Click here for more articles featuring Bella Mente Racing
For more updates, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagramor visit https://bellamenteracing.com/.
It was an on-the-water battle with fellow Maxi 72 Momo at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week today, but Bella Mente Racing prevailed, taking the lead in the final leg of the 18-mile race. The team, led by owner/driver Hap Fauth, wrapped up the event with first-place overall in the IRC Big Boat Class.
The Race Committee decided to combine fleets today, which meant roughly 20 boats on the starting line and in essence more traffic issues, with boats sailing at varying speeds. We got stuck around some small boats prior to the start, but Hap did good work negotiating our way through. On final approach, Bella Mente was the first of the three Maxi 72s to hoist, and although Momo had a better position on the line, we had better execution of the start. Unfortunately, roughly one minute from the layline, Momo was able to roll Bella Mente and gain a strong inside position at the first mark rounding. From here, it was simply a matter of keeping it close and waiting for any opportunity. Bella Mente and Momo traded tacks and gybes for the next 17 miles. It was not until that final mile that an opportunity presented itself and Bella Mente was in a position to take advantage. We were able to slip past Momo on a starboard port crossing and from there gain control of the race, winning by 40 seconds.
In retrospect, both teams sailed very well. Bella Mente kept asking the question, and Momo kept defending the lead quite well. Our passing of Momo was a little bit of luck and a little bit of patience; both of which were required to win. All in all, it was a good event, but there is still plenty of work to do as we move forward.
The team has worked very hard over the last ten months and we’ve seen a lot of new changes, from crew additions to boat updates, such as a new mast, keel and sail program. With that said, over the past few weeks it’s been exciting to see that the team is working well together and our three-year-old girl Bella Mente has some fast wheels on her.
There is no doubt that the Solent suits her, she has always loved flat water, so we aren’t exactly “shouting from the roof tops” going into the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championships. However, we sure have the hardware and the team to be truly in the hunt. What more can you ask for?
Bella Mente started Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week off on a good note today, winning one of the event’s most prestigious trophies, the Britannia Cup, for fastest average speed on corrected time. The team, led by owner/driver Hap Fauth, also took first place in the IRC Big Boat Class for the day.
Bella Mente Wins Cowes Week Britannia Cup (Photo Credit: Rick Tomlinson)
“It was a solid team day today,” said Tactician Terry Hutchinson adding that the team along with the rest of the class took on a 23.6 mile race on the Solent off Cowes, Isle of Wight. “Hap, Soapy (Ian Moore), and Doogie (Sean Couvreux) nailed the start in a strong windward position with all three mini-maxi’s (Bella Mente, Jethou and Momo) hoisting in unison. Bella slipped out to a narrow lead at the first mark rounding and from there extended. It was a great race to be in the lead as the track was quite one sided and yet the team was consistent with our maneuvers and set up. All in all a good day.”
Team Strategist Adrian Stead added, “We had a great day and I am personally delighted because this is now the second time I’ve won it (the Britannia Cup). The racing was great because it was the first time we’ve sailed against Momo and Jethou, so we had three Maxi 72s lined up today. This is all part of our build-up to the Mini Maxi worlds in Sardinia next month.”
The New York Yacht Club Challenge Cup is on the line tomorrow for the event. The team last won the esteemed award at Cowes Week in 2013.
For more updates from Bella Mente Racing, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter andInstagram or visit https://bellamenteracing.com/.
For event updates, follow AAM Cowes Week on Facebook and Twitter or visithttp://www.aamcowesweek.co.uk/.
Hashtag #CowesWeek #BellaMenteRacing
With no wind predicted for the Solent area today, racing for all classes was abandoned this Tuesday for Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. Bella Mente Racing along with the rest of the IRC Big Boat Class, will kick off its first day of racing tomorrow. According to event organizers, Wednesday is forecasted to start with more consistent breezes of around 8-10 knots, which may build quickly to 15 knots or more.
For nightly reports from Bella Mente during racing, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit https://bellamenteracing.com/.
For event updates, follow AAM Cowes Week on Facebook and Twitter or visit http://www.aamcowesweek.co.uk/.
Hashtag #CowesWeek #BellaMenteRacing
Today, Bella Mente Racing had Yachting World’s Toby Hodges onboard for the team’s final training session before the big boat series at Cowes Week, which kicks off tomorrow and runs through Thursday. Read an excerpt from the feature below. The full article is available at http://www.yachtingworld.com/cowes-week/sailing-aboard-the-72ft-mini-maxi-bella-mente-one-of-the-fastest-yachts-at-cowes-week-2015-66637
For other notable features on the team throughout the years, visit our “In the Press” section on the website
For nightly reports from Bella Mente during racing, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit https://bellamenteracing.com/.
For event updates, follow AAM Cowes Week on Facebook and Twitter or visit http://www.aamcowesweek.co.uk/.
Hashtag #CowesWeek #BellaMenteRacing
It’s “full speed ahead” for Bella Mente Racing in Cowes this summer, with the team just off a victory at the Royal Yacht Squadron Bicentenary International Regatta and preparing for Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, where they will be racing in IRC August 11-13.
2013 AAM Cowes Week (Photo Credit Rick Tomlinson)
The team, led by owner/driver Hap Fauth, last competed in the five-day regatta in 2013, where they won the New York Yacht Club Challenge Cup, one of the two most prestigious trophies awarded at the event. This year, the team will have its work cut out with two other Maxi 72s on the line: Dieter Schoen’s Momo and Sir Peter Ogden’s Jethou.
“Having to keep an eye on two other boats very similar to ours is going to prove challenging, especially mixed with the tricky current and wind conditions found in the Solent, but it will be great fun,” said Bella Mente Racing Crew Boss Mike Sanderson. “It will be our first time lining up against the new Maxi 72 Momo, so that in itself brings a huge amount of excitement.”
“The spirit onboard is great right now. We all know each other well, as a majority of the team has been lucky enough to be together for some time now. Hap is a great leader who commits to the campaign early enough each year for us to be able to keep this great team together. He is also a great guy to compete with, making it fun to keep coming back and giving everything we can to try and win.”
For nightly reports from Bella Mente during racing, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit https://bellamenteracing.com/.
For event updates, follow AAM Cowes Week on Facebook and Twitter or visit http://www.aamcowesweek.co.uk/.
Hashtag #CowesWeek #BellaMenteRacing
A big thanks to our fantastic boat captain Peter “Pirate” Henderson who has done such an incredible job for Bella Mente Racing. We wouldn’t be the team we are today without you!
Bella Mente Racing has kicked off its European race circuit on the right foot, winning IRC Class 1 in the Royal Yacht Squadron Bicentenary International Regatta, which wrapped up today on the Solent off Cowes, Isle of Wight.
(Photo Credit: Paul Wyeth/pwpictures.com)
We had an amazing week. We experienced a range of challenging conditions; from breeze below five knots to gale-force winds. However, the team ultimately prevailed and won the regatta; the crew did a fantastic job as did our afterguard.
This was a solid start to our European season. Today’s race was an example of great team effort all around.
Hap nailed the downwind start, and Bella crossed the fleet on port. The wind gods were a bit weak on the water today, but Bella was still able to build a large lead on the fleet throughout the course. With nine miles left in the race, we were leading the IRC 1 class, free and clear of Rambler and Leopard, yet the final run to the finish would still determine the overall outcome. At this point, we were sailing against the tide in a light westerly, which was not a lot of fun. We knew that at a certain point the sea breeze would fill in and it did, bringing the entire fleet back into the race and erasing any chance of a win, and our 90-minute lead on TP52 Gladiator dwindled down to a mere 22 minutes.
In less than two weeks, the team kicks off Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week (August 11-15), followed the 603-mile Rolex Fastnet Race (August 16). Bella Mente will conclude its 2015 campaign in Sardinia with the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup (September 6-12).
Photo Credit: John Green
It all comes down to tomorrow for Hap Fauth and the team aboard Maxi 72 Bella Mente. After taking a fourth in today’s race off Cowes, Isle of Wight at the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Bicentenary International Regatta, the team is tied for first with Gladiator in IRC 1.
A great effort today on Bella Mente. I put us behind the eight ball at the start, coaching Hap to the wrong side of the starting mark. Hap did good work to not hit the mark as we bore away and rolled into a gibe to restart. From this point we had to fight and that was exactly what we did.
One leg, one sail change at a time. Racing is proving to be quite dynamic here around the Solent; at one point we had both western edge and the eastern edge running at the finish line with spinnakers.
We sit tied with TP52 Gladiator going into tomorrow, which means it is all to play for. That is the good news!
Yesterday, Bella Mente Racing took off on the Around the Island Race as part of the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Bicentenary International Regatta. The team, led by owner/driver Hap Fauth, finished the circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight (UK) in just over four hours and 30 minutes, taking third place on corrected time in IRC 1.
Photo Credit: Tim Jeffreys Photography 2015
“It was a beautiful but chilly day for the famous ‘Around the Isle of Wight’ race,” said Bella Mente Racing’s Crew Boss Mike Sanderson. “We raced the traditional America’s Cup clockwise around the island, which is a less common way to race these days.
“We kicked off the race with a downwind start, which was challenging but fun. Jethou got a little jump on us off the start, but with some very nice sailing we were able to grind them down and beat them around the bottom of the island. From there, we never really gave them much of an opportunity to get back in front. However, it did turn out to be a smaller boat day and we came in third place, on corrected time, behind a couple of well-sailed TP52s. All in all, it was a great day, with solid crew work and great communication when it came decision-making time.
“It looks to be the end of our breezy sailing for the week, so it’s time to change gears for much more moderate breeze today and tomorrow.”
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 three additional racing yachts in the program.
Launched in September of 2018, the current Bella Mente is a Maxi 72 designed by Botin Partners in Spain and built by New England Boatworks in Rhode Island.
