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L’articolo originale è stato postato qualche tempo fa su Offshore Rules il bel sito dell’amico Justin Chisholm.
E’ di qualche tempo fa ma parlando di uno noi lo pubblichiamo volentieri.
Chi è?
Ma come chi è… alla voce Melges di qualsiasi dizionario dei sinonimi ormai appare il suo nome.
Il Fred nazionale
This article originally appeared in my Keelboat Corner column for Yachts and Yachting Magazine….

I have long held the view that we all can learn something new each and every time we go afloat, but the day I spent on the water recently took this perceived truth to the extreme. The opportunity to drive the rib for legendary Italian sailor Federico Michetti, whilst he coached Stuart Simpson’s British Melges 32 crew prior to the 2009 Gold Cup Regatta in Fort Lauderdale was simply too good to miss. Beyond his many sailing achievements, which include two Melges 24 World Championship victories, Michetti has also proved himself in the business world and his slick Melges Europe operation has been responsible for the successful introduction of the Melges 32 and Melges 20 classes to Europe. Given his pedigree and renowned drive for perfection, I was amazed to discover that this was his first time in a coaching role. Out on the water however, Michetti’s natural enthusiasm and love for both the class and the sport soon shone through and it quickly became apparent that he was indeed a natural in the coaching role.
Having agreed a plan for the day before we left the dock, out on the water we trailed close behind the Team Barbarians crew as they set off on a prolonged upwind leg in around fifteen knots of breeze and rather unpleasant chop. Michetti first studied the rig set up intently for a few minutes, before suggesting a number of changes to jib car positions and main trim settings. Once happy with the boat tune, he then focused in on the way the crew were sailing the boat. His first major alteration was to get the boat sailing with slightly less heel and most importantly at a more constant heel angle. From our vantage point a few feet behind the boat, it was easy to see the immediate improvement in boatspeed and reduction in loss to leeward that this subtle and almost imperceptible change had made. Having then moved the entire crew a few inches back on the rail to help the helmsman steer more easily around the waves, Michetti declared himself happy with the overall configuration of the boat and crew for the conditions and moved on to concentrate on boat handling.

The Melges 32 is a classic example of a boat which is easy to sail, but hard to sail well. Strictly enforced one-design rules on the hull, equipment, rig and sails, place a high premium on how the crew get the boat around the course and as our training day progressed, it quickly became apparent how miniscule changes in crew technique could yield tangible performance gains. Success in this fleet is dependant on excellence across the board, with anything less than perfect technique around tacking, gybing, hoisting and dropping, guaranteed to result in lost places. Over the several hours we spent on the water that day, I watched intrigued as Michetti systematically picked the crew work apart before rebuilding it into a slicker and more efficient form. When shouted instructions were not enough he would quickly jump on board to talk through his proposed changes or if that was not enough, demonstrate himself what was required. Even from my less experienced viewpoint, I was able to observe almost instantaneous improvements in technique, as Michetti pushed the crew rapidly up the learning curve. The marked rise in performance that day was all the more remarkable given that the experienced sailors being coached were certainly no slouches to begin with.

Arguably, the biggest improvement over the day came at the back of the boat, as a result of Michetti zeroing in on owner-driver Stuart Simpson’s tacking and gybing technique. Michetti’s clear message here was that excellence in these manoeuvres is all about the speed and smoothness of the helmsman’s turns. As the crew went through what seemed like hundreds of tacks Michetti patiently urged and cajoled Simpson to adopt an almost entirely different technique, which gave him the physical stability and confidence to be able to steer the boat all the way through the tacks and gybes. Whilst the improvement in tacking was impressive, the difference that Michetti’s coaching made to the crew’s gybing performance was nothing short of staggering, with the final series of gybes at the end of the session coming close to perfection.

Back ashore and following a formal debrief with all involved, it was obvious how much the sailors had gained from the session, both as individuals and as a crew. Simpson in particular was full of praise for Michetti’s coaching abilities. ‘He really is quite remarkable. His combination of knowledge and experience in this class, along with his innate sailing ability make him a truly unique proposition. I expected a lot from this session but I’m amazed by what we have achieved in a single day. From rig tune to boathandling, Federico has taken us apart and put us back together as a more potent force.’ Michetti too seemed to have enjoyed his first coaching experience. ‘For sure it is satisfying to work with a team like this who are so keen to improve. For owners like Stuart, time on the water is usually the limiting factor and one of my suggestions was to make the best use of the available time, by perhaps sacrificing one event per year to allow them to spend a couple days training like this before each of the other events.’

For my own part, I cannot help but feel fortunate for the chance to learn so much so much during a single day on the water and I am looking forward to trying to implement at least some of it the very next time I go racing.

Justin Chisholm
December 2009

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