Registrations are still open for the “Regatta delle Vele d’Epoca” organized from 30 April to 1 May 2022 on the occasion of the International Sailing Week of the Naval Academy of the City of Livorno, the first stage of the vintage sails circuit and the first test of the Artiglio 2022 Trophy. There will also be the historic sails of the Navy, including Artica II, Penelope, Chaplin and the multi-victorious Grifone, on which Admiral Agostino Straulino raced. In those days Nave Italia, the brig of the Tender To Nave Italia Foundation used for social inclusion cruises, will also be present in the city of Labronica. To these will be added the Swan Classic and other boats associated with the Viareggio Historic Sails, including Margaret, Ilda, Barbara and Kerkyra II.
In Livorno the first stage of the 2022 Vintage Sails Circuit
The 2022 vintage sails circuit starts from Livorno, on the occasion of the International Sailing Week of the Naval Academy of the City of Livorno.
From Friday 29 April to Sunday 1 May a fleet of historic sailing boats will gather at the Marina Cala de ‘Medici in Rosignano Marittimo, 20 kilometers south of Livorno, to participate in the “Regatta delle Vele d’Epoca”.
Two regattas are scheduled, on Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May, which will take place on coastal routes selected by the Race Committee based on weather conditions. On Saturday evening at 6 pm, at the Yacht Club Cala de ‘Medici, the Crew Party will be held for owners and crews, while the awards ceremony will take place on Sunday afternoon at 5 pm in the square of the Naval Academy of Livorno. Among the sponsors and supporters of the International Sailing Week Neri, Benetti, Drass, Marina Cala de ‘Medici, Sitep Italia, Leonardo, BNL and Nautor’s Swan.
Le Vele della Marina, the Swan Classic and Nave Italia
The categories of boats admitted to the “Regatta delle Vele d’Epoca” remain unchanged: Vintage Yachts (launched before 1950), Classic Yachts (launched before 1976), Spirit of Tradition, Historic Sails and Swan Classic, fiberglass boats that have made the history of the Finnish shipyard Nautor. The Navy plans to deploy on the Arctic II starting line, the 1956 yawl, winner of the Torbay-Lisbon and Grifone regatta in the same year, the 5.50 Metri S.I. (International Tonnage) built in Sweden in 1963, placed fifth at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 and World Champion in Naples in 1965. The crew of the time, composed of the future Admiral Agostino Straulino, Olympic gold in the Star class in Helsinki in the 1952, Massimo Minervini and Bruno Petronio.
To these should be added the 1965 “Palinodie” Penelope class, designed by the Americans Sparkman & Stephens and built at the Navy Arsenal of La Spezia together with the twins Nausicaa, Calypso and Galatea. In 2013 Penelope was restored by the Del Giudice Shipyard in Caprera.
Finally, Chaplin from 1974, donated in 2008 to the Navy by the Genoese Novi family, winner of the prestigious Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge Trophy the following year. If conditions also allow Nave Italia, the 61-meter long schooner brig linked to the Tender To Nave Italia Foundation, already present in Livorno during the Sailing Week, could reach Cala de ‘Medici to greet the sailors from the sea. Next year, this Navy sailing ship is about to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
The Boats of the Historical Sails Viareggio
Among the boats associated with the Viareggio Historic Sails that will race on the occasion of the “Regatta delle Vele d’Epoca” also Ilda (1946) of the VSV president Gianni Fernandes, the Camper & Nicholsons Barbara of 1923, which next year will celebrate 100 years from its launch, the 8 Meters S.I. Margaret of 1926 and Kerkyra II (ex Ardi) of 1968, winner of the Copa del Rey in Spain in 2018, on which Agostino Straulino raced and won together with the owner Marina Spaccarelli Bulgari, the well-known entrepreneur of luxury jewelry.
Organization and Bench of Regatta
The organization of the “Regatta delle Vele d’Epoca”, in addition to the Navy, will be handled by the Italian Naval League Section of Livorno and the Cala de ‘Medici Yacht Club, with the involvement of the Viareggio Historical Sails Association and AIVE ( Italian Vintage Sails Association) for the possible tonnage of the boats.
The event represents the first unmissable opportunity to accumulate scores for the assignment of the seasonal trophies up for grabs, including the AIVE del Tirreno Cup and the Artiglio Trophy, of which the Livorno event represents the first stage.
This is the Regatta Bench: https://www.settimanavelicainternazionale.it/regate/vele-depoca-2022/
Info: lnilivorno@gmail.com
