Centomiglia, Clandesteam vitriolic: “Conspiracy? Victimhood? They are not unwarranted.”

With only a few days to go before the start of the Centomiglia del Garda (Sept. 5), controversy around the “Clandesteam case” is not abating, the team of the winning boat of the last three editions of the regatta, which had launched the j’accuse by hinting that this year’s regulations had been changed, effectively decreasing the safety of “free class” boats, discouraging foreign crews from participating and, not too thinly veiled, directly harming the very boat By Luca Valerio and Oscar Tonoli, protagonist, moreover, of a spectacular scuffle at the Gorla Trophy, traditional prologue of the Centomiglia. With a new communiqué, the Clandesteam guys come out of the woodwork again: a press note where they list the reasons (sometimes even against their own interests, as in the case of the 2015 Gorla Trophy) why, according to the crew, “victimhood, conspiratorial thoughts are perhaps not … so unwarranted.” Read it and let us know what you think! (photos by Adriano Gatta).

THE CLANDESTEAM STATEMENT
“Clandesteam is ready for the 65th Centomiglia del Garda. The uniforms are still damp after the unscheduled Gorla Trophy plunge, which like last year was not stingy with comments and criticism in the total confusion generated by the new regulations.

Some sailors and journalists continue to characterize the events of the 2014 Gorla&Centomiglia as minor issues, others this year speculate “excesses of conspiracy thinking,” others see an excess of victimhood on the part of Clangarda. Everyone is complaining about the decadence of the regattas, the decreasing number of participants and the impact of the world crisis..the end of the free class era. At this point it is better to be clear and more precise in identifying the problems perhaps by going “against the wind” one more time but always with respect for the opponents we found at Gorla and whom we will challenge at the Centomiglia.

2014 GORLA TROPHY
Clangarda protests not being awarded the Gorla Trophy despite having the best time on the course. The protest is overruled, the Trophy is awarded to Grifo who runs in Orc, starts an hour earlier and arrives first at the finish line. The reasons for the decision are based on a letter from the Gorla family expressing their intention to always award their Trophy to the boat first across the finish line regardless of routes or start times.

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“Air Force” dominates in the Adriatic. And now it’s off to Catanzaro

2015 GORLA TROPHY
The same Trophy is won by Clandesteam second across the finish line behind TP 52 North West winner of the Line of Honours. What happened to the Gorla family’s letter and directions for awarding the trophy to the first on the finish line regardless of routes, times, classes, etc.??? Vanished in the course of the mild Garda winter.

A HUNDRED MILES 2015
Perhaps few are aware that back in the winter Clangarda asked, in writing, Circolo Vela Gargnano for news of the 2015 Centomiglia call for entries. In June, the new announcement comes out: if it intends to win the Bettoni Trophy (for the roll of honor) Clandesteam must adjust boat width, add bulb, comply with bulb weight (20% of boat weight), and comply with the 1000 kg limit for the entire crew (in 2014, Clandesteam’s crew weight had been over 1300). Otherwise all that remains is the Line of Honours, with no changes for the boat, but against the catamarans. Virtually impossible to win. Clangarda, meanwhile, organized with sponsors and crew and wrote to the Circle in late July expressing his intention to adjust to the new parameters to win the Bettoni Trophy by modifying the hull and appendages. In the meantime, Clangarda maintains contact with the other foreign frees who, unconvinced by the rules and rightly unwilling to modify the boats at great expense, partly drop out of the race and partly remain on standby.

Clangarda begins boat modifications in late July/early August, lengthens the hull, adds the bulb, selects lighter crew and gives up, due to lack of budget, to renew sails and invest part of the budget in revolutionary modifications that unfortunately remained…in the drawer.

The surprise came on August 17 when Circolo Vela Gargnano, issued a statement that, in summary, in clear violation of Art. 89.2nd Regatta Rules (which stipulate that the notice may be changed provided that timely notice is given) after letters from participants a month in advance, which were never acknowledged, and after the first pre-registrations, divides the Line of honours into two trophies, one for monohulls and one for catamarans. At that point, the TP 52 and the only foreign free, Raffica, decided to race in Open at their peak performance and without the slightest modification of the boat as they no longer had to compete with the catamarans. Clandesteam, now on the square with work completed, is left displaced with the possibility of running penalized for the other Trophies well knowing that it has lost out in performance to its longtime rivals. Lastly, Orc certificates appear that allow fast and free “disguised” cabin cruisers to take advantage of the regulation, start half an hour earlier and avoid the extra lap provided for Open and Class 0 to aspire for the Bettoni Trophy also chased by Clandesteam.

At the Hundred we will be betting on the chaos generated!
This is the summary of events. Victimhood, conspiracy thoughts are perhaps not ….so unwarranted. In the meantime, it is time to think about the 2015 Centomiglia, for years a research laboratory for ever faster and more extreme boats, which the world envied us (just look on the Internet at the number of visits to our scull in Torbole), and now destined for ever smaller numbers of participants chasing a never-understood theory of “pursuit” that confuses enthusiasts and insiders alike.
Good wind to everyone….”