Lerici Sailing Weekend 2017

The Sailing Week-end 2017, organized by the SDA Bocconi Sailing Club in Lerici on May 12-14, was a great success. 120 participants of 20 different nationalities, from MBA and Master programs of SDA Bocconi School of Management, gathered together in the beautiful location of the Gulf of Poets to enjoy a wonderful three day experience of sailing and networking.
On Friday, participants were welcomed on the terrace of the Erix marina for registrations and enjoyed a first taste of Liguria with fresh focaccia and Vermentino. After registrations the crews moved to the Castle of Lerici where a cocktail party was hosted by the sailing club. Local food and a special aperitivo cocktail list designed by BRANCA, combined with an extraordinary view on the bay from the top terrace accompanied a great networking spirit that was followed by a party at the Erix Marina, where crews danced until late.

Saturday morning was devoted to the Regularity Cup, a sailing rally where the various teams share with the whole crew the responsibilities. The regularity cup saw a very strong turnout this year, with all 14 crews participating actively with enthusiasm and competitive spirit. The Challenge Trophy was awarded to the team of Malice (MBA 42 - Skipper Pasquale Sieli) who won the regata after the "track opener" Zuella of Andrea Gasparri. A conference and gala dinner was organized on Saturday evening at Villa Marigola, a fantastic and romantic place, with the participation of the Mayor of Lerici, Leonardo Paoletti, the General Director of Carispezia Carlo Piana, the representative of Ucina - Confindustria Nautica Stefano Pagani, the Director of the MBA Program Stefano Gatti and the two speakers of the Conference Giuseppe Turchetti and Denis Negri. The topic of the Conference was "Effects of digital disruption and technology on diverse industries and business models: What’s Next after Digital Disruption" moderated by Federico Pippo, SDA Lecturer of Corporate Finance. After the conference, a sunset aperitivo, with Italian delicacies and Prosecco Fiol was offered in the Italian gardens of Villa Marigola and then everyone moved to the noble floor of the villa where a delicious dinner was served. After the dinner participants danced under the trees of the gardens and enjoyed new cocktail creations of Branca products.

Sunday was good for free sailing and a better than expected weather encouraged the bravest to also swim in a rather cold 17 degree May water. At 5 pm, all boats were docked and checked out and the bus organized by the sailing club returned everyone, happy and satisfied from a beautiful weekend to Milan. A special thank you goes to the President of the Sailing Club Emanuele Visconti,the two wonderful vice Presidents Leah Letcher and Andrea Brillembourg, who did a magnificent job organizing the event. Particular recognition is deserved by Alessandra Maestroni and Alice Pivoli for their great support, together with all other members of the Sailing Club Advisory Board.

The initiative would not have been possible without the generous support of the sponsors: UCINA Confindustria Nautica, Carispezia and Branca. The Municipality of Lerici gave the Patronage and availability of the Castle on Friday, reinforcing a long standing relationship between SDA Bocconi School of Management and the Ligurian municipality.

The President of the Sailing Club, Emanuele Visconti, commented about the event: “It has been an incredible journey to organize this event. I am very proud of our team, who really did an excellent job. Besides Leah Letcher and Andrea Brillembourg, who have both been instrumental in the success of the weekend and to whom goes my most sincere gratitude, I would like to mention the MAFED members of the sailing club, who participated actively with enthusiasm and dedication, merging well with their MBA colleagues. I believe that this event has renewed the position of the Sailing Club as a focal part of the MBA experience at SDA Bocconi. Furthermore, the Lerici Weekend has shown once again the strength of the SDA community. This was particularly evident on mixed crews where Alumni, MBAs and other Masters students created some life lasting memories”. Andrea Gasparri, Special Advisor to the Dean and "father" of the Sailing Club, expressed great appreciation for another beautiful Sailing Weekend organized with passion, enthusiasm and commitment by a group of fantastic students.

SDA Bocconi School of Management