Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

Victory for Maxi Jena at enlarged Venice Hospitality Challenge

by James Boyd / International Maxi Association 16 Oct 2021 14:42 PDT

The annual Venice Hospitality Challenge grew a scale larger this year with an increased fleet of 16 maxi yachts. As usual the race course was set in the magnificent, unique setting of the San Marco and Guidecca canals, with Venice's famous Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square), its Basilica and the Palazzo Ducale as its backdrop.

This was the eighth edition of the event, organised by the Yacht Club Venezia with the support of the International Maxi Association, the officially-recognised body that oversees and promotes maxi yacht racing globally. The Venice Hospitality Challenge ties together maxi yacht racing with many of Venice's world-famous hotels, such as the Gritti Palace, Cipriani and Hotel Danieli.

This year it formed part of the celebrations marking the 1600th birthday of the water-born city.

The event started with a parade of sail between Saint 'Elena to just off Piazza San Marco before the race itself set sail at 1355 CEST in 6-8 knots of wind from 335 degrees. With a Race Committee led by Alfredo Ricci and assisted by Gianfranco Frizzarin, Emilia Barbieri and Alina Dix, the course took the boats from the start off Punta della Dogana at the entrance of the Canal Grande to a mark near Saint 'Elena, back to two marks off Piazza San Marco, then to an offset mark off the Guardia di Finanza before returning to the start line, onto another mark off the Hilton Hotel and from there to the finish.

On the congested start line, it was Maxi Jena - Sina Centurion Palace led by Slovenian skipper Milos Radonjic, that got away cleanest. From here the 80ft Andrej Justin design hung on, despite competition from longer potentially faster entries, such as the Furio Benussi-skippered 100ft Arca SGR, to maintain her lead to the finish line which she crossed afer roughly one hour of racing.

Top International Maxi Association yacht to finish was the Slovenian Reichel/Pugh 87, Way of Life (ex Morning Glory), skippered by two time Finn Olympian Gašper Vincec, which came home second behind Maxi Jena. Way of Life was once again representing the Gritti Palace - The Luxury Collection and the hotel's manager, Paolo Lorenzoni, competing on board.

Vincec admitted that they had lost out at the start. "Our approach was not perfect, because there was pressure from all the other maxis, so it was a little bit of a mess. But when we started to sail alone we slowly caught the other boats one by one. It felt romantic, as it always does in Venice!"

The 16 maxis were divided into two classes with the class of smaller maxis won by the Farr 80 Anemos, skippered by Gughi Danelon.

At the prize-giving held at the Zattere, President of the Yacht Club Venezia, Mirko Sguario and the Councilor for Tourism Simone Venturini presented the winners with their trophies in the shape of the Doge's hat, crafted specially by the historic Ars Cenedese glass factory in Murano.

This year's Venice Hospitality Challenge was attended by International Maxi Association President Benoît de Froidmont. At the prize-giving Mirko Sguario appointed de Froidmont as an Ambassador for the Venice Hospitality Challenge, along with double Olympic 49erFX gold medallist Martine Grael and Italian Ruggero Tita, the Nacra 17 gold medallist from Tokyo 2020.

A gala dinner for the Venice Hospitality Challenge is due to take place tonight hosted by the Hilton Molino Stucky.

Among the 16 entries were the America's Cup challenge Il Moro di Venezia and the 1993 Whitbread Round the World Race winner New Zealand Endeavor representing the City of Venice and the Francesco Morosini Military Naval School respectively.

Venice Hospitality Challenge 2021 - Final podia:

Class 1
1 Maxi Jena - Sina Centurion Palace
2 Way of Life - The Gritti Palace
3 Arca SGR - Ca 'Sagredo

Class 2
1 Anemos - JW Marriott
2 Bamar Ancilla - Hotel Excelsior
3 Kiwi - Londra Palace

Hotels participating in the Venice Hospitality Challenge 2021: Bauer Palazzo, Ca 'di Dio VRetreats, Ca' Sagredo Hôtel, SINA Centurion Palace, Hôtel Cipriani, Hôtel Danieli a Luxury Collection Hotel, Hôtel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort, The Gritti Palace a Luxury Collection Hotel Venice, Hilton Molino Stucky Venice, Hotel Londra Palace, JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa, Palazzina and The St. Regis Venice and Alajmo Ristorante Quadri.

Related Articles

Rolex Fastnet Race IRC Four preview
The pinnacle of grass roots sailing has 97 entries The very largest yachts, including the 100ft Ultim foiling trimarans and 60ft IMOCAs are an essential part of the spectacle of the Fastnet Race, however a critical element in the race's enduring appeal is that this is predominately a grass roots event. Posted today at 7:36 pm
Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta day 2
Classic Long Beach conditions return The weather conditions at the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta shifted noticeably today, delivering the classic Long Beach breeze that many expect from this world-class venue. Posted today at 6:44 pm
NYYC International Women's Championship update
Third group of skippers includes Nicole Breault, Dominique Proyoveur, Laura van Veen While there is no nationality requirement for the crews that will compete in the 2026 New York Yacht Club International Women's Championship, a number of teams are embracing the opportunity to wave their respective national flags at the debut edition. Posted today at 5:42 pm
New Class 40 campaign for Global Solo Challenge
Ronnie Simpson aims to be first American to win singlehanded, non-stop around world race American sailor Ronnie Simpson has launched a new ocean racing campaign to compete in the Global Solo Challenge race; a singlehanded, non-stop around the world sailing race that begins and ends in Vigo, Spain in 2027. Posted today at 5:10 pm
The Sardinia Cup set to return in 2026
The competition will make its long-awaited return to the waters of the Costa Smeralda The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) is pleased to announce the return of the Sardinia Cup, one of the Club's most iconic regattas and a renowned international sailing event. Posted today at 3:39 pm
How inclusive is sailing?
Largest global survey aims to find out The Magenta Project has today launched the 2x25 global survey, marking the start of the most ambitious equity and inclusion review ever undertaken in sailing and the wider marine industry. Posted today at 1:18 pm
Aegean 600 - Snakes and ladders in extremis
Event was the sixth in the IMA's annual Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge If the previous two Aegean 600s were among the most brutal offshore races on record with storm force winds and violent gusts, conversely this year's fifth edition of the anti-clockwise lap of the Aegean Sea was largely the lightest. Posted today at 12:14 pm
Is Your Boat Ready for Racing Season?
Rooster has gathered some of the best videos and blogs to make boat care easier From fine-tuning your rigging to quick repairs before a race, keeping your boat in top condition doesn't need to be complicated. ? Posted today at 11:00 am
2025 Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta kicks off
The first week of the OCR includes five Olympic classes The highly anticipated 2025 Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta officially commenced on Saturday, 12 July, marking the beginning of Olympic campaigns since the venues were announced. Posted today at 8:14 am
How Transpac's first finishers earned the podium
The first teams to reach Diamond Head are as varied as they are inspiring From a maxi-sled to a doublehanded keelboat and a 68-foot catamaran, the first teams to reach Diamond Head are as varied as they are inspiring. Posted today at 3:35 am
Armstrong 728x90 - Wing FG Board Range - BOTTOMV-DRY-XSwitch One Design