Last week, the 72-foot custom mini maxi Bella Mente moved to Crackerboy Boat Works’ Eagle Eye shed where it will undergo a paint job of the deck, cockpit and topsides over the next week or two. The Bella Mente Racing team is back this Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday to continue to prep the boat for hardware installations. The team will also be very busy later this month and into January as it wraps up some minor system modifications.
We are stepping back in time to 2006, when the first Bella Mente Racing campaign kicked off. Here is a photo of the team at the Heineken Regatta, which was shortened that year due to light air. Bella Mente took second-place in IRC. Can anyone name all the crewmembers in this picture?
Cast your vote by commenting here or on the team’s Facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/BellaMenteRacing)
Bella Mente has been stationed at Crackerboy Boat Works in Riviera Beach, Florida since early October. Over the past week, the boat’s winch system and hardware were serviced, and the deck is still undergoing prep work for a paint job that will take place the week of Thanksgiving. The team is also making a few more minor modifications to prepare Bella Mente for the 2014 campaign.
On November 1st, we challenged our Facebook followers to help the Bella Mente Racing page reach 1,000 likes. Thanks to our fantastic support group, the page is now at 1,075 likes, and as promised, five fans (listed below) have won a team belt!
Congratulations to…
John A McVeety
Donald Tofias
Mary Watson
J.r. Thomas
Merelita Sera
Once again, we are so happy to have everyone’s support going into our 2014 campaign! There will be another giveaway next month so stay tuned and make sure to follow the team on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BellaMenteRacing
Five of these Bella Mente Racing team belts will be going to randomly selected Facebook fans
Earlier this month we challenged our Facebook fans to help get the Bella Mente Racing page to 1,000 likes. Within the first 48 hours of the announcement, we had exceeded that goal and tomorrow (November 13, 2013), at 10 a.m. E.T., we will announce the five lucky followers that will receive Bella Mente Racing team belts. For a chance to win, please make sure to “like” the page before midnight (E.T.) tonight.
Please visit the page at https://www.facebook.com/BellaMenteRacing
Yesterday, Bella Mente was taken off its keel, and the hull was then moved inside at Crackerboy Boat Works (Riviera Beach, Florida). Over the next week, the hull will be stripped of hardware and cleaned to prep for a deck and cockpit paint job taking place at the end of November. Meanwhile, in Rhode Island Bella Mente’s sails are undergoing repairs and updates in preparation for the team’s 2014 campaign.
Triumph for all women crew:
Racing classic returns bigger than ever:
Looking back at the Rolex Fastnet Race – CNN MainSail did a piece featuring the Bella Mente Racing team and owner/driver Hap Fauth. Watch the full video here or at http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/sports/2013/09/12/spc-mainsail-fastnet-race-b.cnn.html
Bella Mente Loading in Olbia, Sardinia
Bella Mente was loaded and shipped from Olbia, Sardinia on September 23rd and arrived at West Palm Beach, Florida on Saturday, October 12th. The following day, the boat was offloaded then hauled at Crackerboy Boat Works. This week the Bella Mente Racing team is setting up shop at the boatyard and will be doing some cleanup and servicing of the boat, and also preparing it for deck and touch-up painting. Bella Mente will be stationed in Florida until early January when it will kick-off its 2014 campaign.
Bella Mente, along with other mini maxis Caol Ila R and Shockwave, in West Palm Beach, Fla. before its haul out at Crackerboy Boat Works
Quantum Key West Race Week (Photo Credit Jesús Renedo)
Bella Mente Racing has wrapped up its 2013 campaign, and here is a photo timeline showing one of the team’s favorite photos from each of the events this year. We are already getting excited for 2014!
RORC Caribbean 600 ( Photo Credit RORC/Tim Wright/Photoaction.com)
GAASTRA PalmaVela (Photo Credit Jesús Renedo)
Giraglia Rolex Cup (Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi)
Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week (Photo Credit Rick Tomlinson)
Rolex Fastnet Race (Photo Credit Rolex / Kurt Arrigo)
Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship (Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi)
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.
