Three races with Bora for the Barcolana Para Sailing – Eurosaf Inclusivity Event

The Para Sailing European Championship officially opened today the 57th edition of the Barcolana Presented by Generali. On the water, 23 crews from four European countries began racing, with three races held during the day. The Bora wind made the day particularly challenging for the “super sailors”, as they were described yesterday during the opening ceremony by Dean Bassi, Vice-President of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano, which, together with the Società Triestina della Vela, World Sailing, the Italian Sailing Federation (FIV) and the European Federation (EUROSAF), organises the event.

The first race was sailed in medium breeze, which then strengthened for the second. With tight battles across the fleet, the provisional leader is Britain’s Rory McKinna, whose 2nd, 3rd and 5th place finishes keep him on top with 10 points. In second place, and first woman, is Olga Gornas Grudzien, who took victory in the third race to balance out a 7th place in the second, consolidating her 3rd place from the opening race and finishing just one point behind the leader. Palermo’s Carmelo Forastieri is currently third: despite a 1st and 2nd place, a 9th proved costly, but the Lega Navale Italiana sailor’s potential is clear. Tomorrow brings the second day of racing, which has already proven to be fiercely competitive.

BARCOLANA FUN- Meanwhile, the remote challenge of Barcolana FUN continues. With four days left in the contest involving numerous sailing enthusiasts in Italy and Slovenia, the Bora wind has allowed further performance improvements.