Press Release Archives - Page 3 of 4

Hap Fauth Rings in Season with Yachtsman of the Year Nomination

December 21, 2015 By Bella Mente Leave a Comment

Hap Fauth received an early Christmas present when he was nominated this month as one of 11 sailors in the running for 2015 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year. The nominees – put forward by the membership of U.S. Sailing to acknowledge their distinguished on-water accomplishments for the year – will be reviewed by a panel of noted sailing journalists, and a winner will be announced in mid-January of 2016.

Fauth with Boat Captain Peter Henderson after winning the 2015 Rolex Maxi 72 World Championships (Photo Credit: ROLEX / Carlo Borlenghi)

“I’m honored and humbled,” said Fauth. “I sailed one designs growing up and was working at a sail loft when I was 13 – that’s apples and oranges to what I’m doing now, but at the end of the day, it’s about dominating the start, never getting out of phase, and continually optimizing your boat. As you go from a Star to a Melges 32 to a Maxi 72, the complexity of that is exponentially multiplied.”

Fauth certainly fits the bill for the coveted award, steering his Maxi 72 Bella Mentethrough a successful 2015 campaign, which included winning the Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship, a pinnacle event on the team’s racing calendar. Before that, the team put on a strong performance in the U.S., the Caribbean and the U.K., taking the overall win at the RORC Caribbean 600 and winning their class at Quantum Key West Race Week, the Royal Yacht Squadron Bicentenary International Regatta and Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. The team even made an impressive comeback at Les Voiles de St. Barth, moving up to second place overall after suffering an equipment failure on the first day.

Fauth elaborated on the comprehensive nature of big-boat programs by saying, “Olympic and one-design sailors are on the water all the time, and I take my hat off to them. Not one (type of campaign) is better than the other, but the complexity of a big boat is a different deal than most people think. It’s an interesting undertaking with 20-30 people and a major investment in time, energy, planning and other elements.”

Fauth is joined onboard by a slew of world-class sailors, including Terry Hutchinson who joins him in the afterguard as tactician and also won the 2014 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Award.

“When I was named Yachtsman of the Year it was a true honor to receive it,” said Hutchinson. “At the luncheon presentation, the previous year’s winner, Brian Porter, spoke a few words about what it was like to compete against me on the course. It was so touching that by the end of the ceremony my wife leaned in and asked if he actually was talking about me! Hap accompanied me to the presentation and at this time our sailing relationship was on the front side of Bella Mente’s 2015 season.

“To be given the opportunity to present the 2015 Yachtsman of the Year award to Hap would be truly the culmination of a great year together. Looking at the short list I can see merit in all the names put forward, but of course I am biased to Hap winning.”

Click here for Naples Daily News feature on Hap Fauth

Click here for a recap of Bella Mente’s 2015 Campaign

For more information, visit https://bellamenteracing.com/. Follow Bella Mente Racing on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Sponsors for Bella Mente Racing include TSI, ESC, Tekran, DICKEY-john, Churchill Yachts,Worthington Aviation, Worthington Ag Parts and New England Boatworks.

It’s All Been Leading Up To…

September 6, 2015 By Bella Mente 1 Comment

Media Contact: Kirsten Ferguson, kirsten.ferguson@mediapronewport.com, +1 401-330-7889

The Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship

PORTO CERVO, SARDINIA, ITALY (September 6, 2015) – Bella Mente Racing has seen success at all five regattas in which it has competed this year, and this week the team’s skill will be put to the ultimate test when it takes on its final and most challenging sailing competition yet: the Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship (September 7-12). The annual event is a pinnacle one for owner/driver Hap Fauth (Minneapolis, Minn./Naples, Fla.) and his team of sailors, as it attracts the best of the best in the Maxi 72 Class for six days of tight racing off Porto Cervo, Sardinia.

Bella Mente during the RYS Bicentenary International Regatta (Photo Credit: Paul Wyeth/pwpictures.com)

According to Fauth the ante has been upped for this year’s edition: “This particular class has been around for a while, but the rules were consolidated this year, making it so that all the boats on the starting line this week are rated even closer than before.” Fauth added that Bella Mente Racing, which took the championship title in 2012, will go head to head with other previous winners, including returning 2014 champion Caol Ila R (previously Alegre). The team also will battle against the 2015 Rolex Fastnet Race Winner MOMO, which is new to the Maxi 72 fleet this year. “Everyone is pushing the limit in terms of design in the hopes of getting as close to the edge of the class guidelines as possible,” said Fauth, “so all the boats on the line this week will be rated very similarly.”

Bella Mente racing in Les Voiles de St. Barth (Photo Credit: Sharon Green)

The Bella Mente Racing campaign was launched in 2006 after Fauth purchased his first Bella Mente (a Judel/Vrolijk 66 built in 2002); in 2012 he launched his third and current Bella Mente (a custom Judel/Vrolijk 72 footer). Fauth now serves as president of the Maxi 72 Class.

“What attracts me to this class in particular is the fact that both boat design and team performance have equal roles in the overall success of your race program,” said Fauth. “This class is perfect for anyone who wants an innovative hand in every part of the campaign. I enjoy this more than a box rule boat, which by definition limits you in terms of progress against other designs.”

Bella Mente Racing’s Navigator Ian Moore (Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK) expanded on that subject, adding, “The Maxi 72s have evolved to be the best IRC boat at this length, and although we are still racing under the IRC rating system, there is such a narrow spread of handicaps between the boats that we are effectively competing at a level rating. However, this is not to be mistaken for one-design, as these boats all have very diverse design backgrounds. All are built with strengths and weaknesses in different areas and must be sailed to play to those differences. This is what makes it a very special class.”

So far, the team has put on a strong performance this year in the U.S., the Caribbean and the U.K., taking line honors and the overall win at the RORC Caribbean 600 and winning its class at Quantum Key West Race Week, the Royal Yacht Squadron Bicentenary International Regatta and Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. The team even made an impressive comeback at Les Voiles de St. Barth, moving up to second place overall after suffering an equipment failure on the first day.

Unlike the previous events this year – where the team competed in handicap classes against a number of different race boats – this week will have Bella Mente and the rest of the Maxi 72 fleet under a microscope as it is one of the few opportunities when the entire class is together. “This year’s fleet feels incredibly tight, and I would suspect that this event is going to be a true game of inches,” said 2014 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year and Bella Mente Tactician Terry Hutchinson (Annapolis, Md.). “Nothing will come easy, as all the teams are very good, so it is about putting on a strong performance each day if we want the opportunity to win.”

Adding to Bella Mente’s competitive edge this year is a new keel to deepen the boat’s draft as well as a new rig and sail program, all of which are complemented by a fluid team dynamic onboard.

“Not to take anything away from the great individuals we’ve had in the past, but there is no doubt that this is our most solid team to date, across the program,” said former Volvo Ocean Race winning skipper, Mike Sanderson (Auckland, N.Z.), who has been sailing onboard Bella Mente for the past four seasons. “It has been such a pleasure to be a part of something where everyone is swimming in the same direction. We are all 100 percent in this together.”

Strategist Adrian Stead (Bursledon, U.K.) is new to the team this year but a veteran when it comes to racing Maxi 72s; he served as tactician for the highly successful Rán racing program for many years. “The Worlds is always a tough week –mixing windward-leeward racing with coastal courses in this great but challenging venue against even more challenging competitors. The key to our success will be consistency and chipping away each day to make sure we are at the front of the pack by the end of the week. Every team here has done its preparation, and we feel we have got Bella Mente in its best configuration. We have great sails, a solid team and are getting the most out of the boat. The proof will be when we all line up tomorrow.”

Follow Bella Mente Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Sponsors for Bella Mente Racing include TSI, ESC, Tekran, DICKEY-john, Churchill Yachts, Worthington Aviation, Worthington Ag Parts and New England Boatworks.

Terry Hutchinson Named US Sailing’s 2014 Rolex Yachtsman of the of the Year

January 14, 2015 By Bella Mente Leave a Comment

Today it was announced that Bella Mente Racing’s Tactician, Terry Hutchinson, has been named US Sailing’s 2014 Rolex Yachtsman of the of the Year. A total of ten men had been shortlisted for the honors based on nominations submitted by members of US Sailing.

Picture taken at Maxi Yacht Rolex World Championships 2014. Hutchinson pictured left and owner/driver Hap Fauth pictured right. Photo credit to Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

2014 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year

Terry Hutchinson has been named the 2014 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year in recognition of a year that saw him atop the leaderboard at major regattas more times than any other American sailor. The 2014 award is Hutchinson’s second; he previously earned the honor in 2008 following his win of the TP52 World Championship.

Terry Hutchinson (Photo Credit: Daniel Forster)

One member of the selection panel remarked that Hutchinson “has this magic; he is the lead figure in campaigns for a lot of different classes,” while another noted that he is “committed and passionate about being at the top of his game.”

As tactician on Alex Roeper’s Plenty, Hutchinson won the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, capping a successful season that also saw him win the Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship and the California Cup and take class honors at the Rolex Big Boat Series. He also reclaimed the World Championship title in the TP52 class, collecting a class win at Quantum Key West Race Week as well as the TP52 U.S. Championship title. His success in one-design classes did not stop there. In the RC44, he won the Oman Cup as tactician; in the J/70 class, he drove to the win of the Fall Brawl in his hometown; and he finished second at the Melges 32 Gold Cup, again as tactician.

“Being honored for this award is just an incredible feeling,” said Hutchinson. “It is acknowledgement of the hard work done in 2014. Knowing that 99% of my season was as a tactician, it also represents the team concept and the process that goes into winning. I am incredibly fortunate to have the support of family and great team mates; not much separates those two entities. In 2014, as always, we were only as smart as we were fast and that comes at the hand of some great helmsmen in Alex Roepers, Ed Baird and Doug Devos.”

“Being awarded the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Award for a second time is quite humbling,” added Hutchinson. “It puts me into a group of American yachtsman that I have always respected and admired for their achievements on the water. I am struggling to find the words, as I am incredibly appreciative of those around me. Quite honestly, I am a bit blown away.”

Hutchinson’s record stands best in the Farr 40s and TP52s, among the premier pro-level monohulls in the world. With a transition to the Maxi 72 class, via the Bella Mente Racing campaign, he will soon have that end of the sailing spectrum covered as well. The 46-year-old father of three is a native of Annapolis. He learned to sail at age three in a Dyer Dhow that was attached by a line to his parent’s Concordia yawl. Going back and forth on the end of that line set him on a course to becoming a college star at Old Dominion University (Norfolk, Va.) where he earned Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) All-American honors four times (1987, ‘88, ‘89, ‘90) and was twice recognized as College Sailor of the Year (’89 and ’90).

Action-Packed 2015 Campaign Ahead

January 12, 2015 By Bella Mente Leave a Comment

It is “all systems go” for Bella Mente Racing this year as the team dives into another exciting sailing campaign aboard its namesake Maxi 72. With owner Hap Fauth (Minneapolis, Minn./Naples, Fla.) at the helm, Bella Mente and its team of 26 sailors will take on seven of the year’s most esteemed regattas, incorporating new crew talent and rig modifications into the program.

Bella Mente Racing Owner/Driver Hap Fauth at the helm during the Copa del Rey MAPFRE 2014 in Palma de Mallorca (Photo Credit: Jesus Renedo)

“We’ve made some significant changes to the core crew,” said Fauth, adding that Terry Hutchinson has signed on with Bella Mente Racing for the entire year and has brought with him renowned professional sailors Skip Baxter, Brian MacInnes, James Dagg and Jim Turner. “Terry has been the key ingredient for a number of very successful programs. He brings great discipline as well as a winning point of view. I speak for the team when I say we are very excited about the fresh perspective these sailors will bring to racing.”

Bella Mente at Quantum Key West Race Week in 2014. The team will compete again in this year’s regatta, which gets underway in less than two weeks. (Photo Credit: Onne van der Wal)

Bella Mente at Quantum Key West Race Week in 2014 (Photo Credit: Onne van der Wal)

Fauth, a business entrepreneur, runs a number of high-profile companies, and his management skills on the water closely resemble those in the boardroom. Last November, his success with Bella Mente Racing was recognized when the New York Yacht Club and Storm Trysail Club together presented him with the coveted John B. Thomson Award for campaign excellence.

Bella Mente at the start of the 2014 Newport Bermuda Race (Photo Credit: Onne van der Wal)

“There are three very important components to running a campaign,” said Fauth. “First, you need to be continually working to build the strongest team. It’s more than just professional resumes; it’s about guys that have good chemistry together. Second, you have to have a well thought-out campaign each year, with objectives for each race and objectives for the whole season. Third is logistics management. Everything from plane tickets and room accommodations to onboard food provisioning needs to be completed in a regimented fashion.”

Bella Mente racing fellow Maxi 72s at the 2014 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Sardinia (Photo Credit: Jesus Renedo)

Bella Mente Racing took to the water in December to practice with the new team members and test out its new Southern Spars mast with C6 rigging by Composite Rigging. Racing will kick off next week in Florida with Quantum Key West Race Week. The team will then head to the Caribbean for the RORC Caribbean 600 in February and Les Voiles de St. Barth in April. From there, Bella Mente will be shipped to the United Kingdom where the team will take on the challenging waters of the Solent for the RYS International Bicentennial Regatta and Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week before starting the world-class Rolex Fastnet Race in August. Bella Mente Racing’s pinnacle event, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Sardinia, will conclude the season in September.

Follow Bella Mente Racing on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Sponsors for Bella Mente Racing include TSI, ESC, Tekran, DICKEY-john, Churchill Yachts,Worthington Aviation, Worthington Ag Parts and New England Boatworks.

Bella Mente Racing Setting Her Bar High

April 2, 2014 By Bella Mente Leave a Comment

With two successful regattas in its wake, Bella Mente Racing moves full steam ahead toward the next seven events on its 2014 calendar. First on the horizon for the sailing team of 22, led by owner/driver Hap Fauth (Minneapolis, Minn./Naples, Fla.), is Les Voiles de St. Barth later this month (April 14-19).

Bella Mente and other IRC competitors starting at the RORC Caribbean 600 in February (Photo Credit: Tim Wright/photoaction.com).

Bella Mente and other IRC competitors starting at the RORC Caribbean 600 earlier this year (Photo Credit: Tim Wright/photoaction.com).

“In order to stay on top of the competition we need to be constantly improving our game,” said Fauth who earlier this year raced his 72-foot Judel/Vrolijk Bella Mente to a mini maxi class win at Quantum Key West Race Week and then outran expected frontrunner, the 90-foot Rambler, to claim line honors at the RORC Caribbean 600. “We are currently experimenting with different elements to get faster from both a crew and boat standpoint.”

This will be Fauth’s first time competing at Les Voiles de St. Barth, and although Bella Mente Racing has already proven its skill in buoy-to-buoy and distance racing this year, the six-day event will put the team’s coastal racing skills to the test.

Bella Mente during the 2014 Quantum Key West Race Week where the team won the mini maxi class (Photo Credit: Onne van der Wal)

“We use the phrase ‘sailing with ourselves,’ and that applies tactically and strategically on a coastal racecourse,” added Fauth. “If we sail well and don’t make any mistakes the outcome will take care of itself. But, like any regatta, you’ve got to practice to get everyone back in sync.”

When he’s not racing, Fauth is at the helm of numerous business ventures covering a spectrum of industries – from agriculture to aerospace – and applies the same mentality on the water that he does in the boardroom: “There is no such thing as status quo. If you’re not going forward you are going backwards.

“Onboard Bella Mente, we always choose to go forward and as a result we are in a constant state of motion, trying to get better: better speed, better chemistry, better execution, better focus and better commitment to winning.”

After Les Voiles de St. Barth, Bella Mente will head north to Newport, R.I. for the month of June to race at the 160th New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex and start the 635-mile Newport Bermuda Race. Later that month, the team will race in the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Annual Regatta before shipping Bella Mente to Europe for the 33rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE in August, the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship in September and the Rolex Middle Sea Race in October.

More about Bella Mente Racing
The original Bella Mente Racing campaign kicked off in 2006 with Key West Race Week, and since then owner and skipper Hap Fauth has had two additional racing yachts in the program. Launched in Spring 2012, the new Bella Mente is a 72-foot Mini Maxi designed by judel/vrolijk yacht design and built by New England Boatworks. Notable features include a Hall Spars mast; Southern Spars eC6 carbon rigging; running rigging supplied by T-E-C, winches and drive system by Harken and Stay in Phase; hydraulics by Navtec and Cariboni; most sails built by North Sails along with specialty Doyle Sails.

For more information, visit https://bellamenteracing.com/ or “Like” Bella Mente Racing on Facebook or “Follow” on Twitter.

Sponsors for Bella Mente Racing include TSI, ESC, Tekran, DICKEY-john, Churchill Yachts, Worthington Aviation, Worthington Ag Parts and New England Boatworks.

All Eyes are on the Prize

February 20, 2014 By Bella Mente Leave a Comment

While Olympic athletes put their skills to the test in snowy Sochi, Bella Mente Racing’s 22 world-class sailors are warming up for their next big contest of the year, the RORC Caribbean 600. Last year in the 600-mile race, the team won IRC 0 and finished second overall for IRC, and this year all sights are set on not only the RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy but also the inaugural Bella Mente Trophy, which will be awarded to the first yacht (that is 100% manually powered) over the finish line in IRC. In its sixth edition, the distance race is already boasting a record number of entries and is scheduled to start Monday, February 24th off the island of Antigua.

Bella Mente (left) and Shockwave and Bella Mente (right) at Quantum Key West 2014, where the team won IRC 1 (photo credit Onne van der Wal).

“We donated the Bella Mente Trophy to RORC after last year’s event, as there should be significant recognition for first-to-finish in this iconic race, and it would be very fun if we were the first boat to take it home,” said owner/driver Hap Fauth (Minneapolis, Minn./Naples, Fla.), adding that the team started its 2014 campaign on a high note with a victory in IRC 1 at Quantum Key West in January. “We are very happy with our results in Key West, and the team is excited to get back out on the water next week. The boat arrived in Antigua yesterday, and everyone is flying in over the next few days so that we can get some practice in before Monday.”

Bella Mente (left) and Bella Mente next to ICAP Leopard (right) during last year’s RORC Caribbean 600 (Photo Credit Tim Wright).

Originally launched in 2012, the 72-foot Judel/Vrolijk designed mini maxi is Fauth’s third yacht under the Bella Mente name, and to prepare it for this year’s campaign, the team spent the last few months of2013 making updates to the boat to improve its balance and speed.

“It takes a lot of time and effort to get everything worked out with a boat, and I attribute all of Bella Mente Racing’s success to our team’s dynamic both on and off the water” said Fauth, adding that many of the sailors have been with him since 2005 when he acquired the first Bella Mente (a Judel/Vrolijk 66 built in 2002). The team won the 2006 Newport Bermuda Race on the original Bella Mente, and in 2010 Fauth purchased the second Bella Mente (a modified Reichel/Pugh 69 built in 2009) and went on to win the Transpac the following year.

“Over the years we have learned and strengthened as a team, and we have put our all into preparing for this season. We think we’re getting closer to an optimal level of racing,” added Fauth.

The team will see a strong group of contenders out on the race course next week, including George Skellaris’ mini maxi Shockwave, which fought a hard battle against Bella Mente in Key West; George David’s Rambler, which is a line-honors favorite; and Johnny Vincent’s TP 52 Pace, which is also a tough competitor.

After the RORC Caribbean 600, Bella Mente will stay south for Les Voiles de Saint Barth in April and then head north to Newport, R.I. for the month of June to race at the 160th New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex and start the 635-mile Newport Bermuda Race. Later that month, the team will race in the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Annual Regatta before shipping Bella Mente to Europe for the 33rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE in August, the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship in September and the Rolex Middle Sea Race in October.

Stay up to date during racing next week by following the team on Facebook and Twitter.

Sponsors for Bella Mente Racing include TSI, ESC, Tekran, DICKEY-john, Churchill Yachts, Worthington Aviation, Worthington Ag Parts and New England Boatworks.

Hap Fauth Rings in Season with Yachtsman of the Year Nomination

It’s All Been Leading Up To…

The Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship

Terry Hutchinson Named US Sailing’s 2014 Rolex Yachtsman of the of the Year

Action-Packed 2015 Campaign Ahead

Bella Mente Racing Setting Her Bar High

All Eyes are on the Prize

About Bella Mente

Quick Links

Sign Up for Team Updates

Sponsors