Arca Sgr wins first place at the 53rd Barcolana presented by Generali

Arca Sgr of Furio Benussi with Lorenzo Bressani calling tactics, wins the 53rd Barcolana presented by Generali, one of the most challenging editions ever held. The Bora wind, in “katabatic version” with short and intense gusts which descended vertically on the Gulf, characterized the race route, making the tacticians’ work strategic – deciphering intermittent bursts from 5 to 42 knots – as well as that of the crews, called to respond effectively to changes in the setup of the boats. 

“A very challenging regatta for the teams at sea and for the organizers – declared the chairman of the SVBG Mitja Gialuz – in which the Race Committee took sporting decisions, rightly conservative, which above all responded to the necessary safety measures, both early in the morning, by excluding the smaller categories, and during the regatta, by cancelling races for the yachts from class 2 onwards, with the aim of speeding up their return to the ports. In this regard, the safety device worked extremely well in a dozen situations which required prompt intervention at sea. I wish to thank the Port Authority, all the law enforcement and the volunteers of the organization for their great work. I thank the competitors for having raced while being fully aware of the weather conditions”.

The sports coverage of the race saw the bigger yachts concentrate in the Barcola area at the start, where the Bora was blowing stronger: Way of Life of Gasper Vincec with Maurizio Bencic at the helm and Lorenzo Bodini calling tactics, started best off the line, in perfect timing, when the gusts were blowing at 30 and 40 knots. Arca Sgr was positioned windward, with an impeccable choice of sails: the two crews carried out the first leg downwind, with Way of Life in the lead, followed by Arca Sgr.

The passage to the first buoy, which took place after about 15 minutes from the start – well under the 17 minutes predicted by the instrumentation on board – saw a 40 second gap between Way of Life and Arca SGR, and an exceptional third place for Adriatic Europa with Dusan Puh, a Vallicelli 60 with a great past in the Barcolana. The positions remained unvaried up to the passing of the second Buoy: once upwind, Way of Life suffered the breakage of the attachment of the mainsail at the masthead as a result of an exceptionally strong gust of wind. Arca SGR thus found itself in the lead, beginning to race towards a great victory, celebrated at the third Buoy, in front of the Castle of Miramare. The Race Committee had, in fact, decided to shorten the race, in order to avoid the boats being exposed to the stronger gusts of wind at Barcola. The victory of Furio Benussi, Lorenzo Bressani and Stefano Spangaro, all from Trieste, arrived 1’57” ahead of Way of Life, which managed to recover and obtain second place. Third place went to Maxi Jena, with Milos Radonjic at the helm. Fourth place was taken by Adriatic Europa: Dusan Puh literally flew with a sixty-footer. Fifth to arrive was Woodpecker Cube of Alberto and Claudia Rossi, first of the cruise class.

STATEMENTS

Chairman of Generali, Gabriele Galateri di Genola: 
Reliving all together, once more, this celebration of the sea, after such a challenging season, has been great and has allowed us to experience some intense moments: the Bora wind made the race very fast, highlighting the team’s technical skills which, thanks to Claudia Rossi at the helm, brought us to fifth position. Sailing requires knowledge, respect and passion: these are the main ingredients for success. I wish to thank all those who made this event possible, from the organization to the law enforcement and the private and public institutions who, like a single crew, crossed the finishing line once again.

ARCA SGR
Furio Benussi – Cherry on the cake, important season, great result, great crew. A huge satisfaction, we were able to prove ourselves after having sailed with Spirit of Portopiccolo which everybody thought to be unbeatable: today we beat them.
Lorenzo Bressani – A very challenging race. We tackled it with great attention, making conservative choices in order to ensure our safety along with that of the crews at sea close to us. The start was very complex, but all the choices we made were correct. Always focused and fast, we reached 27 knots in speed.
Stefano Spangaro – A challenging race, I must say, it reminds me quite a bit of the 2000 edition. For us it has been a great edition, hard-fought: we were sure of the vessel and sure of the crew.

SHIPOWNER OF WAY OF LIFE - Gašper Vinčec
Today we arrived second, and that’s a fact. Today we proved once more that we have a great crew, with great heart and determination. We were able to stay stable even with the breakage of the attachment of the mainsail while the wind was blowing at 40 knots, and continued racing all the same. Now for the next races.

HELMSMAN OF MAXI JENA - Miloš Radonjić
The regatta was very challenging, with a strong Bora wind blowing at 40 knots: our tactic was to hoist the small sails and reef the mainsail, and this allowed us to reach the front without any problems; everything went smoothly. I didn’t expect to arrive third with this wind. I have participated in three editions: the first with Tutta Trieste 2 in 2018, coming eleventh; the second with Shining in 2019, coming second; and this year with Maxi Jena, coming third.

SHINING – David Bartol
A very hard start: we immediately broke the jib, and a minute from the start we were without any headsails, and we set off with smaller sails. All told, however, we did well enough. We are satisfied with our fourth position at the first buoy, then we lost time because our boat is not made for sailing upwind with strong bora blowing.

WOODPECKER CUBE – Claudia Rossi
A unique and fast Barcolana, exciting from the first minute to the last. I have participated in several editions, but I have never experienced such strong wind. It wasn’t easy, one could see a lot of breakages around, among sails and masts. Right after the start there was a rather critical moment: we decided to be conservative and it was a choice that was rewarded. We are delighted with our fifth position. A woman at the helm? My crew and I have been sailing together for many years and know each other well. We are very close-knit. No doubts regarding the team: it was incredible.