Persico 69F Cup flies back in Puntaldia
by 69F Sailing 15 Jun 14:11 PDT
16-25 June 2022
Persico 69F Cup © Marta Rovatti Studihrad
69F is back in Italy and does so with the Persico 69F Cup, starting from the corner of paradise where it was left, at the end of the 2021 season, Puntaldia.
Much loved by owners, organizers and athletes, Puntaldia is located a few kilometers south of Olbia and Costa Smeralda and is a relatively recent discovery for international sailing competitions. It offers excellent racing conditions, several course options, breathtaking scenery and generally flat waters, ideal for Persico 69F.
This, combined with the impeccable hospitality and organization of the Marina di Puntaldia, meant that after Valencia, the Persico 69F fleet is back to Sardinia for the first Italian leg. Seven teams will be on the starting line for the 2.1 event from June 16th to 19th, and the another seven for the 2.2 from June 22nd to 25th. Among them, the strong Fin1Racing Finns will come back with Allan Norregaard, Janne Jarvinen and Spanish 49er Olympian Iago Lopez, winners of both Valencian events in April. "Nothing has changed in our team since the last event, Iago Lopez is back on board with me and Janne as for Valencia 1.1, while our coach Cas Van Dongen is back in the dinghy to observe us and give us valuable advice" - says Allan Norregaard, Fin1Racing. "We only arrived here three days ago to prepare the boat and do some warming up. It is great to be back in Puntaldia, it is a wonderful place, perfect for sailing. The plan for this event - we will only race on the first weekend - is to try to win again, but we are so new that the main goal is to improve as much as possible, because we still have to learn so much about this boat."
In the crystal-clear waters of Puntaldia the battle between the Finns and the French of Groupe Atlantic, who left Valencia with a desire for redemption after their second and third places in the two events, just behind Fin1Racing, will be renewed. "Really happy to be here for the second event of the season. The venue looks really nice, if we have some good wind it will be great for sailing" - declared 470 French talent Valentin Sipan. "The First events were great, it was good to test ourselves with other boats and we are happy of what we have achieved. So we have high expectations for the next events. The goal for this event and the season is always to improve our level race after race. In terms of results, the aim is to catch the podium, and as we like competition we will fight for the first place".
Among the seven competing crews, there is also a special new entry, created by the union of two important sailing realities: the Marina di Puntaldia and the historic Yacht Club Monfalcone. "For us, as for Puntaldia, the 69F was a thunderbolt and this challenge was born in just a few days following a "test drive" event of the 69F open to the public that Yacht Club Monfalcone organised and where we registered a great response from younger sailors. So we set up the Team Puntaldia challenge powered by Yacht Club Monfalcone. A challenge that in this sense represents so much for the present and the future of Yacht Club Monfalcone and that does not begin or end in Puntaldia but already looks ahead to 2022 and beyond," said Loris Plet, general manager Yacht Club Monfalcone. Also on the crew is Francesca Bergamo, an excellent sailor, already known in the 69F world because she is part of the Young Azzurra crew.
You can follow the day-by-day of the Persico 69F Cup on 69F official social channels (@69fsailing).