Second World Youth Sailing Week 2014 – Preview

by Elena Giolai on 11 Apr 2014 Second World Youth Sailing Week 2014 - The International Youth week kicks off the summer series of racing events in the Garda Trentino Region.

From this following weekend until Easter hundreds of sailors and windsurfers together with their families will be present in ‘Alto Garda’ thanks to a series of regattas organised by Vela Garda Trentino and its associated sailing clubs.

Second World Youth Sailing Week calendar

29er: Easter Regatta (12-14 April) location: Circolo Vela Arco
Techno 293: Garda Trophy (17-19 April), location Circolo Surf Torbole
Laser 4.7 e Laser Radial: Laser Youth Easter Meeting, (16-19 April), location Fraglia Vela Malcesine
Optimist: 32nd Meeting del Garda Optimist, (17-20 April), location Fraglia Vela Riva

The second edition of the World Youth Sailing week is already on our doorstep. ‘Vela Garda Trentino’ has gathered together some of the most proactive Sailing clubs in the North of Garda to organise a series of events on an international scale.

The events take place between Saturday 12th April and Sunday 20th April. In this maxi event for youths there are four major regattas in the Easter week. In addition the other International event, which involves the’ Organisation di vela Garda Trentino’ together with the Fraglia Vela Riva, LNI Riva, Circolo Vela Arco, Circolo Surf Torbole and in partnership with the Fraglia Vela Malcesine is the ‘Eurosaf Champions Sailing Cup’: this is the only leg of this competition to be held in Italy - it is named the ‘Garda Trentino Olympic Week’ and is wholly dedicated to the excellent standard required of Olympic sailing.

The most inspiring event of the 'World Youth Sailing week' is definitely the ‘Garda Lake Optimist Meeting’ an event that has been held since 1982 by the Fraglia Vela Riva and has the record from the Guiness world record committee for the largest gathering of any one design class in the world. The amazing example given by this Optimist meeting which this year is expected to attract over 1000 participants has been the inspiration to start a unique global event dedicated to other junior and youth sailing classes, the intention being to draw people from all over the world and specifically designed to attract sailors from the age of nine who race in the youngest of the Optimist categories up to the Laser Radial sailors whose helmsmen are up to 19 years old. This is an initiative which serves as a shop window for all the finer qualities of the sailing facilities for tourists and youth alike and demonstrates what an important resource for the whole region this is.

It falls to the Vela Arco Sailing Club to host the first regatta of the ‘Settimana della Vela Giovanile’ programmed to run from Saturday 12th to Monday the 14th of April. The class racing is the acrobatic and fast 29er which is a double hander and will involve about 70 sailors in this the third edition of the Easter regatta for this class.

From the middle of the following week and starting on Wednesday 16th April all the other regattas of the ‘Settimana Mondiale della Vela Giovanile’ begin. The Fraglia Vela Malcesine hosts the Laser 4.7 and Radials for the ‘Laser Youth Easter meeting’, the Circolo Surf Torbole has the Windsurfer Techno 293, ‘Garda Lake Trophy’ and the Fraglia Vela Riva host the hundreds of Optimists parents and coaches for the ‘Meeting del Garda Optimist’.

At the Fraglia Vela Malcesine there will be roughly 200 sailors subdivided between the Laser 4.7 (under 16) and Laser radial (under 19). This meeting is given greater significance by its close proximity to the ‘Europa Cup Laser’ which is to follow soon after and which will involve many sailors from far flung places overseas. For many young sailors this will provide an excellent opportunity to train during the Easter break.

Another meeting of great importance is the Circolo Surf Torbole‘s ‘Garda Lake Trophy’ for the youth windsurfing class, the ‘Techno 293’. This event precludes the ‘European Championships and also forms part of the selection process for the Junior Olympics. For this reason it has drawn many participants from abroad and has confirmed registrations from countries such as Israel, Germany, Great Britain and many other overseas destinations.

Wednesday the 16th is the climax of festivities on land which takes place on the streets of Riva del Garda-Fraglia Vela Riva and is the opening ceremony for the ‘Meeting del Garda Optimist’ a procession of youngsters, parents, coaches and flag bearers of the 40 nations participating. The regatta starts on the following day Thursday 17th with the massive flotilla of small white sails divide into Cadet and Junior classes and then subdivided into flights of manageable proportions for safety reasons.

Heaps to prepare then, for both this and the other regattas of the ‘Alto Garda’ which give life to the ‘World Youth Sailing Week’.

Vela Garda Trentino and all the sailing clubs involved in this event wish for wonderful days of sun and wind so that all participants will take with them fond memories of an important experience and a happy holiday!