Bufeo Blanco is one of the best known sailing yacht in the Mediterranean, the protagonist of countless sailing and multiple victories in international gatherings of vintage and classic sail regattas. This sturdy Bermudian cutter 15.50 meters long, built entirely of wood in 1963 by the historic Sangermani shipyard in Lavagna (project number 138), has traveled over 50,000 miles of sea in the last decade. Its name identifies a river dolphin of the Amazon river, which in the Peruvian tradition wants to bring luck to those who see it.
Lo scrittore Mario Vargas Llosa nel suo libro “Pantaleòn e le visitatrici” descrive il Bufeo Blanco come di un animale di considerevole potenza sessuale il cui grasso rinvigorisce gli uomini e ne aumenta la fertilità. Bufeo Blanco ha veleggiato dalle coste italiane alla Spagna, dalla Turchia al Peloponneso, dalla Sicilia all’alto Adriatico, dalla Croazia alla Francia, dimostrandosi un vero purosangue in grado di affrontare ogni condizione meteorologica. La barca, di base tra la Liguria e la Toscana, ha portato con orgoglio il guidone del Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia of Naples and of the Royal Ocean Racing Club of London, in addition to being part of the prestigious'La Belle Classe’, The exclusive Monegasque club that brings together the most beautiful and titled vintage sailing boats in the World.
Since 1963 Bufeo Blanco has had six shipowners in total. Initially the boat was commissioned by Sergio Rossi, owner of Comau Automotive (now FCA Group) in Torino. At the time it was called Luima, named after the sons of Rossi, Luigi and Maria. Its base was on the French Riviera. Between 1973 and 1983 it was owned by the Turin businessman Luigi Botto Steglia. It was in this period that the name became Bufeo Blanco. Between 1983 and 1992 the cutter sailed under the command of the Milanese designer Ido Minola, who made him sail in the Mediterranean, going up to Greece.
Between 1992 and 2006 the boat was owned by the notary Luigi Oneto of Alessandria. Participations in vintage sail gatherings begin, including the Prada Trophy in Imperia. Luigi Oneto is also known in the sailing world for being a passionate racer on board the drifts of the Dinghy 12 'class. In that period Bufeo Blanco's direct rival on the regatta fields was Artica II, the 12.56-meter long Bermudian yawl built in 1956 also built by the Sangermani shipyard as a school boat for the Italian Navy.
In 2006 Bufeo Blanco was purchased by the Neapolitan professor based in Milan named Giuseppe Marino. Marino restored the boat in the Del Carlo shipyard in Viareggio in 2007 and sailed all over the Mediterranean winning many international competitions.
In 2019 the boat was bought by the current owners, the Cima brothers, who, in the same spirit as the previous owners, keep the boat in perfect conditions of use. The future of Bufeo Blanco will be to be a boat dedicated to long summer trips with the family and competitive racing fun with friends.
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