Give or treat yourself to a subscription to Boats in Motion print + digital and for only 39 euros a year you get the magazine at home plus read it on your PC, smartphone and tablet. With a sea of advantages.
Welcome to the special section “BAM 35 Years.” We are presenting “cult” articles from the Motor Boats archive, starting in 1990. A journey through time among stories unobtainable today, even in the great sea of the internet! A dive into the world of epic moments in motor boating. We begin with one of the stories we were most passionate about.
From Boats to Motor 1990, No. 2, April, pp. 88-93.
Everything is ready for the start of the most anticipated challenge of the year. On July 15, about 100 hulls divided between offshore, prototypes and production boats will do battle for the entire 1450 miles separating Venice from Monte Carlo.
When by now by all accounts offshore is turning more and more into in-shore with inshore racing and very fast but unseaworthy catamarans, here come the sea raids. A spontaneous split seems to be creating between formula 1 and car-inspired rallies, and rallies seem to be the future battleground for shipyards that, lacking the budgets of car manufacturers, are unable to support years of race course experimentation to improve their products only marginally. In the past, when single-hulled hulls dictated the law, technological innovations were very numerous and important, and there is no shortage of examples of production hulls derived from offshore boats. It is enough to mention the “Speranziella” by Renato Sonny Levi, progenitor of the hulls of the same name, the “Nitro” designed by Fabio Buzziand later put into production by C&B, the “Primatist 41” by Bruno Abbate, the “Montecarlo sport”, also by Buzzi, made by Offshorer Marine, and the examples would still be many. Parallel to the hulls came the great offshore classics such as the American Miami-Nassau-Miami, the English Cowes-Torquay-Cowes and our own Viareggio-Bastia-Viareggio that helped create the myth of the sport and develop the taste for competition that today has led to the birth of raids.
It is the most famous of the Mediterranean raids, before it even got underway, it became the Venice-Montecarlo, which, with its 1,450-mile route, is also entitled to the title of longest. Conceived and organized by champions such as Renato Della Valle, Angelo Vassena, Alberto Smania, Paolo Vio and Gianni Darai, by organizers such as Mauro Ravenna and supported by many Venetian and Monegasque enthusiasts this raid will see series and prototype boats at the start and will also be open to offshore monohulls, which, however, to date do not really seem to be numerous. Those, on the other hand, who have felt the impetus of this race, which will put hulls and crews to the test, are the shipyards, since production boats make up the vast majority of those entered. Among the most numerous at the start are the C&Bs with both private crews and yard owners. So did Metallco with the Hot Ice, a sporty version of the High Tech 5000 presented at the last Dusseldorf Boat Show, capable of speeds in excess of 60 knots and equipped with some racer-friendly features such as wraparound seats, an enlarged fuel tank and reduced interior weight. Sporty versions also for Dalla Pietà with the Volvo P enta-powered Dp 37 equipped with Arneson transmissions for a top speed of 42 knots and with the 52 Arterion that includes Gianni Dalla Pietà himself in the crew. Another luxury crew member is Tullio Abbate who will be aboard the new 55-footer alongside the owner. The other Abbate, Bruno, is outfitting a Primatist 46 with surface propellers and 1,200-hp Baudouin engines, from which a production version with 840-hp thrusters will later be made; alongside him are another 46 and a 41. As president of the Yacht Club of Monaco, Prince Albert figures among the organizers of the Venice-Montecarlo, but it seems he would rather race than watch and will be at the start with a Monte Carlo Sport, the recreational version built by Offshorer Marine of the Gancia dei Gancia Casiraghi’s world class 1 offshore winner. Renato Della Valle is another organizer who has chosen to race and will take the start with the same boat, which, by the way, is manufactured by his yard.
Scarcely numerous seems to be the prototype category, but among them we find some interesting hulls such as the Vector, a 20-meter designed by Marco Cantoni on a Sonny Levi hull, made of Kevlar and carbon and powered by two 1,000-horsepower Mtu ‘s that, thanks to transmissions also by Levi, will be able to push it to over 50 knots. In addition to performance, this hull is carefully designed with futuristic solutions and extremely aerodynamic lines. The Ferretti shipyard also seems to be interested in this adventure as well as the champion and designer Fabio Buzzi, who so far, however, maintain strict confidentiality about their respective programs. From this small roundup of the protagonists, it seems clear that almost all of them will come to the start with boats powered to the maximum installable power so at this point it will be the pilot who will make the difference. Such powerful hulls, while faster and therefore potentially winning, are more defenseless against the power of the sea; it will be up to the crew to conserve the mechanical means and resist the temptation to push the throttles to the maximum already in the first few miles.
In an almost 1,500-mile race, it is crucial to be able to wait and to know the limits of one’s boat well in order to stay just a little bit below, at least until one sees the port of Monte Carlo. Angelo Vassena, although participating only as an organizer, from the height of his very long experience in powerboat racing and his many titles won, is undoubtedly an expert in racing and fast sailing, and we asked him how one should approach the Venice-Montecarlo.
How should a boat be prepared for this race?
“As scrupulously as one prepares a circuit boat for a 24-hour race, that is, for a long-distance race. You have to waterproof the electrical system, use self-locking hardware and drill bolts to further secure them with wire. One must not forget to install easily accessible fuel filters as one will be refueling at various ports and the greatest risk is to find oneself with water in the tanks. In short, one has to take care not so much of the absolute performance in speed as of the endurance over time; therefore, it is very important to have the boat completely overhauled before departure with particular regard to the engines, which will be the most stressed in the nearly 1,500 miles of the race. A complete set of spare parts must then be brought aboard and stowed near their respective points of use. Of course, a good mechanic will also have to be found!”
What should be the pilot’s tactics?
“It will be a race of great anticipation rather than speed; you will need to be able to go slowly. You won’t have to get caught up in the race of the day, but you will have to think about the Monte Carlo finish line, placing well, keeping an eye on your opponents and preserving the mechanical means to the maximum. Navigation will be of great importance. In rough seas it will be necessary to choose between the straight course, exposed to the waves and winds, and the one below the coast sometimes much longer but perhaps faster in relation to the direction of the sea and wind. The same thing often happens in one of the classic British offshore races: the Cowes Torquay-Cowes.”
What is the ideal boat?
“I would race in the 10- to 12-meter category, because in the course of the race you will definitely encounter rough seas, and a boat of this size ensures quite high performance combined with good seaworthiness. Also, maneuverability will be important when entering the various ports, which are not always very large, and having a craft that can be steered by a few people will save time and effort.”
Several construction sites have decided to participate in this competition. How should they prepare?
“In addition to fine-tuning the boat very important, organizing the best assistance along the way by involving local dealers. As for the choice of boat, it will be linked to the production of the boatyard, which will consequently prefer a family or sport hull, then exploiting its participation in publicity.”
Angelo Vassena ‘s views seem to be shared by the other “insiders,” who also agree that the Venice-Montecarlo is destined to become a Mediterranean classic and to revive the glories of the offshore albore, thus restoring competitiveness to single-hulled hulls, which are still firmly in vogue in series production but almost abandoned in this type of racing.
by Emanuela Colletta
Sign up for our Newsletter
Powerboats, its stories, from small open to motoryachts. Sign up now for our free newsletter and receive the best news selected by the editorial staff each week. Enter your email below, agree to the Privacy Policy and click the “sign me up” button.
We present the most renowned companies and people who have been working for years to improve the boat. We asked the leading players to tell us about their special features and the services they offer. We are confident that you
Our focus in this “Improving the Boat” Special on safety. That is, a guide to choosing the tools and materials one needs to have in order to best deal with a critical situation or moment of danger. What to
Welcome to the special Classic Boat Archive section, where Boats by Motor opens for you its paper archive where hundreds and hundreds of boats we have tested, presented and reviewed in the magazine’s more than 35-year history are kept. Technical
We present the most renowned companies and people who have been working for years to improve the boat. We asked the leading players to tell us about their special features and the services they offer. We are confident that you
