The monohull Alla Grande – Pirelli was launched this morning, the new Class40 of Ambrogio Beccaria, a 30-year-old Milanese sailor who in 2019 was the first Italian to win the Mini-Transat. The boat, designed by Gianluca Guelfi in collaboration with Fabio D’Angeli, thanks to the support of the main and lead sponsor Pirelli, is leaving in the next few days for the transfer to Sicily, in view of the next edition of the Palermo-Montecarlo.
The project also benefits from the collaboration and support of Mapei (global sponsor).
The launch took place in Genoa at Calata Gadda, in the heart of the Porto Antico, in the presence of the Alla Grande team; then, in early September, a public moment is planned to make the boat closely known to the project partners and the press.
A nice north wind welcomed the boat which was baptized by a very important godmother for the career of the Milanese navigator: the bottle was smashed with a sure shot by Roberta Oriani, Ambrogio’s mother.
The construction of the Class 40 Alla Grande – Pirelli lasted six months and took place in the newborn SanGiorgio Marine shipyard.
The work involved a team of ten people, including the two boat designers, Gianluca Guelfi and Fabio D’Angeli, Alberto Monaco, site manager, Alberto Riva, ocean navigator who took care of the on-board electronics, Tommaso Stella , head of the ropes in collaboration with Gottifredi and Maffioli, Bernardo Zin, boat captain, who supervised all the construction and organization of the work, Albane Seassau, preparer who took care of the safety equipment and systems.
Alla Grande is a spaceship!
“Alla Grande is a spaceship!”, Says Ambrogio Beccaria. “I am very satisfied. With Guelfi we chose a boat, among the forty that we studied, which was the easiest with difficult conditions. Not the one with the lowest resistance but the one with the best attitude. We also drew the sails before designing the boat, which allowed us to know more precisely what character Alla Grande would have. We have constantly mixed Guelph’s scientific method with my more empirical inputs. I wanted a boat that flew without foil or a boat with the bow constantly out of the water. I hope I succeeded! “