Safety first for three events in a row at Yacht Club Isole di Toscana
by Yacht Club Isole di Toscana 26 Apr 2021 09:13 BST
Swan One Design Scarlino Warm Up © Carlo Baroncini
April at Marina di Scarlino was at full steam on high-level racing, from Swan to Optimist, passing through Melges.
With an exceedingly robust Covid testing strategy, and an extraordinary synergy with local authorities and Scarlino Municipality, the three events could take place in total safety, thus permitting a turnover of more than six-hundred persons, among athletes, race officials and coaches in three weeks.
The first event to take place was the much awaited Swan One Design Scarlino Warm Up (April 9-11), representing a training-racing that permitted the attending ClubSwan 50s and ClubSwan 36 to heat the engines in sight of forthcoming Swan Tuscany Challenge (May 25-29) that will see the kick off of The Nations League, the well-known Swan One Design circuit.
A fleet of 11 50-footer and 7 36-footer took part to a windy and proving weekend, that gave the opportunity to attending teams to test sails, practice manouvering and rust off from a long winter time.
Well done to Russian team of Sparti (Dmitry Rybolovlev) and Italian Andrea Lacorte's Vitamina Cetilar on leading their fleets at the end of six fiercely conducted races.
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From April 16 to 18, a consistent fleet of almost forty boats competed in the opening event of the Melges World League: Tuscany Rally. To inaugurate the 2021 season of Melges 20 and Melges 14, the organization chose Marina di Scarlino and the Yacht Club Isole di Toscana as hosting venue.
Eight regattas were completed by the Melges 20, with a weather regime that ranged from the light breezes of the first day to the more unsteady ones on Sunday, passing through the strong wind on Saturday, when the so-called mosquitoes returned to surf the waves at their best.
The winners in the Melges 20 fleet were the European Champions of Russian Bogatyrs (Igor Rytov) that managed to keep up and overcome a very consistent Fremito d'Arja and the young crew of Siderval.
Starting one day later, and disputing a series of six races on an independent race course from the Melges 20, the Melges 14 saw the leadership of Luca Angelini, that sealed the victory of the event only in the last race of the series, leaving behind the Brazilian Gustavo Vianna, leader in the first part of the series, and Luca Antonini.
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Dulcis in fundo... the triptych ended with Optimist Class trials for Worlds and Europeans. A combative fleet of 137 young sailors disputed three full racing days from April 23 to 25, after having been submitted to strict measurement checks.
A daily show delighted the eyes of any person walking along Scarlino beach.
The event could enjoy the favorable logistic synergy between Camping Piper (ashore base) and Marina di Scarlino, permitting sailors and their coaches to have a proper welcome.
The best-performing sailor was Adriano Cardi Quan, racing under the colors of LNI Ostia, followed by Lisa Vucetti (SV Barcola e Grignano).
Full ranking available here.
An intense start to the season, that provided considerable satisfaction to the Yacht Club Isole di Toscana, which can boast the distinction of having been among the few clubs to have never stopped international sailing at a high competitive level, even in this complex period. Not even a month of breathing space, and the Tuscan yacht club will again be in the spotlight, with an event that promises to be extremely interesting, not only for the top-level attending yachts, but also for the quality and quantity of the sailors thast will participate. In fact, very well-known faces of the recent America's Cup are expected, just to give some previews, at the starting line of Swan Tuscany Challenge, next May 25 to 29.
Thanks to Marina di Scarlino, Scarlino Yacht Service, Resort Baia Scarlino and the partner Rigoni di Asiago for their support, who have been close to the activities of the Isole di Toscana Yacht Club for years, fully sharing their passion for the sea, the environment and quality.