Giancarlo Ghislanzoni, owner of the J/133 CHESTRESS^2 in Italy, was recently in Boston, MA looking over an MJM 40z with Bob Johnstone. He sent along a heart-warming note about his experiences with boats, family, and friends sailing in the Med: As "GG" said, "Adding a 40z to the J/133 in our family is indeed an enduring aspiration; even stronger after seeing the real boat, what a beauty! I am making progress towards the goal. Meanwhile, our CHESTRESS^2, it keeps winning in the MED! We thought the victory at the 2008 Middle Sea Race couldn't be repeated, but this J/133 and her crew of committed and enthusiastic corinthians had another year that we could only dream of. Here are the main highlights:- overall victory at the Campionato Invernale del Tigullio, the main winter series in Italy; a result beyond class victories that we have been chasing for years against the best local X-Yachts, Swan 45s, Grand Soleils, Sydneys, and other Js. It finally came true in 2010, at the very end of ten memorable regattas over the winter.
- overall victory at the Regate Pirelli in Portofino, probably the most flashy handicap regatta around the cans in Italy. We had enthusiastic coverage from the specialized press for beating the professional teams (e.g.. the official Swan 42 from Nautor-Swan- Leonardo Ferragamo's personal boat), as well as from lifestyle (e.g. Vanity Fair) and gossip magazines (see below)- guess which ones we discovered have most impact, even on the business community!
- overall victory of the Italian Offshore Championship, based on the three best results at the eight main offshore regattas, like the mythical and magical Rolex Giraglia Race and the Tre Golfi Race. We were not able to beat the most focused racing boats and professional crews in the individual offshore races, but better season's strategy and consistent performance led us to the overall victory and a gold medal from the Italian Sail Federation.Indeed our beloved CHESTRESS^2 ('what a stress', squared) and her blue asymmetrics keeps giving us unexpected glory despite her five years and amateur crew, thanks to her consistent performance in all conditions: e.g. we had three races with 5 knots of wind and three races with over 25 knots-plus at the Regate Pirelli in Portofino, difficult to cope equally well for others.
During the year other boats outperformed our J/133 in specific conditions, but no other boat performed so well under both IRC and ORC ruling, around the cans and offshore, in light air and large breaking waves and did it in such an accessible way: half of the crew, including myself, have turned 50 this year!
We now look at the next season with the usual dose of realism about who we are and what our real and demanding professional lives are; but CHESTRESS^2 makes us also confident that the impossible may come true again!" Best regards, GG
