“There was a time we would take to the sea in search of new lands to explore (or even conquer); today we seek to conquer a different pinnacle: that of sporting achievements. Ours is a quest for new limits!” This is the first line opening Gianluca Pasini’s “VELA I momenti magici“ (SAILING – Moments of Magic) on the inside cover. In a chronological overview, from world-defining explorations to historic feats, through the conception of the most renowned regatta of all time, the America’s Cup, and Olympic sailing, Gianluca recounts the exploits of women and men who have made history, guided and driven by the wind.
Gianluca Pasini, for the past 32 years, has filled the pages of Italy’s most widely read daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, covering Olympic and Paralympic sports, from volleyball to skiing and, of course, sailing. Through the stories of 60 people, his book traces the history of what he describes as “a challenge that, despite the context in which it takes place (the ocean), is first and foremost an intimate challenge between a human being and themselves.”
Thus, the pages of VELA take us on a voyage of our own, threaded with those of Christopher Columbus’ into the unknown, or those imagined by Joseph Conrad, or the legend of Agostino Straulino, we read of the stubborn dream of Patrizio Bertelli in pursuing the Auld Mug with Luna Rossa, a trophy claimed by Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi and the landlocked Switzerland, or of the resilience of Australian sailor Jessica Watson, who at the age of 16 sailed solo around the world.
Well-deserved focus is also given aplenty to Italian sailing legends, from Ambrogio Fogar to Olympians Alessandra Sensini and Luca Devoti, from Giovanni Soldini to the Malingri family. Incredible stories of incredible human beings abound, such as that of French sailor Charlie Dalin, who won the solo round-the-world race battling not just the ocean but also a rare form of cancer, and champions such as Italy’s Marta Maggetti, who wrote the preface recalling the thrill of her gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Gianluca Pasini’s written account of great human stories in his “VELA I momenti magici” (200 pp, £35.00, Nuinui Edizioni) is accompanied by an equally vibrant gallery of pictures, available not only on paper, but digitally. In each chapter, a QR code transforms the reading experience into true immersion into the world of great sailing adventures on the seas.
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