The 2015 Class A world championship kicks off in Punta Ala on Saturday, Sept. 5

Who said that sailing is a sport only for enthusiasts and owners? If the race course is one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in Italy, sailing can be exciting for all sea lovers. This is the case with the next event organized in Punta Ala from September 5 to 12 by the Punta Ala Sailing Center and the Class A Italy Association: the Class A Catamaran World Championship.

More than 160 boats from all over the world will participate in the event, including about 60 from Italy. The race that promises to attract sea lovers and tourists is scheduled to take place in the stretch of water in front of the PuntAla Camping Resort, which will also be the logistics base of the competition. This is the area below Torre Civette, a striking construction of medieval origin located on the promontory south of Cala Violina.

Still officially top secret are the international bigwigs who will participate in the race, but the names circulating are those of Glenn Ashby, an 8-year world champion who performed well in the last America’s Cup on Team New Zealand, and Sandro Caviziel, the Swiss champion who held the European Class A title in 2014.

Also scheduled to participate are Sasha Wallmer, winner already in 2014 of the national championship held in Punta Ala, and Stefano Cavallai, newly crowned 2015 Italian champion.

The World Championship will be held on the basis of 9 trials. Prizes will be awarded to the top 10 finishers (TOP10). Important awards will be given to: the first Junior (>25years old); the first Master (45-50); the first Grand Master (51-55); the first Grand Master (55+); and the first woman classified.

“Our coast comes from a few years of great sailing. – say the participants – Among the most exciting events we like to remember the Italian F18 Championship in 2006, in 2007 the Italian and European Hobie Tiger and Fx One Championships, in 2008 the Championship the European Open Contender, the following year the TopCat (catamarans) Worlds, followed by the Sunfish (single monotype) World 2010 and the Finn (single Olympic) World Master 2011, but it is with the Catamaran World Class A that Punta Ala returns to being the undisputed queen of sailing. The regattas will not only be a tourist attraction for visitors and sea lovers from all over the world, but also an opportunity for an international gathering of sailing experts to discuss new rules for the sport and make it even more spectacular.”

The A-Class Catamaran World Championship as seen up close: by registering for free with Sail-up, the first community of friends of the sea, it will be possible to book boat outings on the social platform to admire up close the magic of the boats’ trajectories during the race. (info at www.sail-up.com).

The Punta Ala A Class Catamaran World Championship has the patronage of: Municipality of Castiglione della Pescaia, Municipality of Scarlino, Region of Tuscany – Prov. of Grosseto, regional CONI and FIV, as well as the collaboration of sailing clubs such as Club Nautico Scarlino, Club Nautico Follonica and Circolo Velico GVLNI Follonica.
Main sponsor of the event: PuntAla Camping Resort. Technical sponsors: Sail Up, Magic Marine, Forward WIP, All in One of Castiglione della Pescaia, WD40 Company, New Optical Vision JG of Cecina.