You need to be able to be one with the boat, an extension of your body and be able to maneuver it with your eyes closed
In the summer of 1952 after months of traveling, the transatlantic Augustus and its 1100 passengers concluded their long trip from Genova (Italy) to Santos (Brazil).
Among the passengers were 2 brothers, Nello and Mario Mazzaferro, who left behind the harsh reality of a country destroyed by World War II in search of a new beginning.
helpingThey found their way in São Paulo, and after decades of sacrifices and being away from their beloved ones, were able to build a successful company that would last for generations.
helpingThis typical immigrant success story is the sole reason why I was born in Brazil and not Italy as my name would deceivingly suggest. Nello was my grandfather. Maurizio, the second of his 4 children, is my father. My father moved to São Paulo at the age of 25 together with Stefania, my mother, to run the family company, leaving behind a comfortable life in a tranquil small city by the Adriatic sea.
helpingBoth were clueless of what to expect from what back then was already a 15 million people, foreign-speaking, chaotic metropolis.
On April 18, 1992, I was born. I had, from what I can recall, a very happy and intense childhood, being the oldest of 3 very close children. The effect of being a small family nucleus transplanted in a foreign country exacerbated even more the feeling of bonding and self-sufficiency among us.
It was like being in a safe haven with very thin borders; we didn't need anyone else from the outside world.
helpingBy the age of 3, I was going to a Brazilian school called Pueri Domus, a “campus-like” school, with thousands of students, sports facilities, swimming pools and IT and science labs. It was just around the corner from where I lived, so close in fact that at some point a gate was opened to connect it to the condominium buildings where I lived.
helpingI have very clear memories of going back and forth by myself, confined and protected between those walls. My day was always very full; I don't know if it was because I had a lot of energy to spare or because my mom was simply desperate to make us tired and have some time off from her full-time job of raising us.
helpingAnyway, I was swimming, playing tennis and soccer, doing after-school math and English, and from time to time some other engaging activity would be added to the weekly calendar.
One of the activities that was added to the list was sailing. At the age of 6 I didn’t really know what I was doing by myself in a small boat, but I enjoyed the fact that there were many other kids around to play with after the sailing was over on weekends.
helpingI started sailing in a boat class called Optimist, which is simply a 2 meter long miniscule boat designed for kids. What I did not know, of course, is that the activity I was doing just for fun with other kids would lead me years later to compete and win races on a world level.
I still remember very clearly a terrifying situation that nowadays makes me laugh: I was 6 and it was my second weekend of sailing classes. I was in my Optimism sailing alone in the Guarapiranga lake in São Paulo.
All of a sudden, dark clouds started to come from the south (yes, storms come from the south in the southern hemisphere). Strong winds, waves and rain started to build up.
helpingI was so clueless that while trying to make a turn to go back to port I got stuck in an underwater rope. I remained there battling the winds for an agonizing 20 minutes until our coach came to rescue me. I still smile at it, thinking that some years later I would be comfortable sailing in much worse conditions in treacherous waters such as the Pacific or the Northern Sea.
“Close your eyes, focus on your breathing, count your breaths up to 10 and repeat… Now visualize a huge sphere of light slowly hitting the top of your head, visualize your body absorbing and being filled by it…”
helpingThis was a typical session I would have, guided by my sailing coach Andrea prior to a long day of training at sea or before important races. Sessions like these were accompanied by other weird techniques such as long training sessions up to 6 hours of sailing on moonless nights to stimulate the senses.
helpingI will never forget the feeling of being at sea and all around pitch black! “You need to be able to be one with the boat, an extension of your body and be able to maneuver it with your eyes closed”.
Remember the funny episode in which I got stuck with my small boat? Fast forward 12 years and I was standing on a podium about to receive the trophy as Italian National Champion.
I was 17 years old competing against adults, many said I was a rising star, possibly the next Olympic athlete!
helpingI did not believe any of that of course and kept doing my thing – 15 to 18 hours of training a week and the rest of the non sleeping hours were spent studying. In the next few years I would compete around the globe in all continents and win many other titles including being ranked top 3 in the world in 2010.
helpingAlways supported passionately by my mother and dad who would travel the world with me and my siblings, who by the way were also winning titles one after the other.
I was lucky enough to have a few mentors along my way, people that would really shape the way I think and behave.
One of them was Victor. The guy is a legend, one of those characters that you thought existed only in the movies. A former professional soccer player at Lazio turned into a missionary priest in Africa and then finally into philosophy and theology professor.
One of the greatest orators I have ever seen in my life, he had the ability to uncover obscure allegories from works such as “La Divina Commedia” or “La Repubblica” and translate them into gems of knowledge easily accessible to distracted adolescents.
helpingI had the luck to cross paths with him at Eugenio Montale and even more luck to have him accompany me and my friends. We did years of philosophy study with him during the pandemic and more recently he led the ceremony of my wedding last year, delivering one of the most personal and powerful speeches I’ve ever heard.
helpingAs a true professor, his gift was to hand me a written copy of his discourse.
From time to time I go back to read his speech, and every time it gives me strength to be a better person and husband
