Interview with OSTAR entrant Luca Zoccoli

image: 

This weekend I met for the first time my connational Luca Zoccoli at the Solo Racing Festival organised by Racing at Petit Bateau and held at the RSYC. Luca is a mini sailor and has now entered OSTAR 2009. 3000 miles from Plymouth UK to Newport RI in the states, The OSTAR is a legendary race and about 30 italians have taken part in the past editions. Franco Manzoli winner of the 2005 edition aboard Cotonella was the first Italian to take Line honours but Giovanni Soldini has had notable results too.

Often OSTAR skippers dont get to meet or know each other other than a few days before the start so I'm trying to share with you a little more about Luca.

Talking to Luca his passion for the sea transpires immediately, for the ocean and for this race so rich in history and tradition. Luca has already accumulated a fair amount of experience sailing offshore in Minis (not just in the Med) and on Class40 and has already crossed the atlantic in a crewed race. This will be Luca's first OSTAR, tough race against the gulf stream and the north atlantic depressions, the boat has been appropriately renamed In direzione ostinata e contraria which translates to In contrary and obstinate direction.

Followed by his shore team composed by Eleonora Barbareschi and his sail advisor Andrea Fornaro of OneSails Italy, Luca was at ease among the many sailor which included notables such as Mike Golding, Brian Thompson, Dee Caffari, Alex Bennet and many more. His phone kept on ringing as we enjoyed the festival, the boat is still in the deep south of Italy whilst the race starts in Plymouth. So, he had lots to take care of speaking with the rest of the delivery team and friends.

We shared ideas and suggestions, Luca and I will not race in the same class, his Open 35 is much faster but this seems to matter very little. The meteorologist Chris Tibbs assured us that the north atlantic will be a cold and miserable place for all.

You can read below the translation of the interview with Luca for blogSTAR or click the link at the bottom for the original audio, which is in Italian of course.

Marco Nannini, blogSTAR: Luca, Ostar, a legendary race, a great dream, why?

Luca Zoccoli: Why... as you well know, this dream comes from far back in the past, from reading as a teenager the accounts of the racers that did this course, which is the oldest. I'm really passionate about the experiences at sea and sailors and it is inevitable to be drawn to this race.

blogSTAR: Any specific sailor, Italian or foreign, that inspired you?

Luca Zoccoli: I really like Andrea Gancia [...] but also Tabarly, I read them all, really all of them.

blogSTAR: How are your preparations going, we are now three months before the start and getting to the start is a mission in itself, coming from Italy.

Luca Zoccoli: Yes, at the moment we are in the deep south of Italy, in the Salento region, organising the delivery and preparing... the boat is already prepared, built and designed for the [2000] OSTAR, when she took part the first time, which is an important part. We are now adapting her to my needs and to the new technologies that are available but I think we are doing well.

blogSTAR: It's a long trip from Italy, are you doing everything on your own or do you have people to help you?

Luca Zoccoli: Yes... this was a prerequisite of this dream which has been shared since the beginning with many passionate sailors, who unfortunately are not so many in Italy, we are studying how to break the delivery in maneageble chunks and we're looking at rotating crew as to have always at least two on board, bar for the qualifier of course.

blogSTAR: So you still have to complete your qualifying passage? When do you intend to set off?

Luca Zoccoli: The idea is to set off on the last week of march, when we have the leg to the Balearic Islands and to do that single-handed and qualify.

blogSTAR: Thinking about Ostar, there are many dangers to face, in one of the toughest transatlantic races. What is the aspect that you worry the most about?

Luca Zoccoli: You see, the more I study the course the more I learn about its dangers. At present, having raced before for 28 days transatlantic, although in warmer climates, I would say that the thing that worries me the most is my physical strength, not to lose weight and to have a physical build that will resist for all those days as I tend to lose a lot of weight and muscular mass... leaving storms out of the equation, I would say physical preparation is the aspect I'm worrying the most about.

blogSTAR: I can imagine it's a great emotion to get closer and closer to this race?

Luca Zoccoli: Of course, just getting to know so many people that share the same passion... because this is mostly passion... I wake up at night sometimes thinking about it.

blogSTAR: Well, then a huge good luck and see you soon in Plymouth for the start.

Luca Zoccoli: On, the start line.

Marco Nannini - blogSTAR

If you enjoy this website why not make a donation to The Institute of Cancer Research. For more information visit our Charities page.