Undertanding the weather, triming the sails: Tesei and the role of trimmer

«What will the weather be like tomorrow, what sails should we use, will I be able to give my best?». The America's Cup is an obsession that is hard to break free from, and there are innumerable questions that an athlete of Andrea Tesei's caliber asks himself every day. Following a successful career in the 49er class, in which he reached the top 10 of the world ranking winning a bronze at the European Championship, a silver at the World Cup Final and several national titles, Andrea is now one of the trimmers of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, a team with which he also participated in the 2021 America’s Cup in Auckland.

Andrea was chosen for his ability to make the boat fly in all conditions, but while in the last campaign he worked with the weather team and the sailmakers, today he is on board and is in charge of regulating foils and sails. On land, however, he oversees the soft wing and the systems that go into its tuning.

He is well-accustomed to the adrenaline rush of competition, having competed in downhill skiing professionally until he was 18, and he knows how to exploit the common aspects and experience from the two sports: «They both take place outdoors, in beautiful environments and in contact with a nature whose conditions change continuously. Also, when the boat 'turns’ you can almost feel the sensation of grip on the snow and relive some of the techniques of skiing».

Teamwork requires humility and awareness, qualities that Andrea does not lack: «When you are part of a team you also have to be able to step back from your own expectations and do whatever work is asked of you, because there are no A and B tasks».

«In any competition, motivation is key», he says, «because when there is a goal, even if it is far away, you can't wait to compete to achieve it».