littlenige

Sorry - this is a self-indulgent thread! My Avatar in all itīs glory! My favourite boat of all time! Anybody else got any pics of this machine? (This is a Beken of Cowes shot).

7xchamp

And all the this time I thought I was your favorite with Dry Martini Just pulling your leg That was one fast SOB Julio would make us all earn our money, he was intimidating to say the least. Also that was one of the latest 36`s at the time and very light. Always good Nigel, your good friend and big brother. 7XCHAMP richie

Deauville Trophy

Hi Richie,
If you don't mind me joinning in, I have read that Guilio de Angelis had two "Eraf". One was the well known sky blue hull and the other was a red hull (36' Cigarette as well) but set for bad weather. Is this correct, since I have never seen the Red one?
Also, how much did you have to do pre race to adapt the boats to the sea conditions?

Very honnoured to be able to correspond with you.
Phil.

7xchamp

Hi Phil: I can`t recall Julio ever racing a red 36`, if he did it would most likely have been borrowed from Cosentino who had NICOPAO with Davey Wilson, also could have been Lady Nara from Benelli which also could be the same boat. If I`m not mistaken I believe De Angelis built a blue 35` as well????? help us out here Nigel!!! In those days we really didn`t do much to prep for rough or calm, it was usually done during the race with selection of various fuel tanks to burn off. the races then took pretty much a full load of fuel to complete approx. 375gal. some boats ran Ballast tanks, but 36`s didn`t need them, we kept the boats loose. 7XCHAMP

littlenige

Hi gents. De Angelis had a 35 cigarette in sky blue. Marco has more details. Marco?? Also, at one point in time there was a ref Eraf, presumably the same 36 sky blue widebody re-painted. Plus I recall seeing it at Cowes in about 1975 and I think it was black. I just remember this boat being the first out of the traps every time I saw it. His throttleman must have slammed the throttles to the wall the minute the green flag was raised because for the first few miles they were usually out front (before breaking!).

Deauville Trophy

Littlenige a few pictures of Eraf for you, including the black version. Some from old local newspapers hence a poor quality.

A few more pictures will follow soon.

Phil.

littlenige

Wow - thanks Phil!! I have somewhere a copy of Eraf in red from good friend Graham (also a big offshore fan with lots of knowledge!) - once I find it I will post it.

Deauville Trophy

Excellent Nigel, in the meantime, here is the blue version leading the pack at the start of the 1972 Dauphin d'Or.

littlenige

Phil, thatīs wonderful. Please post more!!

Black Tornado

Beautiful images Dauphin d'Or!

The Eraf saga was of 4 boats. 3 Cigarette 36' and a italian made 39' builded by E.R.I.A. Marine in 1975.
The Cigarette 36' was the follow:
The first builded in 1972,was that with the sides in sky blu,with the hull and deck in white.
With it De Angelis raced in 1972-73-74. Then the roman driver abandoned to a new wodden Eraf 39' in 1975.
In 1973 De Angelis bought from Bonelli one of him two 36' Lady Nara. Exactly the second Lady Nara builded in 1972.
De Angelis raced with it(Eraf in red) in some races in 1973-74.
That 36' was modified like a pleasure boat in 1975 and was lost, burned offshore Viareggio in 1979.
The third 36' Eraf was the former first 36' Black Tornado of Balestrieri.
After the Viareggio-Bastia-Viareggio in 1975 the Italian Champ abandoned the competitions and sold the first 36' ever builded by Aronow to De Angelis that left the original sides in black and renamed it Eraf-De Angelis Costruzioni Edilizie-Compra una Casa a Roma(De Angelis Buildings-Buy a home in Rome) and putting him #96.
De Angelis won the race after Viareggio,the Dauphin D'Or in Marina Baia des Anges near Nizza with that boat,beating Bonomi.
When De Angelis joined in 1978 the new Alitalia Team of Francesco Cosentino,THE 36' was repainted in gray and renamed Eraf-Alitalia Due.
The Roman spent him last two race seasons with a new 38' tin boat of CUV named Alitalia Tre.
In 1976 De Angelis bought a Cigarette 35' and was in the Bacardi Trophy but didn,t race again with it.
The 36' former Black Tornado won again the Viareggio-Gorgona isle-Viareggio in 1981 with rough waters(Jack remember well, I think)with the rookie Renato Della Valle and reappeared in the last of eighties in some Italian races.
De Angelis started to race in offshore in the Sam Griffith Memorial Race in 1972 with the 31' former 1971's Black Tornado that became the Sahlman's The Little Cigarette setting a new speed record in 1974.
The boats of Balestrieri was special boats.
That's it all.
BT