Maria Grazia Franco
Age 47
Place of birth Rome, Italy
Previous yachts Wind Surf, Windstar Cruises (cruise ship), Swan, TV, Tigre d’Or (temp), Octopus, Tosca III, Independent of London, Ultima III (temp), Maupiti
Current yacht Mariu
Number of crew 11/12
What was your first taste of the sea?
Growing up in Rome, the sea has been my playground since… forever.
I started swimming when I was two and I spent my summers in the water rather than on the beach. At 16,
I obtained my first scuba-diving certification and continued diving until I became an instructor at 21. Diving naturally involved boating. I started sailing and racing, and after working in the diving industry for several years
I decided to move to Australia to work at sea full-time. That was…
