HEADING TO SARDINIA

L'equipaggio di Saetta sta per partire per Alghero dove, da giovedi 6 a domenica 9 maggio, si disputerà il campionato italiano della classe Melges 24.

Vele nuove ci attendono in vista di 4 giorni di regate che potrebbero essere caratterizzate anche da venti forti, viste le previsioni di tempo perturbato.

La novità è che per questo campionato sale a bordo Daniele Fiaschi, forte prodiere di esperienza internazionale, ad aiutarci con le manovre. Sia Niccolò che io veniamo da periodi di riposo, in cui abbiamo digerito la prova poco brillante di Scarlino e in cui ci siamo "caricati" per questo campionato.

43 barche preiscritte, un po' meno delle altre tappe sulla terraferma, ma i migliori ci saranno tutti:Favini,Bressani,Bolzan,Sibello,Rachelli,Fracassoli.

Mi raccomando, "soffiate" per noi!

SAETTA - ITA 716

NICCOLO' BIANCHI - timoniere

ENRICO FONDA - tattico

MICHELE GIOVANNINI - tailer

CESARE CLAUDANI - gennaker trimmer

DANIELE FIASCHI - prodiere

"Saetta" is leaving for Alghero. Between the 6th and the 10th of may we will be competing for the national title of the melges 24 class.

New sails are waiting to be used from us during the regatta, that might be very windy looking at the weather maps.

News: Daniele Fiaschi, expert international bowman, is coming onboard for this event.

Niccolò and me have just spent some relax time lately, in order to forget our not perfect performance of the last Volvo Cup leg, Scarlino, and to be mentally ready for this championship.

43 boats are coming,a bit less than usual(this is highlands problem), but all the top teams will be there: Favini,Bressani,Bolzan,Sibello, Rachelli,Fracassoli.

Keep your fingers crossed for us!

SAETTA ITA 716

NICCOLO' BIANCHI - helmsman

ENRICO FONDA - tactician

MICHELE GIOVANNINI - tailer

CESARE CLAUDANI - gennaker trimmer

DANIELE FIASCHI - bowman

Marco Lanulfi's shark tale

If you....go on holiday to Australia, borrow a moth, snap the mast, and then swim back home  dragging the boat , knowing that you are surrounded by very big sharks.........WELCOME!You are one of us!!!! 

Perhaps australians are accustomed  to these animals....but Italians are not for sure!I can't imagine your face while swimming Marco!!!

I'm happy you don't look like a seal or any other shark food!

Ciao

nationals training video

Italian championship report

Garda on Saturday has been a delusion for the 22 boats at Campione  since  there was not enough wind to compete. I was hoping for the usual 8-12 knots south termical wind, which is my favourite condition because of smooth water. At least it was very warm and sunny. 

This  morning the north wind was up to 20 knots and the chop was quite high and very steep.

Just before launching my main foil fell from the boat ,and the flap broke near the edge. I was mad at myself and went sailing with some mylar tape keeping it together. After all it worked ok but for sure there was extra drag.

With my new main  foil tune system I was sailing very high upwind and I was quick enough to round the first mark in 3rd few metres behind the two good suisse guys and well in front the rest of the fleet who went to the wrong side. But the downwind was a nightmare: I probably trimmed  (and did so for all the runs) my height too low to feel safer at the top mark, but I couldn't control  the boat and I was nosediving all the time......Six capsizes on the first run...and on the second as well...

I finished somehow 4th, I guess everybody had some problems.

The boat  was leaking and I started feeling it heavier and heavier and of course more and more difficult to handle downwind. I made two 6th places then carring on capsizing a lot. I was very very tired after about 20  swims.When I came back to shore  I took the water off the boat hoping for some more racing with the south wind but it didn't come.

Congratulations to Raimondo Tonelli  who is the first italian champion and was able to beat some good sailors like the suisse guys and Sven who didn't like the strong wind too much.

I finished 6th overall and 2nd italian. It was very nice to have more than 20 boats at our first nationals!

-4

Few days left for the championship in Campione. I heard of some boats coming even  from Sweden. Luca Rizotti, Francesco Bianchi, Marco Lanulfi ,and me were sailing last sunday.

I  tried  the system in the picture. It allows an on-foil tuning of the height of the boat above the water surface. I had the piece thanks to Michi from Germany: we decided to do something like this after reading Scott's blog during the worlds. 

I made it work quite well in the afternoon. Basically I looked  for more height upwind, and for a safer condition downwind through the chops.Good if it works for the race. Now I just have to pay attention to the real sailing than to this game: after nearly one month of stop my boat handling was suffering.

 

1st moth class italian championship -who's coming?

I can't wait to sail the championship in Campione del Garda.

Rumours of 20+ boats...

I try to make a list:

Sven-Germany

Tomaz-Slovenija

Michi-Germany

Luca Rizzotti

Marco Lanulfi

Enrico Fonda

Francesco Bianchi

Andrea Ferrari

Lucas Brun

Raimondo Tonelli

Stuffers X2

Franco Ferluga

13 until now in my mind. Heard that a couple of swiss guys are coming as well, so 15.

Campione is a perfect place for moth sailing, medium winds and flat water.

Who else is coming?