Platu 25 Italian Championship ahead of World Championship

by Sabrina Bonaiti on 16 Jul 2009 The Italian Platu 25 Sailing Season is well under way, after the regattas in Cala De’ Medici (17-19 April) and in Punta Ala at Gavitello D’Argento (29-31 May).

Now Platu 25 crews are moving to Monopoli, a very ancient harbour near Bari, in Puglia, South Italy, for the Third Leg of the Italian Championship from the 16th to the 19th of July.

Lega Navale of Monopoli will host most than 30 very competitive teams, all of them determined to win the prestigious title of Platu 25 Italian Champion.

For the occasion, in Monopoli there will be also some foreign teams that have already moved to Italy, waiting for the Platu 25 World Championship that will take place in Punta Ala from the 27th of September to the 3rd of October in Punta Ala.

Between them there will be the German team 'Flexi' of Bogdhan with Nikolas Ganssauge at the helm, who have been racing on the Platu 25 Italian Circuit from the beginning of the sailing season and that won the first leg in Cala De Medici.

But the general attention is focused on 'Modus Vivendi – 3 Alfa' of Kostas Karageorgiou, with Takis Mantis at the helm: the Greek team won last year the Platu 25 World Championship in Eraklion, Greece, and now is getting ready to defend its position in Punta Ala.

The Greek crew is determined to arrive to the prestigious appointment well trained. So, the III Leg in Monopoli, for Kostas Karageorgiou - with Takis Mantis, his inseparable helmsman, and with a a partially changed crew composed now by Andreas Papadopoulos, Vangelis Kappas and Stavros Argiros - will be the right occasion to test the Italian adversary fleets.

In Monopoli there will be four very intensive and competitive days of regatta, with very skilled foreign and Italian crews, able to guarantee a very high technical profile. Between them there will be 'Brera Hotels' of Emanuele Vitrano, with Alberto Wolleb at the helm, who won Gavitello D’Argento and second leg of Italian Circuit in Punta Ala last May.

At the moment, in the temporary Platu 25 National Ranking list 2009, just 'Brera Hotels' is at the top of the classified results, at the same points with 'Fight For Fighting' of De Bellis e Masi, with Alberto La Tegola as a helmsman, an other very good crew that is at home in Monopoli (the whole crew is from Puglia).

Both of them will have to face 'Nanuk' of Gianfranco Catalano – with Luigi Ravioli at the helm – and 'Amici Miei Atto II' of Giacomo Bufalini who managed very well during the Italian sailing Season. Good chances also for 'Breakwind' of Giovanni Bocelli, with Ugo Giordano at the helm, that has just won the Minialtura Italian Championship in Nisida, near Napoli.

In conclusion, the Italian Platu 25 Campionship, that will start next 16 July on Thursday, is expected to be one of the most prestigious and adrenalinic appointments of the Italian and International Platu 25 Sailing Season: for sure it will be a sort of test for the big challenge that will take place in Punta Ala during the Platu 25 World Championship at the end of September.