Here are who are the best of 2023 among vintage boats

The 2023 season also comes to an end for “vintage boating,” a very successful season for the AIVE circuit (
Italian Association of Vintage Sails
), which populated the year with a series of regattas and events under the banner of the best shipbuilding traditions, celebrating vintage and classic hulls as their due. At the end-of-season awards ceremony, held in Rome at the Hotel Mediterraneo (below we tell you who won), the program for 2024 was also announced.

AIVE circuit: the best of 2023 among vintage boats

If the next season opens on May 4 with the French Admiral Trophy in Viareggio, ending, after 18 events, on October 17, also in Versilia, the 2023 season has just ended on a more than positive note. Balance sheet from which, paper in hand, between Tyrrhenian and Adriatic, the winners of the AIVE 2023 circuit finally emerge, category by category.

AIVE Trophy Winners – Epoch

Opening the list of winners was the Tyrrhenian front, where dominating the rankings among theVintage boats was
Barbara
, an iconic hull designed by the legendary Camper & Nicholson shipyard, a masterpiece in planking that, this year, also reaches the milestone of 100 years.

A not insignificant milestone, also rightly celebrated by the owner, Florentine Roberto Olivieri, who celebrated this masterpiece of his by attending all the rallies in the central and northern Tyrrhenian Sea, as well as those in Spain and France. No small demonstration of passion and dedication, more than understandable, as well as commendable, given the accomplishment Barbara has achieved. (Find out more about barbara, we told you about her here!)

On the Adriatic front, on the other hand, dominating in the Epoca category was
Serenity
, another wooden masterpiece, albeit younger (class of 1936), by owner Roberto dal Tio.

AIVE Trophy Winners – Classics

Dominating in Tyrrhenian in Classics category is a now well-known hull,
Crivizza
, class of 1966 and designed by Alan Buchanan, built by Cantieri Apollonio of Trieste.

Owners of this great II Class Rorc, Ariella Cattai and Luigi Rolandi, who have not failed to let the results speak for themselves since 2022, underscoring the makings of this hull, now crowned to perfection as the season comes to a close (Read our interview with them here and learn more about Crivizza).

Victory in the Adriatic, however, belongs to the
Nembo II
, by Nicolò De Manzini, which takes the top step among the “eastern” Classics.

AIVE Trophy Winners – Classic IOR

Dominating the entire Classic IOR front is a single hull,
Ojala II
, iconic first-generation IOR signed Sparkman & Stephens, an excellent design destined for One Ton Cup in 1973. Armed by Susan Carol Holland, Ojala II thus wins both the Tyrrhenian Championship and the Olin Stephens Centennial Cup, positioning herself as the hull to beat for the coming season. (Find out more about the legendary Ojala’ II, we tell you about her here!)

Italian Vintage Sails Association: the 2024 program

Returning to the eagerly awaited 2024 season related to AIVE events and thus of vintage boats, we will see a total of 18 regattas under the auspices of the Association, starting with the Viareggio event on May 4, and concluding the season in October, on the 17th, also in Viareggio. To enrich this Grand Tour of shipbuilding culture, 2024 will also see three important new developments.

First and foremost, the Vele d’Epoca in Naples, which in June 2024 will establish a link between the Argentario, Naples and Gaeta with a fleet transfer from Santo Stefano to Capri, followed by a series of regattas between Capri and Naples and, finally, a stop in Ischia on the way to Gaeta. Second novelty, the presentation of the City of Venice Prize – Artù Chiggiato Trophy – an event to be held June 21-23. Finally, to emphasize the activity in fresh water as well, the third novelty will be held on September 28 and 29, 2024, with the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni Trophy for vintage and classic sails, which has been organized for about two decades by Circolo della Vela Pescallo del Lago di Como under the patronage of ASDEC, where a new regatta reserved for Metric Classes named Scandia Silver Salmon Trophy.