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Velocitek March 2026

Venice Hospitality Challenge, the great sailing in the heart of Venice

by Venice Hospitality Challenge 1 Jun 2024 10:42 PDT 19 October 2024
Venice Hospitality Challenge 2024 © Venice Hospitality Challenge

The 11th edition of the Venice Hospitality Challenge was presented today at the Venice Boat Show.

Born from an intuition of Mirko Sguario, president of the Venice Yacht Club and patron of the event, this regatta is considered the Grand Prix of the City of Venice as it is the only one whose route winds entirely in the internal waters of the Serenissima; thanks to its formula that brings together the great sailing of maxi yachts with the elite of Venetian hospitality, the "Hotel Regatta" continues to grow in prestige and popularity, attracting an ever-larger audience and providing a significant boost to Venetian tourism.

The start of the Venice Hospitality Challenge 2024 will be marked, as per tradition, with the powerful jets of water from the tugboats near Punta della Dogana on Saturday 19 October at 1.00 pm, creating a great show with boats over 24 meters long. engaged in difficult maneuvers along the banks of the San Marco basin. The public will be able to admire up close not only the regatta but also the boats moored to a floating pier located in the Giudecca Canal thanks to the collaboration of the VAC Foundation, the Port Authority and the Port Authority. The pier, over 75 meters long and named in memory of the builder Renzo Rossi, will also be the headquarters of the event.

Sport and lifestyle together once again for an extraordinary event that brings together in Venice every year a fleet of maxi yachts protagonists of unforgettable pages of sailing sport combined with equally excellent Venetian hotels. The 11th edition of the regatta sees at his side Ca' di Dio VRetreats, Ca' Sagredo Hotel, Hotel Danieli, Hotel Excelsior, The Gritti Palace, Londra Palace, JW Marriott, Nolinski Venezia, Palazzina, St. Regis, SINA Centurion Palace, The Palazzo Venart and Alajmo Ristorante Quadri. The teams, led by internationally renowned skippers, will compete on the regatta field to compete for the coveted Doge's hat, specially made by a historic Murano glass factory.

Venice Hospitality Challenge supports the culture of prevention and has long supported the Italian League for the fight against cancer: a maxi yacht will compete for LILT while the Vaporetto Rosa, a hybrid vessel with low environmental impact, will accompany the regatta to remember the importance of prevention for breast cancer. The commitment to the environment was also confirmed with the supply to the crews of clothing obtained from the recycling of plastic bottles from Mureadritta: a choice in line with what the Municipal Administration is aiming for for Venice which by its vocation wants to be an example world level of eco-sustainability.

"Venice Hospitality Challenge is not just a spectacular regatta, it is a celebration of the vital relationship that links the Serenissima to the sea and tourism" stated Mirko Sguario, president of the Venice Yacht Club "In no other seaside city in the world is it possible to see, so close, these maxi racing. This is the originality of the Venice Hospitality Challenge, our Venice once again becomes a setting of uniqueness. We hope that events of this caliber will encourage a redevelopment of the type of tourism that Venice attracts: excellent, respectful and sustainable".

Thanks to the Municipality of Venice, the Veneto Region, the Port System Authority of the Northern Adriatic Sea and the Italian Sailing Federation for their patronage and support. The event benefits from the support of Vela S.p.A., Salone Nautico Venezia, Marina Militare, Venezia Le Città in Festa.

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