ITA90 launched

Mascalzone Latino's new America's Cup boat launched in Valencia

In Milan today via a live broadcast from Valencia, Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team presented their new America's Cup yacht - Mascalzone Latino ITA 90 - along with the new base to host the team in its preparation for the 32nd America’s Cup.

In the second year of its campaign for the 2007 America’s Cup, Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team reiterated its intention to represent Italian sailing in this pinnacle fo sailing.

The new yacht, ITA 90, has a carbon black colour and has been designed by the Mascalzone Latino–Capitalia Design Group led by Harry Dunning, and manufactured in hi-tech composite matgerial - a new boat, in new colours, destined for a new base. The new Mascalzone Latino based will include four floors occupying an area of approximately 1,300sqm and a volume of approximately 18.000cu.m.

“It is with pride that we show the public and the media our new boat,” stated syndicate head Vincenzo Onorato, “resulting from a year of technical engagement by all our team. We believe very much in ITA 90: Harry Dunning and his research anddevelopment group have done a great job, collaborating with the crew’s suggestions and facilitating a very creative exchange of ideas.

“While ITA 90 gets ready to go on the water, we renew the promise made one year ago to keep our enthusiasm high and our Italian spirit. In doing so, we would like to thank our main sponsor, Capitalia Group, and in person, Chief Executive Officer Matteo Arpe, who continues his support. Capitalia is a prestigious name that, like us, represents an Italy moving towards the future.”


Mascalzone Latino Ita 90 - fact file

Sail Number: ITA 90.

Colour: Black, the natural color of carbon.

Place of Birth: The hull of ITA 90 was built for Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team by Marine Composite of Andora, Savona. It was then transferred to Burriana, in the province of Castellòn, to Ximo Lopez’s boatyard, Longitud Cero, where it was finished and fitted out.

Plug and mould: The plug for the moujld was produced by MTorres in Pamplona, a company specialising in the automation and engineering of industrial processes. The plug was developed in carbon by numerical controls. It was then shipped to the shipyard in Andora, Italy where it was laminated by Ximo Lopez and his team of boatbuilders.

Materials: 'Advanced composites': the hull comprises two 'external skins' made of pre-preg carbin fibres and cloth either side of a honeycomb core, then cured under pressure.

Design: The design group led by Harry Dunning has worked in close collaboration with the sailing team. To optimize the final design, various models of hulls and appendages were tank tested at the National Research Council Canada Institute for Ocean Technology (St.John's, Newfoundland. Canada); and optimised using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation software.

Unique featuires: The deck is cambered and the bow has an inflexion that makes it seem higher. The rule requires that the profile of the sheerline between hull and deck would be a “fair continuous, concave, curve” with a minimum radius of 20 meters.

Bulb: Weighing roughly 20 tons, it represents a very high percentage of the total weight of the boat.

Keel: The keel fin supports the bulb and is equipped with a moveable trim-tab and is a piece of steel specially manufactured by computer controlled cutting.

Rudder: The fin of the rudder and the steering wheels were shipped from Australia. There are four steering wheels in all: two for the rudder and two for the trim-tab; weighing less than a kilo each.

Mast: The mast was built by Hall Spars of Bristol, Rhode Island, U.S.A. The design was the result of collaboration between the designers and sailing team.

Deck Hardware: Most of the deck was supplied by Harken, that produces high technology hardware in Lombardia (Italy). The hydraulics aboard were manufactured by Cariboni, the mechanical components by Poggipolini, and composite components by Riba Composites.

The sheets and halyards are from another Italian company that is an America’s Cup veteran, Gottifredi e Maffioli. All of the sheets’ special fibers are of the highest resistance.

Sails: The sails - the true motor of the boat - are designed by Giovanni Cassinari and Marco Savelli and produced by North Sails in Nevada. All of the sails are assembled and finished in the sail loft at the base. The stay sail, main sail, and genoa are each laminated into one piece by using 3DL technology. The 3DL technology utilizes a three dimensional mould that assumes a form very similar to when a sail is in use. The sails’ internal structure is composed of continuous threads, in Kevlar or carbon, laid out according to the particular design. The gennaker and spinnaker (having a surface area each of over 500sqm) are produced in a simpler way, always following the sail designer’s directions.

Electronics: Wind speed, wind angle, boat speed and heading are the fundamental data collected by various instruments and sent to the main computer onboard; together with GPS data and load cells, which are located in the most critical points, they give the crew instantaneous feedback of boat performance.

All the data are recorded during the entire navigation to be eventually analyzed. This serves to better understand and improve the overall performance of the boat.

An important part of the instrumentation is the 'Sail Vision' system. This is used in training but not during racing, in order to make the boat as light as possible. This system, by using cameras in the mast, takes pictures of the sails during navigation and gives feedback to the crew on how to optimize them based on the information gathered.

- The research and development group is composed of designers, scientists, and engineers, and counts on the vast experience of many America’s Cup veterans. Other than Harry Dunning are: Will Brooks, Derek Clark, Rick Harris, Chris Mairs, Joe Laiosa, Mark McCafferty, Fabrizio Marabini, Duncan MacLane, and Nicola Sironi. Marco Savelli and Giovanni Cassinari are the sail designers.

In 2005 Mascalzone Latino – Capitalia Team acquired USA 66 and USA 77, the two Stars & Stripes boats from Dennis Conner’s 2003 America’s Cup campaign. They were then christened Mascalzone Latino ITA 66 and Mascalzone Latino ITA 77. With ITA 77 the team took part in the Louis Vuitton Acts of 2005 in Valencia, Malmo, and Trapani.


The Team

Vincenzo Onorato is the Captain of Mascalzone Latino – Capitalia Team. Vasco Vascotto is the Skipper.

There are four helmsmen: Flavio Favini, Jes Gram-Hansen, Cameron Dunn, and Vasco Vascotto.
The afterguard: Cameron Dunn, Flavio Favini, Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Kostner, Michele Paoletti, and Nacho Postigo.

Sailing Team: Luca Albarelli, Matteo Auguadro, Lars Borgstrom, Cesare Bozzetti, Santino Brizzi, Maciel Cicchetti, Marco Constant, Pierluigi De Felice, Daniele De Luca, Chris Dougall, Alberto Fantini, Giulio Giovanella, Flavio Grassi, Cristian Griggio, Pietro Mantovani, Andrea Mocchetto, Marco Montis, Edoardo Natucci, Massimo Paradiso, Andrea Pavan, Nicola Pilastro, Nacho Postigo, Angelo Romanengo, Guido Antar Vigna. Specific match race training is led by Jes Gram-Hansen and Rasmus Kostner.

The team is composed of 97 people, of which 63 are Italian.