Hap Fauth
Owner and Helmsman
Minneapolis, Minnesota/Naples, Florida
Hap has been building “Bella Mente Racing” since 2005 when he purchased the first of the three racing yachts that have been part of the program. With his team, Hap has raced throughout the U.S. and all around Europe. When he is not competing on the water, Fauth runs a number of businesses that span many industries – from agriculture to aerospace – and brings many of the same principles and tactics that he uses in the boardroom to the development of his sailing campaign.
Thomas Allin
Trimmer
Newport, Rhode Island/La Rochelle, France
Thomas is going into his sixth season with Bella Mente Racing in 2013 and works with both the sailing team and the onshore crew. His major sailing accomplishments include sailing onboard the winning yacht in the Transpac 2011 and winning multiple regattas in the Melges 24 class, including the Melges 24 World Championship in 2004.
James “Skip” Baxter
Trimmer
Auckland, New Zealand
The 2015 campaign marks Skip’s first season as part of Bella Mente Racing. Aside from sailing since he was eight, Skip has made a career out of racing professionally, and some of his major accolades include winning ten world championships in a number of different classes.
Ryan Brown
Mate
Northeast Harbor, Maine
Ryan joined the program in November 2010 and his main focus is getting Bella Mente ready to race. He grew up in Maine and has been sailing for as long as he can remember. Ryan marks one of his biggest accomplishments to be winning the Hayward Cup, one of the oldest sailing trophies at the Northeast Harbor Fleet.
Michele “Mickey” Cannoni
Bowman
Genoa, Italy
This will be Cannoni’s fifth season as Bella Mente Racing’s mid-bow. His sailing background includes working as mid-bow for Lunna Rossa at the 32nd America’s Cup where the team made it into the Luis Vuitton Cup finals. Cannoni also played an integral role on winning yachts in three Rolex Maxi World Championships, three Rolex Middle Sea Races and two IMS European Championships and one Transpac Race.
Sean “Doogie” Couvreux
Bowman
White Salmon, Washington
Doogie joined Bella Mente Racing in 2008 and has been on the winning yacht for two Transpacs (where the team also won the “Barn Door” trophy for first to finish). He also has sailed two Louis Vuitton Pacific Series events and the Tour de France a la voile and has competed in two Olympic Trials regattas in the 49er class.
Ollie Dickens
Floater
Southampton, UK
Ollie’s passion for sailing began at 13 when he started racing dinghies at his local sailing club. From there, he moved to big boat racing and started sailing with Bella Mente in 2011. The 2015 campaign will be especially exciting for Ollie, as the team will be spending a large portion of the year racing in his home waters of the Solent.
Christopher Deighan
Chef
Vail, Colorado
Christopher has been a private chef for Hap Fauth and Bella Mente Racing since 2006 and has supported the campaign’s dozens of regattas worldwide. He has been sailing since the age of 16 and has raced aboard Bella Mente in the 2006 Newport-Bermuda Race and the Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race.
Kyle Fitzgerald
Shore Crew/Boat Builder
San Diego, California
Kyle has been with Bella Mente Racing for two seasons wearing a number of hats, primarily as team boat builder. He has been part of the shore crew for over eight different campaigns, including Disney’s Morning Light, which was the basis for a film documentary about a group of young sailors preparing for and then racing in the Transpac.
Federico Giovanelli
Grinder
Tuscany, Italy
Frederico has been with Bella Mente Racing since 2009 and started sailing at age 26 when the Italian Syndicate Luna Rossa brought him on as grinder for the 2000 America’s Cup. Since then, he has raced with other America’s Cup syndicates and has also sailed for TP52 and Volvo Ocean Race inshore campaigns.
Peter “Pirate” Henderson
Boat Captain/Backstays
Newport, Rhode Island
Pirate has been with Bella Mente Racing for six seasons and is in his third season as boat captain. Career highlights include winning the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship, the Transpac (including “Barn Door” trophy for best overall performance) and the Newport Bermuda Race (including the “Gibbs Hill Lighthouse” trophy for first overall). He also has been on the winning boat for the Swan 42 North American Championships and is a five-time Yngling North American Champion.
Terry Hutchinson
Tactician
Harwood, Maryland
Terry joined Bella Mente Racing in 2013. The four-time All American and two-time College Sailor of the Year has been involved with four America’s Cup campaigns. In 2008, after showcasing his talent as tactician for Emirates Team New Zealand, Terry was named Rolex Yachtsman of the Year for his successful transition to fleet racing. In that year, Terry held the title of Melges 24 North American Champion and took home victories in four major TP 52 regattas before winning the TP 52 World Championship. Outside of that, Terry has racked up many major regatta victories in a variety of classes, including more World Championships and North American Championships as well as National Championships and Match Racing Championships.
James Lyne
Coach
Granville, Vermont
James started working with Bella Mente Racing for the 2015 campaign. He has been an avid sailor since childhood, sailing in Whitby (UK) with his dad. He has coached at the sport’s highest levels, including with the US Olympic Sailing Team in 2003 and 2007 and with GBR Challenge for the 2003 and 2007 America’s Cup. In 2009, James and his wife co-founded the non-profit Rozalia Project with the goal to clean up and protect the world’s oceans.
Brian “Puck” MacInnes
Grinder
Ada, Michigan
Brian picked up his love of the water growing up in Nova Scotia where summer days were spent sailing with his father. Brian started sailing professionally as a teenager and traveled around the world to compete. He has been a member of two Volvo Ocean Race campaigns and is a two-time winner of the America’s Cup with Larry Ellison’s ORACLE Racing. In addition to having many other accomplishments in highly competitive maxi and one-design classes, Brian is also co-founder of Composite Builders and has joined Bella Mente Racing for its 2015 campaign.
Tom “Tomac” McLaughlin
Coach/Support Boat
Salt Lake City, Utah
Tomac has been sailing since he was 12 years old, when he says he used the sport to “escape from his parents” and “find the freedom of the water.” He was a College All-American at San Diego State in 1968 and ‘69 and since ‘73 has held the role of tactician, watch captain, sail trimmer and coach for various sailing campaigns.
Craig Monk
Grinder
Auckland, New Zealand
Craig joins Bella Mente Racing fresh off the Artemis Racing team, which marked his fifth America’s Cup campaign. The two-time America’s Cup winner is also a double Olympian, and in 1992 took home the bronze medal in the Finn class. When he’s not racing himself, he is spending time with his family and teaching his eight-year-old son Finn how to sail.
Ian “Soapy” Moore
Navigator
Cowes, Isle of Wight
Soapy was on his first boat at a mere six weeks old, and his life has unfolded into a storied sailing career that includes being navigator in the Volvo Ocean Race and as navigator and performance manager for America’s Cup Campaigns.
Robert Ouellette
Project Manager/Grinder
Marblehead, Massachusetts/Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Rob was exposed to boating before he could walk and grew up sailing all over New England. He graduated from the University of Rhode Island where he was captain of his keelboat sailing team in 1998 and took first place at the Kennedy Cup and third place at the College Sailing World Cup. He has been part of Bella Mente Racing for eight seasons, sharing in the team’s many national and international triumphs.
Mike Sanderson
Offshore Helmsman/Crew Boss
Auckland, New Zealand
Mike brings an enormous wealth of experience to Bella Mente. He is a two-time winner of the Volvo Ocean Race who has held numerous World Records. Mike has been involved in four America’s Cup campaigns and was ISAF World Sailor of the Year in 2007.
Matt Smith
Pit
San Diego, California
Matt has been a professional sailor since 1993 and is joining Bella Mente Racing for his third season. He has been involved in numerous America’s Cup campaigns and has sailed for a number of different teams on a variety of circuits that have included one-design racing, match racing and TP 52 sailing.
