Bella Mente’s new Southern Spars mast is ready to be stepped. The team is looking forward to sailing with it in early December. (Photo Credit: Peter Henderson)
Shipyard Update: November 18
Bella Mente Racing’s 72-foot custom mini maxi namesake has been in the shed at Cracker Boy Boat Works in Florida, undergoing some updates prior to the start of the 2015 season. The team will be finalizing all onshore projects after Thanksgiving in preparation for a testing session in early December.
Peter “Pirate” Henderson Photos
Bella’s 2014 Campaign in Photos
Here is Bella Mente Racing’s 2014 Campaign in pictures. Tell us which photo is your favorite by liking the images below on our Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/BellaMenteRacing). Happy #ThrowbackThursday!
Bella Mente Has Arrived in the U.S.
Hap Fauth’s 72-foot custom mini maxi Bella Mente was hauled today in West Palm Beach, Florida where it will spend the next few months preparing for next year’s racing calendar. The yacht was shipped from Palma Mallorca, Spain last month after completing its 2014 European racing circuit. Boatwork updates and 2015 campaign details will be coming soon. Stay tuned and follow the team on Facebook and Twitter.
Photo Gallery from Bella Mente’s Offload (Photo Credit: Peter Henderson)
Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship: Wrap
After a week of epic battles off Porto Cervo (Sardinia), Bella Mente Racing concluded the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championships on Saturday (Sept. 6) with fourth place overall. The team’s fearless leader, owner/driver Hap Fauth, was awarded the event’s Alberini Trophy for exemplary sportsmanship both on and off the water.
“Hap is always graceful in victory and defeat,” said Mike Sanderson who joined Fauth along with Terry Hutchinson, John Cutler and Ian Moore in the afterguard for all five days of racing. “He is most definitely the man of the moment, and it was great to see that our team wasn’t the only one that recognizes this. On the last day he was already enthusiastic, talking about how we can improve the boat and team for next time. We are looking forward to doing just that.”
On the final day of the event, Bella Mente Racing was relieved to have some good breeze as the previous four days had brought light winds. Sanderson added, “This allowed us to stretch our legs and really see how we sat against the competition. The good news is that we were very much on pace, but unfortunately Saturday’s conditions weren’t enough to move us up in the rankings. If we had at least one or two more days where the wind speed got into the teens, it could have been quite a different regatta.
“We can’t say we are leaving Sardinia happy; we had high expectations and anything short of a win was always going to be disappointing. However, we brought a strong team to the event and fought hard in every race. It just wasn’t our week.”
This summer’s Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship marks the end of Bella Mente Racing’s 2014 campaign, but the team is already strategizing improvements for next year. Stay tuned this fall for updates on the 2015 campaign.
For more updates, follow Bella Mente Racing on Facebook and Twitter
Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship: Day 4
The Mini Maxi Rolex World Championships will be full of showdowns tomorrow, with Bella Mente Racing along with six other tough competitors going into the final day of racing, all vying for a podium finish. The fleet of seven has been racing since Monday, September 1 and wrapped up its second coastal race of the week today off Porto Cervo, Sardinia.
“It was a tough day for a coastal race,” said Terry Hutchinson who joins owner/driver Hap Fauth along with Mike Sanderson, John Cutler and Ian Moore in the afterguard. “The first beat was 1.6 miles sailed in seven knots of true wind speed. From there it was follow the leader, Alegre. Bella Mente fought hard all day and it is hard to not be disappointed, as the effort was not reflected in our result. Tomorrow is a new day, we will get back up and fight!”
Currently, the team is only two points from third place, which is currently occupied by Niklas Zennstrom’s Ran 5. Tomorrow’s racing will include two windward leeward races.
“The goal for tomorrow is to finish strong and make our way onto the podium. It will be no easy task, but I am confident Bella Mente is up for the challenge.”
Full Gallery from the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championships Day 4 (Photo Credit Jesus Renedo)
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