The prestigious Ostar (Original Singlehanded Trans Atlantic Race) race was won last weekend by Italian yachtsman Franco Minzoli. Also owner of a mast-making firm in Genoa, Minzoni started sailing as a boy and made his first transatlantic crossing in 1992, finishing third in his class. He designed and built the 40-foot Cotonella, which he started using in 2003 and, since then, has won numerous trophies and records with it.