The Foiling Week: Prepare for take-off
by Domenico Boffi 27 Jun 2014 16:04 BST
4-12 July 2014
Moth foiling on Lake Garda © The Foiling Week
The Foiling Week is a new event dedicated to amazing foiling boats, their designers, builders and athletes, taking place across Lake Garda, Italy in July 2014.
The idea of bringing together the sailors, designers and builders involved in foiling was born in September 2013. The foiling week gathered consent well beyond expectations. Now, less than ten months from conception, the foiling week is ready to take off (Friday July, 4th).
6 days of racing, 3 days of forums and round tables, 2 locations, nearly 100 sailors on the water, more than 20 of the leading designers, builders and sailors speaking at the conference, all types of sailing hydrofoil seen so far (and yet to be seen) in the water.
At the forum and on water over 7 languages are spoken. Tens of nations scattered across 4 continents (some say 5 but the issue is controversial) are represented.
Anyone who has a flying boat is invited to participate in the mixed races and at the speed trials: the intent is to gather all types of hydrofoil sailing boats: TFW's motto is "the third mode of sailing": first was displacement, then planing and now foiling.
It is a race, but for once the spirit is that of a "meeting": the goal is to share and compare. In TFW Mixed Fleet Contest all the foilers (from the kite to the 32-foot catamaran, plus moths and several prototypes) will compete on the same course which is designed to showcase the characteristics of speed and performance of these boats. The format is that of an endurance race: the boats will run on the course for an hour.
The panel of names on stage at the TFW Forum represents the best of technical and practical foiling today. Attending conferences and round tables will give a unique insight: for three mornings you can listen and talk with all the foiling gurus.
During the foiling week the TFW Awards will be presented for the categories "Designer", "Boat" and "Sailor". The awards will be assigned by the speakers and the participants to the forum for the categories "Boat" and "Designer", while the racing competitors will vote for their fellow sailors.
See www.foilingweek.com for progamme, forum agenda, race courses, biographies and the boards of some of the boats.
This is the foiling week, See you there!