(Trieste, Italy)- For all seafaring and sailing lovers and for those who
cannot miss one of the world’s unique spectacles, you must take a
special trip to Trieste, Italy in the very northeastern parts of the
gorgeous Adriatic Sea on the second Sunday of October. The event is
called the “Barcolana”, it almost always has the most number of boats
sailing in an international regatta on the Mediterranean; it’s a
week-long celebration on land and at sea that turns Trieste into the
“European Capital of sailing”. Perhaps the most famous part of the
experience is to watch the starting line of nearly two thousand boats
under the Victory Lighthouse. Just about anything that floats in the
Mediterranean is there led by helmsmen that are used to competing in
world championships, or just about any amateur skipper or holiday sailor
who has fallen under the spell of an event that every seafarer must
take part in, at least once in their lives!The story of the Barcolana is one of those you do not expect, because nobody knows what is the key ingredient for the success of this unique event. The Barcolana was born by chance, as a simple end of summer regatta, 44 years ago. For this year’s Barcolana #46, 1,877 teams registered with the local host, the Società Velica di Barcola and Grignano.
For
the first time in the history of the Barcolana, the finish line was
just off Piazza Unità d'Italia. The new course of this year's race was
designed with one aim only: to make the regatta more enjoyable for the
competitors and more impressive for the spectators on land. That is why
the start was closer to the shore, the first leg was shorter, the buoy
along the "return course" towards Miramare was close to the Castle and
the finish line was in the city centre in front of the enthusiastic
spectators watching the Barcolana Regatta.Recognizing that the two mile long line may not be able to accommodate all the boats, many sailors accustomed to the race start off with extra fenders hanging off either side of their boats! A record number of 34 J/Teams participated this year with the J/24s having the largest single class of boats in the whole race- 23 boats in Class 7 that had 91 boats in total. After the smoke, dust, crunched fiberglass and bent pulpits cleared the starting area, the following J/24s made it relatively unscathed to the finish line: CAPITAN NEMO sailed by Stocco Thomas from YC Vicenza was 21st, CLEANPORT 3 skippered by Paolo Boschi took 23rd.
The J/70 and J/80 sailors put in the best performances by J/Teams. Sailing in Class 8 with 40 boats were two J/70s, SPIN ONE sailed by Giovanni & Pietro Saccomani took a very commendable 9th place followed by the German team aboard BELOS sailed by Paul Fleissner from Worthersee YC, finishing 24th. In the 60 boat fleet that were sailing Class 6, the J/80 MY WAY skippered by Jurij Hubscher from YC Portoroz took 12th!
Of the bigger J’s, the J/120 J-ONE MILLEGOR sailed by Lorenzo Simeone took 20th in a fleet of 71 boats in Class 1. And, in the 83 boat Class 3, the J/109 SAGOLA 60 helmed by William Ferrisutti placed 14th while the J/105 NEMBO SPEED led by Piero Fornasaro de Manzini managed a 16th place. Congratulations to all for good performances and for having stayed out of trouble! For more Barcolana Regatta sailing information
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