Dry Martini

[Black_Tornado]

About the confusion on the CUV-Picchiotti I will try to clear the fog.
In 1976 started the project of a all italian team(or almost) with boats, drivers, sponsor but not for the project,engines and stern drives units. The driver were the expert Francesco Cosentino and the rookie Guido Niccolai, the sponsor was The Alitalia that at that time flew without problems with the so many money of the Italian Government and the yard that had to put the name to the boats designed by Shead it was Picchiotti of which Niccolai had become shareholder after being a good client of it.
But Picchiotti didn't build the two preventivated boats. It did it for Picchiotti a yard that the aluminum worked on commission, the Cantieri Uniti Viareggio alias CUV.
In 1977 when the team entered the offshore competitions on the sides of the cockpits of the two 38' of Niccolai and Cosentino besides the logo of Shead there was the name of Picchiotti and the registrations to the races was done pointing out as builder the Picchiotti.
In 1978 Niccolai left the Team Alitalia;Cosentino stayed with Alitalia, Petroni as coordinator and De Angelis as new team mate.
Niccolai formed a new team with the sponsor Martini&Rossi and Picchiotti.
The Team Alitalia had two boats;the 38' of the year before for Cosentino what now it brought the letters CUV 38' and the old Cigarette 36' that De Angelis brought with his.In the meantime to the CUV was commissioned another Shead 38' lightened that would have been ready for De Angelis for the Worlds of Mar del Plata of December.
Niccolai continued with his 38' now called Dry Martini 2 and always with the name Picchiotti on the sides.
Only in the 1980 Picchiotti built the his first 38' and a 35' that Niccolai wanted for competing against the cats on calm waters.
About the fact that the first 38' of Della Valle in certain cases still called Picchiotti 38' it is for distinguishing it with the changes it had and from the other CUVs.
In fact when Della Valle bought it runs the races in Sweden and those English without modifying it from as it had him Niccolai in 1977-79, then it made it modify in all the superstructures of the deck by CUV and from this moment it became a CUV 38' to all the effects.
I have tried to tell a little history that is behind the confusion CUV-Picchiotti. It is only a formal matter;the real builder it was the CUV but to the beginning these boats officially was enlisted in the races as Picchiotti.

[littlenige]

Hey cfun, as fish would say - that's opened another can or worms............

F Fish is the bible when it comes to Shead hulls - he worked for Don!! And Marco I have to agree - those Enfield Marine built hulls and Planatec hulls were far more beautiful to the eye than the CUV's.

[Black_Tornado]

Originally Posted by littlenige

Hey cfun, as fish would say - that's opened another can or worms............

F Fish is the bible when it comes to Shead hulls - he worked for Don!! And Marco I have to agree - those Enfield Marine built hulls and Planatec hulls were far more beautiful to the eye than the CUV's.

yet the Enfield Avenger and the CUVs are brothers or father and child!
But difference is especially in the construction of the deck.
What an elegance in the superstructures for the first one!
Now however to keep on speaking of these boats justly have to go to the thread that has created flying fish!

[FLYING FISH]

In the back of my mind, I thought I had seen that Dry Martini cat in the mags that pitched up for the venice worlds.