When he arrived, he greeted the crowd by calling for the number seven with his hands. In the previous 55 editions of Barcolana, we can’t remember anyone winning seven times.
Furio Benossi, a local navigator from a family of navigators, succeeded from father to son, as does he himself with his very young daughter Marta, who captained the winning boat, Arca Sgr, for a long time at the age of 17. And guided among muscular men accustomed to facing any sea condition even on board a walnut shell. He himself declared this: “I will retire soon, and we must give way to the youth.” Space and rudder.
The Barcolana 56 had little wind, so the Arca Maxi 100 covered 14 nautical miles in 1 hour and 28 minutes, competing wave after wave with Mitia Kosmina’s 90-foot Prosecco Dock, which came in second; Third place went to Nice, the boat of Fiamme Gialle with Olympic champion Ruggero Tita on board. A great way to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Corps. But the Generali and the little MSC, a lake boat from Switzerland that impressed, also showed excellent performance. A victory for the poor It could be said: “It was a wreck,” is how Banusi Arka defines it, before it became what it became.
“It was certified as a wreck, and we had the courage and vision to put it in the water.” There was a good wind this morning, which, unlike other years, allowed not only large boats, but also small boats, in short all 1,757 participants, to cross the finish line. It was not possible at first, downwind: the crowds and tangle of boats at the start were so large that the last to cross the starting line did so 31 minutes after the cannon was fired. A big party at sea, with many boats that, although not competing, were stationed out to sea away from the regatta field, to watch the race. And a big party on the ground, in a city sold out from Italian tourists and beyond, populated in the center and along its banks with hundreds of stalls from every product sector.
“An extraordinary event that expresses tremendous energy,” commented enthusiastically Metia Gialoz, sponsor of Barcolana, at the end of the regatta. This was echoed by Fvg’s governor, Massimiliano Fedriga: “A unique event in the world that continues to surprise us. Once again, Barcolana exceeds expectations with an extraordinary popular participation that surprises edition after edition. Magic that repeats itself on schedule.” The emergency was also in the water (on board Ansella Domini, a 24.5 meter Andrea Illi Far 80), with an exceptional crew: Caterina Panti, Ambrogio Beccaria, Alberto Bona, Alberto Riva and Giovanni Soldini, who provided solidarity with the Barcolana Trieste to the finish line. Among the poles, mainsail and ropes was also the emergency chief Rosella Miccio. Finally, the Generali Women in Sailing Trophy for supporting mixed teams: this fourth edition was awarded to Giulia Legesa, on the Anywave Junior, the mixed crew that crossed the finish line first with a woman as skipper.
Reproduction © Copyright ANSA
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