Tea Faoro, owner and helmswoman, becomes first woman to win the Centomiglia International del Garda
by Elena Giolai 8 Sep 02:05 PDT
5-6 September 2026
Two completely different days on Lake Garda: light winds on Saturday on the Bogliaco, Desenzano and return course, then on Sunday a Peler of around 20 knots, waves and a spectacular race all the way to the Trentino shore.
Germany's 45 footer 6Q, owned by Peter Koenig, finishes second overall, with Stefano Fasoli's Pirillina third. Thomas Jundt's QFX claims both Line Honours. An edition that rewarded smaller and less extreme boats and, above all, leaves behind the image of many young, and in some cases very young, crews playing a leading role in Lake Garda's great sailing classic
The 76th Centomiglia International del Garda, organised by Circolo Vela Gargnano together with the Italian Sailing Federation and made possible thanks to the cooperation of local authorities, institutions, sailing clubs and private partners, ended with a victory that perfectly reflects the spirit of this year's edition. The Bettoni Trophy and the final ORC Overall classification went to Lulù, the Ufo 22 owned and helmed by Tea Faoro of Acquafresca Sport Center, racing Double Handed with Mauro Grandone, her partner both in life and on board.
It was a victory built on consistency across two very different days. Lulù finished third in Saturday's Trofeo Gargnano and eighth in Sunday's Trofeo Gorla, scoring 11 points and finishing two points ahead of Peter Koenig's 6Q, the elegant 45 footer from Bayerischer Yacht Club, which placed twelfth on Saturday before winning on Sunday. Third overall was Pirillina, Stefano Fasoli's Platu 25 from Lega Navale Italiana Mandello, with a fifth and an eleventh place in the two races. They were followed by Blue Marlin, Massimo Apostoli's First 8 from Yacht Club Verona, fifteenth on Saturday and second on Sunday, and Fremito d'Arja, Dario Levi's Melges 32 from Circolo Vela Torbole, second and sixteenth in the two races.
The result perfectly illustrates one of the most interesting features of the 2026 Centomiglia, based on the ORC rule and therefore on corrected times. It was mainly smaller, less extreme boats, significantly slower in real time, that enjoyed the satisfaction of finishing ahead of the large yachts and more sophisticated designs. The Ufo 22, Platu 25 and First 8 showed how the handicap system can create an open competition between profoundly different boats, following the same principle seen in the great international offshore classics, where Line Honours and overall victory can tell the stories of two very different races.
Another of the most positive aspects of this 76th edition was seeing so many young, and in several cases very young, crews take on a race that remains demanding, long and complex. Boys and girls were present on the smaller boats, in the one design fleets and also aboard some of the fastest yachts, giving the Centomiglia a strong sense of looking towards the future. This was an even more significant sign during a weekend in which the Cento Junior also gave the youngest sailors the opportunity to take centre stage on the waters of Gargnano, while nearby the boats of the main event were racing.
Lulù, a woman's victory and a story of sailing as a couple
Lulù's success adds a special chapter to the history of the Centomiglia. Tea Faoro, born in 2001 and with a background in the 29er class, is the only female helmswoman in the Ufo 22 circuit. Over recent years she has developed steadily, culminating in victory in the 2025 Turbocup Owner Helmsman ranking.
In Gargnano she raced the Centomiglia together with Mauro Grandone, her partner both in life and on board. Just two people aboard an Ufo 22 for two days that demanded almost opposite qualities: patience and sensitivity in reading Saturday's light breezes, then strength, concentration and boat management in Sunday morning's Peler and waves.
Their overall victory carries even greater significance because Lulù also won the Double Handed classification, ahead of Stefano Fasoli's Pirillina and Elena Formoso's Dulcis Banana from Circolo Vela Toscolano Maderno, third. Tea Faoro and Mauro Grandone therefore also receive the Beppe Croce Trophy, awarded to the best Double Handed crew.
It is a sailing story, but also a story of a couple, ending in the best possible way: sharing almost one hundred miles of racing together and returning to Bogliaco as winners of the 76th Centomiglia del Garda.
Two days, two completely different sides of Lake Garda
The 76th Centomiglia showed two opposite faces of Lake Garda. On Saturday, the Trofeo Gargnano was sailed in light and variable winds on the Bogliaco, Desenzano and return course, with the ORC Overall victory going to Bandalarga, Piero Refraschini's Ultimate 30 from AV Nord Est.
On Sunday, Lake Garda delivered a classic and spectacular day, with a Peler of around 20 knots, developed waves and a steady breeze stretching all the way to the northern end of the lake and the Trentino shore.
After rounding the mark at Limone in front of Hotel Eala and the marks at Torbole, Thomas Jundt's QFX managed to reach Malcesine while the northerly wind was still blowing. Shortly afterwards, the breeze rapidly shifted to the south, with the Hungarian Raffica the first boat to find the new wind.
The spectacle of the Line Honours
While ORC corrected times rewarded Lulù and the smaller boats, in real time the outstanding performer was Switzerland's QFX, owned by Thomas Jundt, which was first across the finish line in both the Trofeo Gargnano and the Trofeo Gorla.
There was plenty of spectacle among the multihulls as well. In the MultiCento division, the Trofeo Gargnano Line Honour went to Poison, owned by Andrea Ferrari of Fraglia Vela Desenzano, while in the Trofeo Gorla the first multihull across the finish line was the Extreme 40 Sail Academy of Michele Simonetti, with Matteo Pilati at the helm for Fraglia Vela Malcesine.
The one design classes, from the Dolphin 81 to the Asso 99
Alongside the main ORC classification, the Centomiglia once again confirmed the importance of Lake Garda's one design fleets.
Among the Dolphin 81s, the largest fleet of the event, the combined classification was won by Back in Black, owned by Francesco Anselmi of Fraglia Vela Desenzano, with Alessandro Archetti, ahead of Andrea Taddei's Whisper from Società Canottieri Garda Salò and Umberto Grumelli's Joker from Fraglia Vela Desenzano.
In the Asso 99 class, victory went to Assterisco, owned by Giorgio Zamboni of Circolo Vela Gargnano, with Pierluigi Omboni, ahead of Wolfgang Palm's Leonasso and Elena Reboldi's Confusione, also from Circolo Vela Gargnano.
Among the Protagonists, victory went to Gattone, owned by Massimiliano Docali of Circolo Nautico Brenzone. Gattone finished level on points with Paolo Di Lecce's Aquilotto from Fraglia Vela Desenzano, which took second place on countback, while Giovanni Pola's Avec Plaisir from Fraglia Vela Riva finished third.
The new ORC Classic classification was won by Airone Blu, Giorgio Castellani's Rigoletto from LNI Garda, ahead of the Meteor Alisea 2.0, owned by Daniele Balzanelli of Yacht Club Torri. Both finished on 3 points, with Beniamino Zermini's OMOO from LNI Garda in third place.
A race that involved the whole of Lake Garda
Once again, the organisation behind the Centomiglia involved the entire lake. Alongside Circolo Vela Gargnano, organiser of the event under delegation from the Italian Sailing Federation, the race course was supported by Fraglia Vela Desenzano, Gruppo Nautico Dielleffe, Lega Navale Italiana Brescia Desenzano, Nauticlub Moniga, Consorzio Garda Trentino Vela and Fraglia Vela Malcesine.
Their work was particularly important on Saturday in the southern part of the lake. The Desenzano mark had been moved slightly farther north because of the Air Show and the flypast by the Frecce Tricolori. Cooperation between the sailing clubs and local organisations enabled the Centomiglia fleet to cross safely through an area crowded with the many boats that had gone out to watch the show, creating a corridor that allowed competitors to continue racing without interference.
On Sunday, the organisational responsibility shifted to the northern part of the lake, with Consorzio Garda Trentino Vela managing the two Torbole marks rounded after the mark positioned at Limone in front of Hotel Eala, while Fraglia Vela Malcesine was involved in the new Navene passage.
This cooperation allowed the Centomiglia once again, also in a physical sense, to become a race capable of connecting Lombardy, Trentino and Veneto.
The Italian Sailing Federation and the institutions
The Italian Sailing Federation had a strong presence throughout the event. FIV Vice President Giuseppe D'Amico attended the opening, together with National Councillor Domenico Foschini, responsible for Youth Sailing and also the Federation's reference for Match Race and Team Race activities.
Foschini combines this national role with his longstanding connection to FIV Zone XIV, an area of which he was formerly President and where he continues to take part in numerous activities and events. Also attending were representatives of the Zone XIV territorial committee Antonio Barbieri, Raffaele Valsecchi, who also served as Chairman of the Race Committee during the Centomiglia, and Bruno Bottacini.
Special thanks also go to the Race Committee and Protest Committee, which worked throughout both days on the technical and sporting management of a complex event, with very different conditions between Saturday and Sunday and a course involving a large part of the lake.
The 76th Centomiglia was also made possible thanks to the support of the Municipality of Gargnano, its Departments for Commerce, Sport and Tourism and for Culture, Pro Loco Gargnano and This is Gargnano, continuing the longstanding relationship between sport, the local area and tourism promotion that has accompanied the great race for many years.
Fineco and the partners of the 76th Centomiglia
Fineco was the main sponsor of the event, joined by Cantieri del Pardo and Consorzio Lago di Garda Lombardia, partners that underline the strong connection between the regatta, the marine industry and the promotion of the Lake Garda area.
The 76th edition was also supported by Acqua Tavina, Consorzio Valtènesi, Heineken and Wyler Vetta, official timekeeper of the event. Other organisations supporting the Centomiglia included Hotel Eala My Lakeside Dream, with the Sunday race mark positioned in front of the hotel, Turboden, A2A Life Company and Euroimmobiliare.
The Centomiglia from ashore and live
The Centomiglia was not confined to the water. Throughout the weekend, Bogliaco hosted a programme designed for crews, sailing enthusiasts, families and everyone who chose to follow the race from the shore.
The town square became the meeting point of the event, while spectators around Lake Garda were able to watch the fleet as it passed. Live coverage also played an important role. Live connections and broadcasts accompanied the key stages of the race on the official Circolo Vela Gargnano and Centomiglia channels, with commentary from journalist Andrea Falcon.
Images, interviews and live broadcasts will remain available, particularly on the Circolo Vela Gargnano YouTube channel, giving everyone the opportunity to relive a race that, over two days, showed almost every possible face of Lake Garda.
"The 76th Centomiglia ends with the extreme speed of QFX and the big boats leading the way in real time, but above all with a small Ufo 22 ahead of everyone in the classification that awards the Bettoni Trophy under the ORC rule. And with a fleet in which, alongside the names and boats that have built the history of this race, we saw more and more young men and women. For the first time, the Centomiglia has been won by a female owner and helmswoman. This is perhaps the most significant result of the 2026 edition: the smaller boats enjoyed the satisfaction of beating the big ones, while so many young sailors showed that they want to be part of the Centomiglia of today and, above all, of the Centomiglia of tomorrow," commented Francesco Capuccini, President of Circolo Vela Gargnano.