed in dozens of different classes and taken part in probably hundreds of regattas. After the Optimist, I moved to the 470 and then on to various one-design keelboats as well as offshore racers. I have taken part in fifteen Italian Tours, raced on Maxis like Alfa Romeo and Skandia at the Barcolana regattas, as well as sailing on TP52's, Farr 40's, Swan 45's, Mumm 30's, and Melges 32's and so on. Although I have had success in IMS racing at European and World Championship level there is no doubt that one-design is my favourite kind of racing. My earliest successes were winning the J24 European and World Championship in 2003, the Platu 25 European Championship and finishing second in the Platu 25 World Championship.

IM24CA: Everyone calls you ‘Rufo'? Where does that nickname come from?

LB: My nickname comes from the name of my first Optimist. As the story goes, when we were boys, my friends and I always used to call one another by the name of our boats. Therefore I was called Refolo; but one day, when I went to race at Anzio (a port near Rome), my Roman friends jokingly called me Rufo, and this name has stuck ever since.

IM24CA: Where and when were you introduced to the Melges 24?

LB: The boat with which I have most fun is certainly the Melges 24.

I first sailed on one in 2006, on the Italian circuit as Roberto Martinez's tactician.

I first steered a Melges 24 in the 2007 Primo Cup in Monte Carlo. I was sailing with the Pavesio brothers and I remember it clearly as it was my first experience of helming one of these great boats and to top it all we won the regatta too!

IM24CA: What appeals to you about the Melges 24 and why do you think you are so successful as a Melges 24 helmsman?

LB: Besides being extremely fast, even compared to much bigger boats, the Melges 24 demands great technical expertise, especially when setting up the rig and requires good dexterity when steering in a range of sea and wind conditions. More than any other boat the helmsman losing concentration for a single moment on the Melges 24 will cause a huge drop in performance. I believe that I have been successful in this class because I never get bored when I am at the helm, but keep totally focused all the time in any conditions.

IM24CA: As a full-time professional sailor, how much sailing do you do each year?

LB: I think that I spend about two hundred days per year on the water. This ranges from Melges 24 racing to Maxi regattas. I try to put in a lot of training time to ensure that I know all the tricks that are necessary to steer each boat at her maximum performance level.

IM24CA: Tell us what it feels like to hold the World and European Melges 24 simultaneously?

LB: I set this goal in my own mind at the beginning of 2009 as I had already achieved this double in the J24 back in 2003. Obviously though, to have a dream does not automatically mean that you can achieve it. Having that personal goal in my mind certainly spurred me on during this season and I can say that it was probably my personal secret weapon, as it always gave me a strong drive to overtake any boat in front of me.

IM24CA: Tell us about the Uka Uka Racing team?

LB: Uka Uka Racing is a very well established team, which has been in existence for some five years now. Originally with a different crew, the team campaigned on the Mumm 30 Circuit, but it was in August 2007 at the European World Championship in Germany, that we saw the start of our wonderful Melges 24 adventure, which we all hope will continue for a very long time. The Melges 24 team was born primarily due to efforts of Federico Michetti, who has been the glue between the crew and our owner, Lorenzo Santini. Lorenzo is possibly now the owner with the greatest number of victories in the Melges 24 class. This year the team also raced on the Melges 32 Circuit, ending up third at the World Championship held in Porto Cervo.

IM24CA: What plans do you personally have for racing next year?

LB: During 2010 I'll be present at the Melges 20, 24 and 32 competitions. I think that the Melges family of boats have effectively replaced the other major one-designs and become the reference classes for many professional sailors.

IM24CA: Is there anything else you would like to comment on?

LB: My only comment is that our class must pay careful attention when choosing locations to hold future European and World Championships. At the 2008 Melges 24 World Championship held in Porto Cervo there were nearly one hundred and twenty competitors, whereas this year we saw just over fifty teams in Annapolis. It is possible that some people like to sail in November, in foggy weather and five knots breezes, but overall maybe it is necessary to overlook the interests of the few to ensure a longer and better future for this magnificent class. This of course is only my personal opinion, but in this case I believe that the turnout figures speak for themselves.