The Maritime Republics now compete…on Meteors!

There is one boat that, despite being over 50 years old, continues to enjoy excellent health. It is called Meteor: designed in 1968 was produced in thousands and in Italy is still one of the most popular one-designs and is often featured on race courses.

THE MARITIME REPUBLICS TROPHY
We experienced this firsthand at the Pisa and Venice stages of the TAG Heuer VELA Cup (the circuit of sailings around Italy organized by the Giornale della Vela), where four Meteors representing the Maritime Republics (Pisa, Genoa, Venice, Amalfi) competed among the buoys. Specifically, the Venetian and Pisan stages were the second and third rounds of the Maritime Republics Trophy organized by the Meteorsharing association (which rents “race-ready” Meteors, including for teambuilding and events), which started with the 46th Italian Meteor Championship in Torre del Greco and ended at the Barcolana in Trieste. Each team was associated with a winery from the Maritime Republic region (Bisson for Liguria, Serena Wines for Veneto, Bocelli 1831 for Tuscany, Marisa Cuomo for Campania).

A SUCCESSFUL MONOTYPE
The Meteor was born, as mentioned, from the pencil of architect naval E.G. Van De Stadt of the Netherlands, who in the year 1968 designed this small cabin cruiser with Italian seas and lakes in mind.

Very robust and safe, this six-meter is suitable for both cruising and racing and has since been built in thousands of examples, becoming one of the most popular boats in Italy.

For many sailors, it represented the first cabin cruiser that allowed true experiences of navigation. The shipyard that built the first Meteor in 1968 was Sipla of Forli (later to become the famous Comar shipyard). After 49 years, the Meteor is still in production (from the Nauticalodi s.a.s. shipyard) and has a very active class(www.assometeor.it).

Costs for a new boat? They start at 12,000 euros for the version without deck equipment (for those who want more customization) up to 16,000 for the “regatta” model complete with all the more racer equipment. But the good thing is that being a popular monotype you will be able to find very good bargains even in second-hand. Indicative prices, for boats ready to sail, range from 2,000 to 5,000 euros.

FUCINA D’ASSI
On the Meteor they took their first steps in the sphere of bulb monotypes or made a fleeting appearance very famous Italian sailors. Such as Flavio Favini, Sandro and Paolo Montefusco, Enrico Negri, Giorgio Zuccoli, Francesco De Angelis, Tiziano Nava, Paolo Cian, Claudio De Martis, Gianni Torboli, Mauro Pelaschier (and many, many others!).

BOAT SHEET.
Hull length: 6 m
Displacement: 770 kg
Mainsail: 9.55 m²
Genoa: 12 m²
Jib: 8.35 m²
Tormentin: 4.05 m²
Spinnaker: 26 m²
Project: Van de Stadt (1968)

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