fivepointfive - April 2023

Return
to Cannes
Bellagioia II, SUI 175, is an Evolution 5.5 Metre built in cold
laminated mahogany in 1992 by Chantier Naval Kolly near
Geneva. A Philippe Meier and Sebastien Schmidt design, she
was sailed by Frédéric De Rutté, Matthieu Mac Gillycuddy and
Frédéric Saudan in Cannes in 2022, which marked De Rutté’s
return to Cannes after a long absence.
De Rutté, who has been sailing 5.5 Metres for 45 years: “I was here several
times in the 1980s and back then we only sailed metre class boats here, 12
Metres, 6 Metres and a lot of 5.5s. So, this year I came back to enjoy the
atmosphere of Cannes. We are very happy to be here.”
“The boat was designed more for light winds because it is a little but
smaller, but we are quite happy with the performance of the boat. We have
been sailing it since 2007, and before that we had a Chance boat from 1976.”
During winter 2002-2003, Bellagioia II and her sister-ship LaFayette, FRA
45, built in 1994, were updated by adding a new low-surface and low-weight
keel fitted with a trim tab. The weight difference was added as ballast with the
rig moved aft to better share the side force between the fin and the rudder. The
mast was also changed to carbon.
APRIL 2023 • fivepointfive • 27