Events on land and at sea, what a calendar at VELAFestival!

A sailing festival worthy of the name cannot do without a full calendar of initiatives, planned on land, but especially at sea. All the more so because of the fact that the location, the Marina at the Genoa Fairgrounds, makes it possible to “nose” out of the harbor in just a few minutes. In addition to the highlight event, the TAG Heuer Cup, during the TAG Heuer VELAFestival, April 10-13, you can take part in a series of events at sea to satisfy your sailing craving. In addition, however, we have prepared a full calendar of events on the ground in the huge 8,000-square-meterGreat Events Area. Covered by a giant fixed tensile structure with an unusual roof that looks like sails in the wind, the spectacular location will be the scene of as many unique moments dedicated to sailing and its protagonists.

THE ONES FROM “BACK IN THE DAY”
If you are a lover of old-fashioned sailing, all-day outings are scheduled from Thursday, April 10, to Sunday, April 13, aboard the six-meter auric-rigged cutter “Uscocco,” provided by ASD Vela Tradizionale. The same association that brings to the dock the 31-meter schooner Pandora, aboard which maritime-themed workshops for children and adults are staged. But this is not the end of the story, especially for the little ones: on the dock there is also Creuza de mä, Bantry’s Yole (a replica of a typical Admiral’s barge in use in 18th century navies) aboard which the small participants at the sailing festival can begin to transform into real sailors.

LITTLE DRIFTERS GROW UP
While it is true that approaching sailing on a vintage boat has a charm all its own, it is also true that the school boat par excellence is theOptimist. From 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. of Thursday, April 10, and from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on all other three days of VELAFestival, the Beppe Croce Sea School of the Italian Yacht Club will provide three of its small “bathtubs” to young sailors who want to try their hand at sea, supervised by qualified instructors. Still don’t trust sending your children into the water alone? Don’t worry, three 555 FIVs, the federal school boats where the instructor is on board with the kids, will also be on hand.

MATCH-RACE FLAVOR
Announcement for match-race enthusiasts and those who want to experience the thrill of one-on-one racing for the first time: there will be two Bavaria B/One, the one-designs born from the pencil of Bruce Farr, on dock in Genoa, ready to welcome you aboard. The initiative, promoted by M3 Nautical Services, is called “Taste of Match-race”: a series of challenges by reservation aboard the B/One along with an experienced instructor. Scheduled release times are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. Friday, April 11, and Sunday, April 13; 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 12. Booking your place is super easy: send an email to contatti@m3nautica.it.

BECOME “LONELY”
It starts immediately on Thursday, April 10, at 5 p.m., to “get lonely in a day” thanks to the advice of three who know it all, Andrea Mura, Lele Panzeri and Roberto Westermann.

FRIDAY IS THE DAY OF CHAMPIONS
Enjoy the Champions Day, during which you can meet Italy’s greatest sailors, talk to them and ask for advice. At 3 p.m. they will instead tell you through footage and testimonies what the 10th edition of the Palermo-Montecarlo, one of the most fascinating long regattas in the Mediterranean, will be like. And sign up with the discount. You can participate and find out live who will win TAG Heuer’s Sailor of the Year at the big Evening of Champions, which will be staged just Friday, April 11, starting at 6:30 p.m.

MANY GUESTS… LATE INTO THE NIGHT
On Saturday, 12, we start at 11:30 a.m., discovering together the secrets of sails according to the great Elvstrom sailmaker. Immediately afterwards, it will be the legendary cruiser Lele Panzeri (12:30 p.m.) who will tell with his usual verve how his Mini 6.50 saved him … from suicide! At 2 p.m., it will be the turn of the big event dedicated to the Malingri family, the Italian sailing dynasty, winners of the TAG Heuer VELAFestival Grand Prix. Franco, Enrico and Vittorio Malingri will recount with videos and photos their 700 thousand miles in the seas around the world. And again, during the afternoon, you can meet ocean sailor Susanne Beyer and Roberto Soldatini, the conductor who chose the boat for a living, and find out about the first edition of the Ichnusa Sailing Kermesse, the big sailing event that will take place in May in the Gulf of Cagliari. It is at this point that you become the protagonists: at 6:30 p.m. all the TAG Heuer CUP crews will gather in the Great Events Area for the award ceremony of the regatta followed by the VELAFestival Night, a real dance event on the sea that until 2 a.m. will offer quality music, drinks and a quality food selection at affordable prices. Until about 10 p.m., there will be apericena, drinks accompanied by a gastronomic selection of the best Ligurian products. You will dance to the music chosen by DJs Paquita Gordon, an artist from Milan who lives in Palermo, and Alessandro Cocchi, a disk jockey who has also skippered famous boats.

DULCIS IN FUNDO… STRAULINE
Sunday, April 13, from 11:30 a.m. We sail the Atlantic discovering the story of Marea, Olin Stephens ‘ beloved eighteen-footer, which you will also be able to admire at the dock, through a magical documentary and in the words of the protagonists who faced the ARC on board. But on Sunday we decided to dedicate it in particular to the greatest Italian sailor of all time, born exactly 100 years ago: Agostino Straulino. From 1:30 p.m. we will trace the life of the man who won an Olympics, three World Championships, ten Europeans, twelve Italians with Star, and was also World Champion in the 5.5 class. We will do this through those who sailed with him and through videos and photos, discovering the man behind the sailor.

FIND OUT ALL THE NEWS IN REAL TIME ON THE SITE

VELAFESTIVAL.COM