The big players in sailing? They are waiting for you at the TAG Heuer VELAFestival!

Are you ready for the TAG Heuer VELAFestival? This year’s big sailing festival, in Santa Margherita Ligure May 2-5, will have many new features. Let’s start by revealing an important one. The events, for the first time, will be divided by theme: they will touch (with one exception) on all facets of that wonderful world that we tell you about every month in this magazine and you can touch in Santa Margherita: sailing. They will be open to all in the dedicated area with stage in the VELAFestival “square.” They will be a tasty appetizer before the Sailor of the Year Evening of Champions and the VELA Cup awards ceremony. Here’s what’s going to happen:

MAY 2, 5 P.M. SO WE SAVED SANTA MARGHERITA
It starts on Thursday, May 2, at 5 p.m., with the first major meeting that opens the event, “So We Saved Santa Margherita.” Together with institutions and witnesses of the storm surge that brought the Tigullio to its knees, we will tell you about the rebirth of Santa Margherita with photos and videos-a fine example of how, by rolling up our sleeves, “together we win” (we steal the words of Santa’s mayor Paolo Donadoni).

MAY 3, 5 P.M. WE ARE ALL ECOVELISTS
On Friday, May 3, as an appetizer to the Evening of Champions, where you will find out who will be the 2018 Sailor of the Year, we will reveal how to become true zero-impact sailors: and we could only do it with the most “eco” testimonial there is, Matteo Miceli.

The lone sailor who set out in 2014 on a “emission-free” round-the-world trip, carrying two chickens and a hydroponic vegetable garden. Impossible not to elect him as an honorary member of Medplastic: Matteo will tell you about all the practical solutions for your boat (from solar panels to gray water) and the behaviors you need to have on board to respect the sea 100%, and he will share the stage with many other eco-sailors. What’s more, you will be able to touch his boat, Eco40, refurbished and on the dock at the VELAFestival! But there will be more than just Miceli: Ambrogio Beccaria, the young solo sailor who set the French in line on the Mini 650, will tell us why sailing is already an “eco” activity in itself.

We will have many testimonies from Italy’s largest sailing school, Centro Velico Caprera, which has always been at the forefront of environmental protection. We will also take the opportunity to reward the “plastic hunters” who got their hands dirty last summer around the Mediterranean and sent photos of their catches on Instagram for the “No Plastic” contest devised by Medplastic.

MAY 4, 5 P.M. SO IT WILL BE THE SAIL
It continues on Saturday, 4, before the VELA Cup awards ceremony: from 5 p.m. we tell you about the present and future of sailing. They will talk about innovation: did you know that the first boat with 3D printed parts was born in Italy, in Palermo? It was made by the guys from the startup Ocore, Sicilians Francesco Belvisi and Daniele Cevola. And what does foiling mean today? We will talk about it with those who, every day, “fly” on water, Moths and the fastest flying drifts. And again: we will have on stage the young sailors who constitute the most concrete Olympic hopes, including Sofia Tomasoni.

MAY 5, 4 P.M. THE TRUE SPIRIT OF SAILING
We will close on a high note with the May 5 meeting (4 p.m.), during which we will discover the original and purest spirit of sailing, with many protagonists: the Portesan family will tell the story of a dream of many sailors, realized by them. That of dropping everything and going to live on a boat. Fabio, Marina and sons Valerio and Leilani will be available to answer your questions and curiosities. Joining them on stage are brothers Giacomo and Francesco Galimberti, who last summer decided to circumnavigate Italy in a Hobie Cat, sleeping on the beach in the cold along the coasts and, like true boy scouts, cooking their caught fish with improvised bonfires. Also confirmed is the presence of Andrea Fanfani, fresh from ocean sailing in the wake of Moitessier with his Marchi 47 Tatì (complete with storms faced).

All events (including “all day” events, every day from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: cult sailing movies on the big screen at TAG Heuer VELAFestival and meetings with sailing specialists and professionals) will be streamed on our channels.

What you have read is just a small preview “stolen” in our “work in progress” files: the program of events will be further enriched with other characters and may undergo minor changes… But as a base it is not bad at all!!!

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