Silvia Zennaro, an Olympic athlete in the Laser Radial class, has participated in two editions of the Olympics in the past eight years: Tokyo 2020, taking 7th place and Rio 2016, finishing 22nd.
Her list of achievements also includes a silver medal at the 2018 Mediterranean Games.
The Laser Radial is a class of monohull sailboat designed for racing and competition.
It is a smaller and lighter variant of the Laser Standard, used in the men’s Olympics.
The Laser Radial, on the other hand, is used in women’s competitions and youth championships, and also by men in mixed competitions.
The boat is about 4.2 meters long, 1.4 meters wide and weighs about 60 kg. The Laser Radial features a 5.76-square-meter triangular sail, which can be adjusted according to wind and sea conditions.
In her commentary on Gottifredi Maffioli tops Silvia Zennaro says they are “synonymous with high performance“, and in a video posted on Instagram the athlete tells how she equips her Laser with Gottifredi Maffioli tops. In this article we will explain in detail the ropes she uses for each maneuver.
Laser Radial equipment guide: the Gottifredi Maffioli lines used by Silvia Zennaro
For the mainsail sheet, which allows the angle of the sail to be adjusted with respect to the longitudinal axis of the boat, Silvia Zennaro uses a 6 mm Airstar.
Airstar is a double-braid line that has as its strong point light weight combined with abrasion resistance and minimal water absorption.
This is made possible by an Aircore core and Dyneema® sock with non-slip fibers.
For Base and Vang, which allows the angle of the sail to be adjusted with respect to the transverse axis of the boat, it uses 3 mm scaled Dyneema® and 4 mm POWERSPRINT78.
POWERSPRINT 78 is a double braided line with a Dyneema® SK78 core with polyurethane coating and a high tenacity polyester sock.
The 3 strengths of this line that make it ideal for sheets and halyards are high strength, low elongation and excellent handling.
For the cunningham, which allows the tension of the sail’s leading edge to be adjusted, Silvia Zennaro uses 4 mm scaled Dyneema® and 4 mm POWERSPRINT78.
Finally, for the Bow, the line used is either Ultragrip 68 or 5mm Regulus.
These are two ropes with a different core designed for fine adjustments, looking for maximum handling and lightness.
Ultragrip 78 is a single braided line that has a Dyneema® SK78 and Cordura® core with polyurethane coating that gives it minimal elongation, light weight, easy handling and good grip.
Regulus is a single braid line that has a Vectran® + Polyester A.T core, combining excellent grip in chokes with good handling.
