First competing team arrives in SZ to prepare for Bao'an Final

RBYS Racing members arrive at Shenzhen's Shekou Cruise Homeport last night. Videos courtesy of the organizer

RBYS Racing, one of the teams to compete in the 2023 World Match Racing Tour Shenzhen•Bao'an Final and the World Bay Area Regatta, arrived at the Shekou Cruise Homeport late last night, becoming the event's first competing team to arrive in the city. 

RBYS Racing members, (From L to R) Rocco Attili, Gianluca Perasole, Giulio Tamburini and Ludovico Mori, pose for a group photo at Shenzhen's Shekou Cruise Homeport last night. Photos by Lin Weihang

Skipper Rocco Attili and his three crew members said they are looking forward to the event. "It's been a long journey to get to Shenzhen. Last year we finished in the top eight and this year we hope to perform better and make it to at least the top four," said Attili.

Skipper Rocco Attili introduces his three crew members.

From Dec. 12 to 17, the 2023 World Match Racing Tour Shenzhen•Bao'an Final and the World Bay Area Regatta will be held in Dachan Bay and other bay areas of Bao’an District. Twelve skippers will compete for the US$200,000 in prize money. 

Originally from Italy, Attili is leading the RBYS Racing crew of Giulio Tamburini, Gianluca Perasole and Ludovico Mori. They are currently ranked ninth in the World Sailing Federation Match Racing (Open) Rankings and 11th in the World Sailing Match Racing Tour Rankings.

"It's true that we are an underdog and not one of the top five teams in the world, but we feel good, we have done a lot of training before the race, and we are confident that we will accomplish our goal," said Attili. 

RBYS Racing members chat with a representative of Chinese organizers at Shenzhen's Shekou Cruise Homeport last night.

Attili and his teammates were the first to arrive, giving them the advantage of being the first to get acquainted to the environment. Rocco said he would take the next few days to understand the weather conditions in Shenzhen and work out a suitable sailing route: "We'll check the boat and make the most of the time to do some training. In the meantime we're going to get some rest, overcome our jet lag and get ready for the match."

RBYS Racing is the winning team in the Italian Nationals and has been active in the Match Race since 2018, with iconic results such as the European youth title in 2019, and Italian Open champions in 2023. In addition, Attili and his crew won the Italian youth champions for three times and runners-up in the Italian Open Championships for four times.

This is the first time that Attili and his crew have come to Shenzhen. "We've heard about Shenzhen, which is a big city adjacent to Hong Kong," he said. "We don't know much about the city yet, but we're sure we'll discover its charms through this event."