Sailing Tuscany -Another great racing season for Club Nautico Scarlino

by Club Nautico Scarlino on 18 Feb 2011 Club Nautico Scarlino - Marina di Scarlino, Maremma Tuscany, 16 February 2011 – The Club Nautico and Marina di Scarlino have lined up a great racing season for 2011.

The Commodore of Tuscan yacht club Guido Spadolini, the General Manager of the Club Carlo Tosi and the CEO of Marina Management Enrico Bertacchi unveiled the 2011 Calendar at a press conference held at the Marina late last week. The busy and elegant Marina will host a total of 53 days of regattas and events.

A considerable effort, which is only possible thanks to the complete synergy between the Club Nautico, Marina, Yacht Service and Residences, all coordinated by an overall direction that ensures sailors and guests benefit from the best organization and services, both on land and at sea.

Commodore Guido Spadolini stated: 'The Club Nautico is proud to present an extremely ambitious and high-profile racing calendar to Tuscany and to the national and international sailing world. This is possible thanks to the support of our sponsor Sorgenia, the endorsement of the Province of Grosseto, the municipality of Scarlino, the Maremma Tourism Board APT Maremma Toscana and the Chamber of Commerce of Grosseto.

Furthermore, none of this would be feasible without outstanding work of our staff and volunteers and the contribution of the Yacht Service directed by Gael Rossi and the Marina itself. Over the years we have all worked together towards our common goal: to make the Club Nautico and the Marina di Scarlino a landmark in the world of international sailing and be one of the best ambassadors of the quality and beauty of Tuscany in the world.'

The season has, in fact, already kicked off, with the first International Grade 3 Match Race held in January and won by Hungarian Arpad Litkey. In mid-March, the Olympic dinghy Finn takes center-stage during the first edition of the International Trophy Marina di Scarlino. From the 26th to the 27th of March, about one hundred young Optimist sailors will take part in the Scarlino leg of the Volvo Cup.

At the beginning of April (7-10) the Volvo Cup returns to Marina di Scarlino with the Melges 24 National Championship, one of the most spectacular and competitive one-design classes around. This event will be a dress rehearsal for the Melges 24 World Championship that will take place in 2012 at Marina di Scarlino. Over hundred teams from twenty countries are expected in Maremma.

April ends with a bang: the Audi Sailing Series for the one-design Melges 32 arrives in Scarlino from the 29thof April to the firstof May. Some of the best international teams will face off in the windy waters of Maremma, an opportunity to fine tune preparation for their World Championship in 2011 in Palma de Mallorca.

Finally, at the end of June the Olympic class Star returns to Marina di Scarlino for a leg of the National Championship.

After the summer break, Danish X-Yachts return to Maremma for the X-Yachts Mediterranean Cup, an event organized in collaboration with X-Yachts Italy. The X-41 World Championship and the X-35 Italian Championship are among the regattas that will be sailed in the crystal blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
This event is strongly supported by X-Yachts Italy, further confirming the great success of last year’s Gold Cup 2010.

The month of September is set aside for two national championships. The evergreen 12-foot Dinghy Class will be racing in Maremma for the first time in the Maremma, and the following weekend it will be the turn of the innovative dinghy D-One created by the Olympic athlete Luca Devoti. The D-One is part of the Volvo Cup circuit. To wrap it all up, one-design UFO 22 and other grade 3 and 4 Match Races are scheduled in October and November.

The 2012 season is even more ambitious with two events of great importance in international sailing already on the board. In March 2010, the world’s best dinghy sailors will compete in the Finn European Championship just a few months before London’s 2012 Olympic Games. The European Championship was already held once at Marina di Scarlino in 2008 with Ben Ainslie winning the regatta.

Next on the dock the Melges 24 World Championship, organized with the support of Volvo. An event that will bring at least 100 teams from 20 nations to Marina di Scarlino: the best skippers and tacticians of this technically highly coveted one-design will face off with the Island of Elba and Monte Cristo as a backdrop.

The 2011 Marina di Scarlino racing season will generate an estimated 8500 overnight stays in Maremma, thereby confirming Scarlino’s position as one of the most significant in the field of sports tourism in Tuscany.
'Whoever comes here to sail and race' stated Guido Spadolini, 'returns home with a smile on their face. Our guests are satisfied with the excellence of the facilities now completed and fully operational, enthusiastic about the ideal wind and sea conditions, pleased with the quality of the organization, both on land and at sea.

The beauty of the surroundings, the forests of the Bandite di Scarlino, the award-winning beach of Cala Violina, the Islands of Elba and Monte Cristo as a backdrop to mark rounding’s, complete the picture. It is no coincidence, in fact, that many sailors arrive in Scarlino with their families in tow and stay on after racing to fully enjoy the facilities and breathtaking landscape.'

During the press conference, Enrico Bertacchi introduced Mr. Francesco Allegretti, who will join him in the role of Managing Director of Marina Management with the task of defining the business strategies and marketing and for the completion and management of the Real Estate project on land.

Mr. Allegretti has a wealth of experience in real estate and will focus on initiatives to fund real estate and the commercial structure on land while Mr. Bertacchi will focus his efforts on sea-related facilities, the management of the Marina and nautical activities.

The Club Nautico Scarlino has confirmed its partnership with Sorgenia for the 2011-2012 seasons. Sorgenia. Sorgenia is a company operating in the field of sustainable energy and is the leading private Italian operator in the national energy market, with over 500,000 customers. Sorgenia also operates in the fields of natural gas, photovoltaic and wind-powered energy.

Marina di Scarlino is a modern marina located in the heart of Tuscany’s Maremma. In addition to the Marina and the cutting edge Yacht Service, it also includes an area dedicated to restaurants and shopping. The fully furnished Residences feature large terraces overlooking the harbor with stunning views of the Islands of Elba and Monte Cristo. Marina di Scarlino offers all the services for those who want to combine sports and sailing with a quality stay in an area of excellence such as the Tuscan coast.

2011 Racing Calendar - Club Nautico Scarlino Total: 53 days of racing

29-30 January - Grade 3 Match Race
19-20 February - Grade 4 Match Race
5-6 March - Finn Winter Championship
11-13 March - Marina di Scarlino International Finn Trophy
19-20 March - Grade 4 Match Race
26-27 March - Volvo Cup Optimist
3 April - Velainsieme – Moto a gonfie vele- Blue water cruising
7-10 April - Volvo Cup Italian Championship Melges 24
29-1 May - Audi Sailing Series Melges 32
5 June - Regatta Velainsieme - Blue water cruising
18-19 June - Grade 3 Match Race
24-26 June - Star National Championship
29 August - 3 September - X-Yachts Mediterranean Cup (X-41 Worlds, X-35 National)
8-11 September - Dinghy 12p National Championship
16-18 September - Volvo Cup D-One National Championship
8-9 October - Grade 3 Match Race
14-16 October - UFO 22 National Championship
November - Grade 3 Match Race
December -Grade 4 Match Race

www.clubnauticoscarlino.com