Local mariners led by the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club are tonight, 25 January, launching a bid to develop Wellington as an international yachting centre, a marine industry hub, an ocean water sports centre, and a sailing academy with its own local yacht racing team.
The project, which maximizes the capital’s natural advantages of harbour, wind and water, for economic growth has the backing of almost all the
business and sporting groups, in the city.
Niels Reinsborg spoke to the Italian yacht designer whose company is being held up as an example of what can be done in the city. 
DON’T complain about Wellington’s wind to Lapo Ancillotti.
He loves it. The city’s boisterous weather is one of the reasons he lives here. The 54 year old Italian boat builder and company manager settled in the capital in 2003 with his wife and young family. It was sailing that brought him to New Zealand and in Wellington he’s been quietly developing a marine industry hub.  His boat design company BTBoats has completed its third Kiwi40FC ( just over 12 metres long) a racing yacht designed by expatriate New Zealander Bruce Farr, for an international buyer, and he believes Wellington could become a world leading centre for Open 40 design, building and training. He would like to see a deep ocean racing school based in the city, the Kiwi40FC as a popular racing yacht here, and have a Port Nic team racing in the next Global Ocean Race in 2016.
Ancillotti has lived around boats all his life. As a child growing up in the coastal city of Viareggio in Tuscany he was so often out on the water it was no surprise to his family when he took up a boat building apprenticeship in his late teens. He later opened his own boat yard in Viareggio specialising in building custom racing yachts and cruisers. He began to hear about Kiwi boat builders who were fast gaining an international reputation for their advanced and innovative techniques.
“I wanted to see what they were doing in New Zealand,” Ancillotti says. “I first came as a tourist in the late 80’s and kept coming back every year.”
It was on one of these visits, in 1992, that Ancillotti came into contact with a group of  Kiwi boat builders in Auckland. He was so impressed with their innovative design and building skills that the following year he sold his company in Italy, moved his family to Auckland and beganworking with yacht builders there. He brought with him some of his most demanding European clients pumping millions of dollars into the Auckland boat building industry.
“I soon proved to them that we could build more innovative boats more cost effectively and deliver them to Italy in as much quicker time than if they were made in Europe.”
Auckland continued to be Ancillotti’s business base and when his family moved to Wellington he commuted between the two cities for eight years.
“We just found Wellington a good place to live. It’s compact, has great culture and friendly people. And sailing wise, well Wellington is just one of the best places on earth. A lot of wind is perfect for sailing.”
Also perfect for developing his Kiwi40FC design. The class is conceived for global ocean racing and the strong winds that batter Wellington harbour allow for the testing of design ideas in extreme conditions, but in a safe environment.
“Auckland typifies itself as the America’s Cup capital of New Zealand and the mild and light weather there is very suitable for that kind of race. The Kiwi40FC is in the exact opposite direction.”
Ancillotti says he’s sure it’s the start of a new era for yachting in the Capital and he believes the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club’s strategy to use yachting to promote the city and grow economic activity is a realistic one.
“The Kiwi40FC is an example of what we can do in Wellington and it fits in with the yacht club’s plan to advance yachting opportunities here,” Ancillotti says.
It’s also no coincidence that the launch of the club’s strategy comes while the Two Handed Global Ocean Race fleet pauses in Wellington. It leaves on Sunday. The Class 40 is the boat the competitors race in.
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It is logical to use yachting as a force for economic and business advantage in Wellington according to RPNYC  Commodore Andrew Morrison. “The harbour is a perfect arena and already attracts round the world yacht events such as the Global two handed fleet which is here now and leaves on Sunday”.
“The Wellington City Council has agreed to promote hosting and running yachting events in the city, and we now have interest from the world match racing tour and there are lots of applications for smaller events”
“Wellington is so suitable: we have wind, there are no high rise buildings right on the waterfront, and all the amenities for both participants and followers to stay and play are already here”
The “Port Nic” club’s sailing academy has introduced 1400 sailors to yachting in the past year, while 74 teenagers have been racing in events here and overseas, Morrison said.