During the depart for the 2016-2017 Vendée Globe, our ambassador Andrea Mura saw his Imoca 60 leave the Sables d’Olonne without him, while on board, Peter Heerema, a Dutch skipper, is hopeful of glory. While it may have been difficult for Andrea Mura to watch the departure of his boat, he knew that he had another altogether different challenge lying ahead. He had decided to compete in the “Original Single-handed TransAtlantic Race” otherwise known as OSTAR. He would be racing on his Open 50 and needed time to prepare the boat.
In this interview with Andrea Mura, we take a look back at what brought him here today, from his impressive resumé of silverware, to the challenges that are yet to come and where in all of this TIMEZERO comes in and helps him excel.
Could you tell us a little about yourself?
I started to sail and compete as a kid in Sardinia where I would always have my father at my side. My first race came at the young age of 5 and I then moved onto competition when I reached 14. It was from then that I started to accumulate national, European and international titles.
Next, I had the opportunity to evolve towards larger boats where I would skipper teams. From there, I joined the team, “Il Moro de Venezia”, where I had the responsibility of the main sail as well as navigation tactics. As a team we took home some prestigious titles, like the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup and two world championships.
Since then, I have switched to racing Maxi and Super Maxi boats where I won my first race on my debut back in 2010, taking the Route du Rhum title on board my old Open 50. From there I went on to win the Transat Twostar, Transat Quebec-St.Malo in 2012, OSTAR in 2013 and the Route du Rhum for a second time in 2014.
Can you tell us more about the OSTAR?
The OSTAR is a legendary race which only takes place once every four years. For me it is even more difficult than the Vendée Globe because the majority of the race takes place against the wind, the waves, the currents and glacial temperatures of 5-6°C. Whereas the Vendée Globe, well as I always say: “Better to spend 80 days with the wind on your back than to spend 20 days of tough cold winds and big waves.”
So why did you choose TIMEZERO? How was the setup process?
Installing it was simple! I only had a slight problem when I needed to transfer my license to a newer computer.
Have you had the opportunity to compare TIMEZERO to another Navigation software program?
I chose TIMEZERO for a few reasons. First off, I have always got along well with the team at MaxSea and secondly Adrena is more expensive. In my opinion TIMEZERO is the simplest Navigaton software program I have used. During my time using TIMEZERO, I find that you don’t need to spend a lot of time learning how to use it and the rapid access of important function thanks to the icon bar on the left hand side makes everything more streamlined. Finally, I think that the Routing module included in TIMEZERO possesses an algorithm that is more reliable than that of Adrena.
Why is TIMEZERO so important in your business?
My boat has evolved a lot and now it can provide a better performance. During the next OSTAR, I will need TIMEZERO to make the Weather Routing module as accurate as possible so that I can win the race and even beat the record!
Find out more about how the Weather Routing module works by visiting our dedicated module page:
