Venice prepares to host the 10th Venice Hospitality Challenge

Saturday, Oct. 14 is the perfect opportunity to see maxi yachts racing in the Venice lagoon. The 10th edition of the
Venice Hospitality Challenge
will welcome as many as 17 boats – all over 20 meters in length – and the exciting “city” course will ensure that everyone can appreciate the regatta at its best.

17 maxi yachts do battle in the Giudecca Canal

The base of the Venice Hospitality Challenge 2023 will be at Fondamenta delle Zattere and consists of large pontoons obtained thanks to Ingemar floating modules managed by Vela Spa, and usually used for the Venice Boat Show. Crews, organization, guests and visitors will be able to admire the maxi yachts and experience the excitement of the regatta up close thanks to the approximately 200 square meters of walkable space, composed of galvanized steel reinforcement, unsinkable cores made of reinforced concrete and high-density expanded polystyrene, and surface made of exotic fine woods.

Among the boats that will race for the regatta’s prize-symbol (the Doge’s Hat made of Murano glass by Berengo Studio) are boats and skippers that have made sailing history. Some of the beautiful boats that can be appreciated racing in Venice include, for example, the Nautor Swan 70 Flying Dragon skippered by Mauro Pelaschier and the Moro di Venezia helmed by Dodi Coletti (former trimmer at the time of the1992 America’s Cup). Along with the other maxis we find some regulars who often populate Adriatic regattas, such as Furio Benussi’s Arca SGR and Shockwave 3 skippered by Mitja Kosmina. The “City of Venice Grand Prix” will have an extremely picturesque course, with the race course running inside the Giudecca Canal between the two ends of the course, St. Mark’s Basin and the Maritime Station.

An exhibition celebrates 10 years of the regatta

In addition to the regatta, there is an extra chance this year for guests and visitors to experience the excitement of the Venice Hospitality Challenge. An exhibition curated by Patrizia Zambelli that collects awards, memorabilia and testimonials to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Venice Hospitality Challenge is already set up and can be visited inside the Zattera Palace. In addition, several maxi yachts will also participate in the sixteenth Veleziana, which will be held the day after the regatta, that is, Sunday, October 15, also within St. Mark’s Basin.