In exactly one month we will open the doors of the VELAFestival to you. A binge of healthy pure sailing

With exactly one month to go until the start of the 2016 TAG Heuer VELAFestival, we are feeling like chefs today as we prepare for the fourth TAG Heuer VELAFestival, the third
SAIL Cup
and the 25th edition of the
Sailor of the Year
. And we realized that yet another coordination meeting looked more and more like the preparation of a culinary dish.

First, as a good chef does, we asked ourselves what percentage of each ingredient should we use? We summarized the five main elements and then ventured percentages, here they are: first “the boats” to which we gave 19% dosage, then “the accessories,” which include everything that revolves around sailing, including services. We gave him 21 percent. The third component, to make the recipe tastier, concerns events, an indispensable element in making sure that VELAFestival is not just a boring specialized boat show. His percentage is a handsome 18 percent. We particularly care about the fourth ingredient, that of “celebration.” Because if you don’t have fun the same argument as before applies, you get bored at some point and go home unhappy. Last, but only in order of appearance, is the fifth ingredient of “activities,” a somewhat cryptic appellation to define all that can be actively done at the VELAFestival dock and beach: try out boats, play sailor, participate in races, etc. Here, too, the dosage is 17 percent. The sum of all five ingredients obviously makes 100, which is 100% sailing from every angle you look.

It seems to us, immodestly, that there are so many elements in the preparation of the VELAFestival dish that an enthusiast is unlikely to be disappointed. Or so we hope. Because, again as the good chef does, the one with three Michelin stars and not TV appearances, you have to take into account your target audience. And we want to satisfy all kinds of sailing enthusiasts. Because our world is small in absolute terms, but there are so many types of sailors. There is, just by giving a few examples, the pure cruiser, the unabashed drifter, and the racer. And again, the one who hates upwind and the one who is just waiting to get upwind. Some people like to sleep in the roadstead, while others want to return to port in the evening. However, they all have the same disease, that of being pushed by the wind to advance on the water. All sailors, experienced or not, agree on this. And we baste the VELAFestival for everyone, without preclusion of any kind. Hoping that, at the end of your visit along the Santa Margherita Ligure docks, you will be able to say: yes, those at the Sailing Newspaper got the mix of ingredients right. The sail dish is good. And you come home happy.