Volvo D-One Gold Cup preview

by D-One Sailing on 27 Jul 2011 Volvo D-One Gold Cup is being held in Fraglia Vela Riva del Garda from the 28th to the 31st of July 2011.

The D-Ones will undoubtedly put on a spectacular show in Lago di Garda in this second edition of the Gold Cup, the highest-level regatta of the innovative and high-performance single-handed dinghy with mainsail and gennaker, designed by Luca Devoti. The event, fourth one of the Volvo Cup and counting towards the overall score table, has summoned more than 40 skippers from various nations at the Fraglia Vela Riva del Garda. The D-One fleet has an interesting blend of Olympic class champions, top-level professional sailors (a number of them taking part in the 34th America's Cup onboard Green Comm Racing), well-trained amateurs, girls racing with the smaller 9.5m rig and many passionate sailors that chose to return to sailing thanks to the thrills and fun this yacht offers her skipper.

Reigning champion, Argentina's Agustín Zabalua, winner of the first ever Gold Cup held last October at the Real Club Nautico de Valencia, will definitely not have an easy ride on the windy waters of the Alto Benaco. Among his competitors are the current world Laser champion, Australian Tom Slingsby, European Finn champions Finn Giles Scott and Ivan Gaspic, Czech Republic's Michael Maier, Nick Thompson, another world-class Laser sailor, and Belgium's Philippe Rogge.

The Italian skippers come to the D-One Gold Cup well prepared and ready to stage a tough fight. Giorgio Poggi, Italy's Finn sailor in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, will compete with high ambitions while another skipper to watch is Andrea Casale, many times Italian Laser champion, world J24 champion and professional sailor with ample experience. Andrea Ferrari from Rome, highly-trained on the D-One, is another of the numerous Italian bunch coming from Genova, Porto San Giorgio and Bracciano. Various sailors in the Masters category will be there as well skippers racing with the smaller 9.5 meter rig, conceived for lightweight athletes. Women will also have a strong presence in the regatta, led by Nathalie Testa from Genoa. During this season this group of sailor girls has shown a very good performance on the innovative D-One dinghy.

The Volvo D-One Gold Cup will start on Thursday, July 28th with the first two races. Two more races are scheduled on Friday and another two on Saturday. After the first six races, skippers will have the right to discard their worst result. The event's seventh race, scheduled on Sunday, will carry double points and cannot be discarded. This race format guarantees a very open and thrilling competition, with the final outcome uncertain until the last race. The Ora del Garda, the famous local breeze, will take care of the rest. The end of July has always been its best period and there is nothing better than a strong breeze to enjoy the speed and fun of the D-Ones.

The Volvo D-One Cup, after the events in Alassio, Bracciano, Cattolica and Riva del Garda, will proceed to Marina di Scarlino in conjunction with the National Championship (16-18 September) and the Barcolina of Trieste (1-2 Devoti Sailing website