to bring out at least one new mould of boat to cater for an even greater expanse of rowers. Boats along with accessories are distributed through the network of worldwide Filippi boats dealers. Developments in boat-building techniques, proverbial attention to detail and an excellent price-quality ratio have made Filippi a worldwide name. The hallmark of Cantiere Filippi, however, is that it invests much of its resources into research and employs the latest techniques, such as carbon riggers in both traditional and wing form. It also used to assess the seaworthiness of its boats with hydrodynamic tests at its ship tank in Insean, but today these have been replaced by sophisticated Computer Fluid Dynamics software. In addition to its research, Cantiere Filippi has also invested in workplace safety systems and its production processes are conducted in full respect of the environment. Today, Lido Filippi works alongside his son David and employs more than sixty technicians who help to produce about 700 boats per year for federations across the world. Much is owed to the directors, trainers and athletes of these federations for the noticeable increase in the technical level of these boats. Their preparation, passion and ambition blend effortlessly with the way the boatyard views the future of rowing. High praise must also go to the International Rowing Federation (FISA) which in 1996 officially invited the company to attend the Olympic Games, recognizing the excellent quality of boatyard's work in the service of rowing, one of the Olympics' longest-standing sports. Design Today, Cantiere Filippi is able to design and test a boat without actually building it, with the help of sophisticated observation techniques designed in conjunction with the University of Ferrara and with the Department of Applied Mathematics at Milan Polytechnic, which helped develop Team Alinghi. A virtual rower is placed inside a virtual boat and the athlete's movement is simulated in the water. As the position of the rower's centre of gravity changes, the force exerted on the stretcher, seat and rowlock is monitored. Rowers with different builds, techniques and experience are used so that a range of force is generated. Once these data have been gathered, they are put into software that matches the three-dimensional drawings of the boat created ad hoc by a research laboratory with the most suitable hull for each individual athlete, or team of athletes. This match also takes account of maximum speed and pitch