Lorenzo 'Rufo' Bressani, tactician aboard Fra Martina ClubSwan 36.     

Do you have experience sailing in One Design Classes such as the ClubSwan 36 circuit?     

Rufo: These are fun regattas, the boats are special: great performance in windy conditions and a bit more difficult to interpret in light wind and waves, but by now we are used to it.  These are One Design boats in all intents and purposes, in the sense that the shipyard has built the boats well, they are all really very similar to each other which is not always true in the world of monotypes. So the performance is the same for everyone, you are always very close to the buoys and the finishes are all photo finish close, fun!     

You have flown foils in the Nacra 17 Class and on FlyingNikka. The ClubSwan 36 has a different foil concept, which do you prefer and what are the differences in handling?     

Rufo: They’re two completely different concepts. This isn't exactly a foil, I'd call it a sort of daggerboard canard control surface, which mainly serves to prevent drift upwind, so the feeling of the boat doesn't change much. If this surface had also been lengthened under the hull then it could exert a vertical as well as a lateral force and the boat would probably have been even more performing.    

For the time being, do you prefer foiling or sailing?     

Rufo: I like to foil but I can't help but sail, because they are two completely different worlds.  Often when you fly on foils you are in a battle with your own boat, because you have a thousand situations to control in order to maintain trim. In regattas like this the boat is not a problem, but you fight against your opponents, so it's another type of fun.     

You've probably lost track of how many times you've come to race in Porto Cervo, is it a regatta course you like?     

Rufo: It's beautiful here, you never go home without a day of Mistral. For now we've done two days in Scirocco, with 25 knots and waves, but then there's always the week with light breeze and waves, or times when the conditions are shifty… Then there’s also the variety of the land formations to factor in. You can never complain about boredom when you're racing in these waters.