MAX SIRENA AT THE GENOA BOAT SHOW

Max Sirena, Skipper and Team Director of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, was among the lead figures attending the opening day of the 63rd edition of the Genoa Boat Show. A versatile sailor and a strong advocate for the protection of the oceans, Max is an eclectic sailor, capable of appreciating this sport in all its nuances: «In racing I prefer a "flying" hull (as in the new AC75 America's Cup boats), but for cruising I choose a displacement boat, where I can sail the old-fashioned way», he told Sandro Donato Grosso, journalist and well-known Sky Sport anchor, during the meeting at the Eberhard & Co. Theatre. «It’s not a matter of deciding between two boats, but between two completely different sailing concepts: in the first case the goal is to go as fast as possible, in the second it’s to enjoy time at sea, the voyage, the pleasure of sailing unto itself».

«I'm privileged», continues the skipper, «because I've been lucky enough to do the job I've dreamed of since I was a child and to do it at the highest level, but I got there by working hard and doing all the groundwork; I consider myself a good sailor who has won several things in his life, but I think my edge comes from having 'put my hands' everywhere on the boat; if you don’t know the hull you’re sailing on thoroughly, not only can you not win in a regatta, but you also risk finding yourself in serious danger when cruising. Sailing is like a life gym, and an effective tool for all ages and abilities because it brings out your limits and helps you to know yourself».

Talking about the Show, Max described the appointment as a «must», and «the most important showcase of international boatbuilding» and said he was happy to see sailboats gaining more and more space: «I’m pleased to think that we too, as team Luna Rossa, have contributed over the years to bring people closer to the world of sailing and helped boatyards develop new solutions and new materials that have then been applied to pleasure boats, making them available to everyone».

Sirena didn’t shy away from the inevitable questions about the 37th America's Cup and his team’s performance in Vilanova i la Geltrù (during the first Preliminary Regatta):

«We aren’t happy with the result in Spain: not so much for our final ranking as much for how we handled the regatta as a team. We knew we would get there less prepared than our competitors and had made the choice beforehand to concentrate on the America's Cup and on the development of the AC75 through the prototype, without letting ourselves be distracted by the AC40. But clearly you race to win and I consider ours a mistake for which I take responsibility. That said, we are working well, focused on research and development, because in the next America's Cup the benchmark will be very 'high' in terms of technology. More than all I expect to see increasingly sophisticated and advanced control systems».

Max has very clear ideas about the future: «The Vilanova event was a very useful test to quickly come to terms with the weak points to be improved and, above all, to familiarize with an extremely difficult racecourse, with waves and light winds, that are not the optimal conditions for foiling boats. We must forget the good match we raced last time in Auckland, and start from scratch without resting on laurels. This time reaching the final of the Challenger Selections Series will be even more difficult».