Best boss blast — sound of silence
Explains Bertelli’s response to ‘ugly predicament'
It’s never good letting down your boss. But it’s even worse on a public stage — and when the guy in charge has an estimated net worth of more than $5 billion and is one of the most famous people in your country.
That was the ugly predicament facing the Luna Rossa sailors less than two weeks ago.
As the America’s Cup Challenger of Record and longest-running syndicate, they were meant to be strong contenders in Auckland, but struggled in the Prada Cup round robin series.
They lost all three races with Ineos Team UK and were trailing American Magic before Patriot’s capsize.
Their only other win came when the Americans failed to complete the course in fluky conditions.
It meant the Italians were consigned to the elimination semifinal, and seemingly not in good shape.
“[It was] not the greatest moment for the team,” Luna Rossa cohelmsman Francesco Bruni told the Herald. “We knew we had to react, in every area.”
Grinder Nicholas Brezzi is in his first Cup campaign but could feel the tension.
“It was quite tough,” said Brezzi. “We [made] a great effort as a team to stay united and look at the positive aspects. [But] of course we did mistakes, we had to admit it.”
So what was the message from team supremo Patrizio Bertelli, the Prada chief executive who founded the syndicate in the late 1990s?
“I think he is the best boss because he didn’t send any message,” said Bruni. “The best message was his silence. Sometimes it is better not to say anything . . . you feel more what he wants to say to us.”
“Mr Bertelli is always pushing us to the limit, always giving us confidence,” added Brezzi. “It’s quite an honour, but the main thing you can see is he really has passion for the team and for sailing.”
From despair, the Italian renaissance started less than a day after their narrow loss to the British team in the final round robin race.
“It was important to analyse every detail,” said Bruni. “Another message was that there should be no critics from one department to another. We all have to row in the same direction.
“We discussed every single mistake we did racing against the British — there were a few — and there were a few things we could have done better.”
The afterguard of Bruni, Jimmy Spithill and Pietro Sibello had detailed sessions with their coaches Phillippe Presti and Jacopo Plazzi, examining how they could improve individually and as a trio.
“[The relationship] has always been very good,” said Bruni. “I like that when we lose, there is no finger pointing. It’s great, working with Jimmy, Pietro, with the whole sailing team.”
Spithill is no stranger to Cup difficulties.
“It was a challenge,” Spithill told the Herald. “That is why you are here. That’s the great thing about sport. You are exposed, whether you win, lose, make good decisions or bad decisions. ”
The end product was a spectacular transformation.
In the semifinal, Luna Rossa was noticeably quicker, and last Friday, they buried the belief their boat was suited only to light breezes. And the crew work was sharp as they swept the Americans 4-0.
A much greater challenge awaits, but the Italians take comfort from where they have been.
“We knew we had a long way to go and knew we could be doing things a lot better,” said Spithill. “But we have got the culture there now. We got stronger, we got faster and there is a lot more to go. We want more and we need to get better. We are in for one hell of a fight.”