28th Ora Cup Ora Optimist - Overall
by Elena Giolai 6 Aug 15:05 PDT
4-6 August 2023
A beautiful sunny day closes the 28th Ora Cup Ora: in the cadets victory for Turkey's Cengiz and Ukraine's Ahnieshka Madonich; in the juniors for Filippo Grossi and Bianca Marchesini.
A fine edition, the twenty-eighth, of the Ora Cup Ora, Circolo Vela Arco's iconic Optimist regatta, which this year saw 545 racers from 30 nations take to the water, including China for the first time.
Five races for the cadets and seven for the juniors was the total balance, with the weather not being the best, but it did not spoil the party for all these children and youngsters who came to Garda Trentino with their coaches and families. After Friday's only race, Saturday was a good day from the point of view of the wind, which despite the fairly compact cloudiness blew from the south at 12 to 18 knots, allowing two races for the cadets and three for the five junior batteries. With a total of four qualifying races (and one discard) on Sunday for the juniors, it was possible to make the finals with the fleets divided according to the overall ranking, with the best in the gold fleet. The cadets, after Saturday's two races, continued on Sunday with a race in the morning and one in the early afternoon, reaching with the fourth race the discard of the worst.
On Sunday, starting at 10am on a beautiful sunny morning, they raced in a light northerly wind to continue in the early afternoon after the sudden change to a southerly wind, which arrived blowing at 12-14 knots. In the junior fleet an Italian hat-trick and a clear victory for Leonardo Grossi, the only one who managed to be steady in the three trials of the finals, with a 4-5-1, which allowed him to stretch a good 20 points over Claudio Crocco, who was badly off in the second trial of the finals (18th), but with a first and second won in the first and third trials of the day. Alberto Avanzini also held a 32nd in the final together with a second and third, which still earned him third overall.
First girl was Bianca Marchesini (daughter of former 470 Olympic sailor Emanuela Sossi and Italian Sailing Federation Technical Director Michele Marchesini). Women's second place went to Irene Faini and third to European silver medallist Gaia Zinali (daughter and granddaughter of two Olympic athletes (father Andrea in windsurfing and grandfather Luciano in FD).
A great day in the cadet category for Turkey's Cengiz Eren Guvenc, who, after an 11-5-1 win, racked up a further two victories by overtaking his Ukrainian rivals Roman Vyevyenko (Fraglia Vela Riva-UKR) and Ahnieshka Madonich (SVOC Team Ucraine), first female. On the second step of the women's podium was Beatrice Fornaro (3V/LNI Ostia Team), tenth overall and daughter of the navigator Andrea, freshly placed third at the 50th Fastnet Rolex Race in the Class 40s, on board with Corentin Douguet and Edoardo Bianchi. Bronze for Annalie Meoni, twelfth overall.
This concludes a fine edition of the Ora Cup Ora, an event that has seen many of its winners become great champions, but which maintains its absolutely fun spirit and represents an opportunity for tourism for many foreign families, who in the middle of summer find an event suitable for all young helmsmen. The Circolo Vela Arco would like to thank the many volunteer members who allowed the success of this event, which animated the entire Garda Trentino region, from Arco to Torbole and Riva del Garda. The appointment is now for the beginning of September when Circolo Vela Arco with the Garda Trentino Consortium and the Italian Sailing Federation will be busy organising the Italian Championships in doubles, hosting the 29er, a class that has just crowned the world champions the athletes of the club chaired by Carlo Pompili, Malika Bellomi and Beatrice Conti.
Full ranking available here.