Please select your home edition
Edition
Lloyd Stevenson - AC ETNZ 1456x180px TOP

Garda Optimist Meeting - Italy on top

by Elena Giolai on 9 Apr 2012
Garda Optimist Meeting 2012 Eleonora Raggi / Fraglia Vela Riva http://www.fragliavelariva.it
On the final day of the Garda Optimist Meeting, Italy took the top two positions in the cadets with Spagnolli and Salvetta (Fraglia Vela Riva). Omar Isik of Turkey won the juniors and second place went to Patrick Zeni of Italy. Francesca Bergamo was first among the girls.

Easter was rich in achievement at the 30th Garda Optimist Meeting which started on Wednesday, 4th of April with the opening ceremony presided over by Olympian Alessandra Sensini, and finished today after four days of racing. Six races were completed for the cadets, nine for the juniors and ten for the 'Gold' fleet. Organizers, Fraglia Vela Riva, are very pleased with this edition, which broke more than one record.


On one hand, breaking through the 'wall' of 1000 participants (the highest number so far had been 998 in 2008), and on the other, achieving a Guinness World Record™ as the largest single-class sailing regatta in the world.

Including today's participants, the total reached 1055 (out of 1073), who had completed at least one race. This record is especially sweet, since it was achieved with a regatta dedicated to very young sailors, an area in which Fraglia Vela Riva invests much of its resources in both instruction and racing, believing in the policy of dedicating much of its energy on new recruits.

A policy which in this occasion of the 30th Garda Optimist Meeting, has paid off. Fraglia Vela Riva can boast of the top two positions in the cadet category (9-11 years), with Andrea Spagnolli and Tommaso Salvetta (the same positions as in the PrimaVela 2010).


They were able to dominate everyone on the last day, leaving the bronze medal to Brit Heathcote Vita, first in the girls. Both showed steady form throughout the races, which was lacking in the rest of the field. In the cadet top 10, 7 countries are represented with Italy, Great Britain, Germany, Finland, Bermuda, Turkey and Classification Cadets: The juniors – 805 total – had several races in challenging conditions, with wind gusts from the south reaching 25 knots for yesterday and today's last races.

As predicted, the battle for the podium came down to the last race with final victory slipping away from Patrick Zeni (Fraglia Vela Malcesine) as happened in 2009. Yesterday he had been in the lead after eight races. There was a comeback, instead, for Isik of Turkey (fourth yesterday), who jumped ahead of Zeni by just one point, by taking a first on the last race. In third place, four points behind, was Lamay of Germany.

Among the girls, victory went to European Optimist Champion 2011 Francesca Bergamo (CN Alto Adriatico), who came in 8th overall. The top ten of this category is also multi-national with Italy taking four of the positions together with Turkey, Germany, The U.S.A., Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. Classification Gold Junior: 'We were lucky with the weather and wind conditions – commented Mauro Stanga, President of Fraglia Vela Riva, at the closure of the event – considering that the weather was mostly unsettled, and the winds were of mixed intensity, from four to eight knots ideal for the cadets, to 20 to 15 knots, recorded in some of the junior races. I would like to thank all the staff who took part in the organization of this record edition, as well as all the sectors of law enforcement and 185 coaches.

Let's not forget all the mums and dads who allowed their children to take part in this exceptional experience. I'm also happy to have shared the success of this event with partners who believe and invest in sport and in its diffusion among young people, Kinder+Sport and our institutional sponsors Trentino, inGarda and Fiere Congressi.

The sense of satisfaction of having closed this event in the best possible way, energizes us for the next edition of the Garda Optimist Meeting, and above all for the World Championships in 2013!' - concluded Stanga.



Lloyd Stevenson - Catalyst GT 1456x180px BOTTOMArmstrong 728x90 - HA Foil Range - BOTTOMNorth Sails Loft 57 Podcast

Related Articles

Dragon Edinburgh Cup in Torbay Day 1
Sunshine, lighter airs, and no shortage of high-calibre racing Tuesday 8th July welcomed the opening day of the 2025 Edinburgh Cup in Torquay with sunshine, lighter airs, and no shortage of high-calibre racing.
Posted today at 7:14 am
Meet the CYCA's Admiral's Cup Team
Meet the skippers and sailors, get to know their roles and discover what makes their programs unique Meet the skippers and sailors, get to know their roles and discover what makes their programs unique.
Posted today at 6:59 am
Who made the right call to get to the breeze?
And how technology is changing the Transpac Race to Hawaii Boats racing in the 2025 Transpac continue to reel in the offshore miles toward the finish line off Honolulu, Hawaii, in the 53rd edition of this historic 2,225-nautical-mile race.
Posted today at 12:54 am
Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race Finish
Temptation takes line honours in record time! The 2025 Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race launched under blue skies and a steady southwesterly breeze—an ideal start that stood in sharp contrast to the wild weather of 2023.
Posted today at 12:45 am
British Classic Week Day 2
An early start for Classes 1-3 as they prepared to race around the Isle of Wight It was an early start for the British Classic Week fleet on day two, as Classes 1-3 prepared to race around the Isle of Wight.
Posted on 8 Jul
iQFOiL Worlds a Aarhus day 3
The leaderboard tightens at the halfway mark after today's racing in a building breeze After a frustrating day of waiting ashore on Monday, Day 3 brought back the action in Aarhus Bay with spectacular foiling conditions and a full day of intense racing.
Posted on 8 Jul
Fleet advances to the last half of the AEGEAN 600
In contrast to yesterday's slow pace, the rate of progress has been much improved Most of the fleet of 59 Monohulls and Multihulls who are sailing in this year's AEGEAN 600 have either already entered the second half of the race at the island of Rhodes or are well on their way to reaching this important milestone.
Posted on 8 Jul
Mediterranean Regatta season in full swing
A+T instruments seen all over Europe delivering high-level performance for racing fleets As regatta season gathers speed, A+T instruments were seen all over Europe delivering high-level performance for the racing fleets.
Posted on 8 Jul
International Moth Worlds at Lake Garda Day 1
Storm cells circling Lake Garda lead to atypical and tricky conditions The 137 sailors representing 25 nations faced the first day of racing in conditions that were anything but typical for Malcesine, with unstable weather creating a complex, yet exciting, opening.
Posted on 8 Jul
Temptation/Oakcliff takes line honours
In a thrilling Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race finish The race delivered fast conditions, high drama, and unforgettable moments on the 363-nautical-mile dash to Nova Scotia.
Posted on 8 Jul