Circolo della Vela Bari wins Italian J/70 League Championship

Circolo della Vela Bari wins Italian J/70 League Championship © Lega Italiana Vela

The Circolo della Vela Bari won the Italian J/70 League Championship last weekend in Rimini, Italy. The finale was dominated from the beginning by the Apulian crew who, at the end of 30 races, managed to bring home the coveted gold medal.

The crew was led by skipper Simone Ferrarese, accompanied by Corrado Minutolo, Leonardo Dinelli, and Martine Grael. Martine, as some of you may know, was the Brazilian sailor that won her second gold medal in the 49er FX skiff at the Tokyo Olympic Games. A talented crew, to say the least.

The final, organized by the Yacht Club Rimini, with the support of the Italian Sailing League, the patronage of the Federation Italiano de Vela, in partnership with the LegaVela Servizi, saw the participation of 12 teams from across Italy.

While the Circolo della Vela di Bari team was clearly the superior team in the event, the battle for the balance of the podium was far from certain until the final race of the regatta.

The Air Force Team, Società Canottieri Garda Salò and the Circolo Velico Ravenna fought for the top of the standings until the last breath of wind. Ultimately, the silver medal went to the Aeronautica Militare Sports Group, which lined up a respectable crew with Niccolò Bertola, Marco Balbi, Giovanni Bannetta, and Elena Berta. The Canottieri Garda Salò team took the bronze with Filippo Cestari, Fabio Larcher, Tuci Leone, Pietro Corbucci and Leonardo Toscano on board.

The first female crew was the Aniene Rowing Club with Claudia Rossi at the helm (World Champion in Mixed Doubles Offshore and J/70 European Champion), accompanied by Giulia Fava, Cecilia Zorzi, Federica Sciuto and Michela Lunghi.

"The weather conditions helped us. Together with the impeccable organization of the Rimini Yacht Club and the technical skills of the Race Committee," commented the President of the Sailing League, Roberto Emanuele de Felice. "We were able to bring to conclusion a splendid event, with great satisfaction from all the participants. Being able to have twelve crews in the water after a long period of pandemic imposed delays was not easy. The interest we received from young crews and all-women teams is the confirmation that the club had a winning formula."

Best award for the most original uniform goes to the team of Compagnia della Vela of Venice, which included famous Italian sailor - Tommaso Chieffi.

Watch this short interview with the winners - Circolo della Vela di Bari:

The Circolo Canottieri Aniene 1892 women's team was led by the famous European J/70 Champion Claudia Rossi. She was accompanied by Cecilia Zorzi, Giulia Fava, Michela Longhi and Federica Sciuto. Here's how the first day went for them!

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