The great sea celebration of Trieste, and a feast for all Friuli, was presented by the Chairman of Generali, Gabriele Galateri di Genola, and the Chairman of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano, Mitja Gialuz. “This year we are exploring many new routes with the aim of innovating the event – commented the Chairman of SVBG Mitja Gialuz – but at the centre of our attention remain the sailing people, those who are already navigating, who are organizing their trip to Trieste so as to be the protagonists of this great celebration”. “Returning all together to the sea, practising the sport and exchanging views on subjects such as the environment, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, makes this experience all the more meaningful – said Generali's Chairman Gabriele Galateri di Genola – we are living in a time of profound change, with opportunities for growth and improvement that must be grasped”.
ROUNDITALY: the regatta starting from Genova on September 16th and ended up in Trieste, was the first and biggest novelty introduced by the 53th edition of Barcolana, organized along with Yacht Club Italiano – Italian Yacht Club. On the route around Italy, the winner was the maxi Pendragon with an astonishing timing: 6 days, 18hours, 03 minutes and 57seconds. Just one day after, among the Class40 Stefano Raspadori's Karnak with Alberto Bona and Andrea Caracci came first, followed by Cristiano Verardo's Kika Green Challenge with Cecilia Zorzi and Pietro Luciani and by Ernesto Moresino's Ediliziacrobatica with Francesco Farci and Lorenzo Meroni. Last but not least, Luciano Manfredi's First 44.7 Argo di Luciano Manfredi. "They were very determined and gave us deep emotions – said Mitja Galuz – I'd like to congratulate and thank all the participants”. E-Rounditaly, its virtual twin race, was also very successful, with over 30,000 participants from all around the world: the winner was the French virtual sailor Tipapacheri BSP MCES.
AT SEA: it was up to the youngsters to start off the calendar of sea events with the Barcolana Young, scheduled for the 2nd and 3rd of October: Lisa Vucetti of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano won in the Juniores category, while Cristian Castellan (Circolo della Vela Muggia) won the Cadetti category. At the same time also the competitors of the Melges 24 class kicked off their race. The long awaited swimming race “Barcolana Nuota” made its comeback in style, with the participation of 300 athletes in the Bacino San Giusto on Sunday 3rd October. Regardless of the bad weather and the cold waters, they all made it to the end after the one-kilometre route: among male participants, Marco Urbani came first, while Marzia Di Giovanni won among women.
The “Barcolana per il Sociale” regatta will take place on Tuesday October 5th, while for the entire period of the Barcolana, between the 2nd and 8th of October, the super-fast kitesurfs and wasps will take over – two energy categories – in the tenth year of the Barcolana FUN Siram Veolia. Instead, on Friday October 8th the Star class will compete for the Lega Navale Italiana and the Fine Art Sails trophies. On the eve before the Barcolana, we shall see the monotypes of the Barcolana By Night Snam Cup, the Barcolana Classic by SIAD boats (this year also open to the IOR class boats) and the monotype boats in the One design regatta.
TROFEO GENERALI – WOMEN IN SAILING: this brand new trophy will be awarded to the first helmswoman of a mixed crew that will cross the Barcolana’s finishing line. But the story will go way beyond this with stories belonging to the women present at the event: from the Olympic gold medallist in Tokio, sailor Caterina Banti, to the scientists who study the sea, protagonists of the Barcolana Sea Summit, to the many sailors that have been protagonists of the Barcolana for many years now and who, with their spirit of women of the sea, can contribute to inspire other women to be protagonists in their own fields, and to make their role and contribution more visible.
NEW ROUTES: During the days leading up to the Barcolana, Trieste will also see the arrival of the boats participating in the Adriatic connecting regattas: the Go to Barcolana from Slovenia, which is returning after having been put on hold last year, and the Go to Barcolana da Ravenna Trofeo Hera.
BARCOLANA SEA SUMMIT: (6th-9th October) an event dedicated to sustainability. Science, companies, institutions and associations together for the health of the Mediterranean Sea.
ON LAND: most of the 54 events are located in Porto Vecchio, Magazzino 26 and the Auditorium Generali of the Trieste Convention Center. There will be “Barcolana – Un mare di racconti”, the literary festival dedicated to the themes of the sea, and an ample series of fervently anticipated appointments: Barcolana Job organized by Friuli Venezia Giulia's regional government, the exhibitions held in the Magazzino26, the outreach activities of the Immaginario Scientifico, and the conferences of Barcolana Digitale organized by the State Police. Among the main events on land is the meeting organized by the Federazione Italiana Vela, with the sailors Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti, the Olympic gold crew in Tokio, scheduled for Friday October 8th, and the presence of Luna Rossa during the weekend of the Barcolana.
There will also be the Villaggio Barcolana: Piazza Unità will host the institutions and the Gold Sponsors of Barcolana, and along the Rive there will be – in addition to the area dedicated to RAI and to the live broadcasting of Linea Blu scheduled for Saturday October 9th at 2pm – temporary stores and spaces dedicated to the crews. Access to the Villaggio will be regulated according to Covid rules and regulations as regards safety and prevention, therefore it will be necessary to have a Green Pass. Over 500 boats will be able to moor along the Rive thanks to the digitalization of the spaces performed last year: those coming from outside Trieste who requested a mooring space when registering online, will find free mooring (subject to availability) thanks to the efforts of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano.
Cover photo: RoundItaly by Studio Borlenghi
All photos courtesy of Barcolana's Press Office