They sail underground after “racing” between Titicaca and Loch Ness

For the third year in a row, “The Grand Tour Sailing,” the original sailing project of Franco Deganutti and Manuel Vlacich that sails to the most remote and critical places on Earth, to sound an environmental alarm, aboard small Tiwal dinghies, is restarting.

A feat that earned them a Guinness World Record and which we told you about in the March issue of the Journal of Sailing, available on newsstands and digitally.

The Grand Tour Sailing 2024

An extraordinary means of education and discovery, the Grand Tour between the 1700s and 1800s was a long journey through the beauties of Europe undertaken by the scions of aristocratic families with the aim of learning about other places, making comparisons, improving and refining themselves as gentlemen and citizens of the world. Now that the world is widely known, geographic travel becomes an opportunity to witness how our planet is suffering environmentally. And the oceans, lakes and rivers are prime outposts for sounding the alarm.

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Taking this as their starting point, Franco Deganutti and Manuel Vlacich launched “The Grand Tour Sailing” sailing project, which celebrates its third edition in this 2024. The format remains that of previous acts, namely “three stages, in the same year, with the same boat,” as does the concept of sailing to the most remote and critical places on earth: frozen seas, underground lakes, cities on water. The slogan, on the other hand, is unprecedented and metaphorical, “before it’s too late,” about the urgency for humans to move toward environmental sustainability before the planet finally collapses.

Sailing through the ice to the “belly” of the Earth

In this edition of “The Grand Tour Sailing” Franco Deganutti and Manuel Vlacich challenge three impervious places on Earth: the underground lake of St-Léonard, Switzerland, the iceberg-filled waters of Ilulisat, Greenland, and finally the canals and lagoons of Venice.

Last March 3, the two sailors have already completed sailing in Lake St-Léonard. This body of water is located in the heart of the Valais Alps, Switzerland, in the canton of Valais between Sion and Sierre in the municipality of Saint-Léonard. Over 300 meters long, it is the largest navigable natural underground lake in Europe.

Next June Franco and Manuel will leave for Ilulisat, the Greenland town where icebergs are born. The starting point for the greatest Arctic experiences is located on the west coast of Greenland in spectacular Disko Bay 350 km north of the Arctic Circle. It is Greenland’s largest bay and is famous for its massive glaciers and huge icebergs. Sailing in these waters, the two sailors will have a chance to spot whales and admire the Northern Lights, but the real goal of the expedition is to circumnavigate one of the icebergs that break off from the glacier.

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Circumnavigation of Venice, the city that “sinks”

Finally, after the summer, “The Grand Tour Sailing” will tackle the circumnavigation of the Island of Venice. After the previous stages, this navigation may seem all too “simple.” However, between bans, tides, maritime traffic, strong currents, and especially a bridge that prevents its full tour: it will be a very intriguing challenge. So is the challenge for the survival of the Venetian city, which by 2100 is in danger of going permanently underwater.

“The Grand Tour Sailing” was sponsored by One Ocean Foundation, an Italian initiative of international significance established in 2018 with the goal of accelerating solutions to ocean problems by inspiring international leaders, promoting a sustainable blue economy, and improving ocean knowledge through ocean literacy. The Franco Deganutti and Manuel Vlacich enterprise can be followed on social channels Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

Learn the full story of “The Grand Tour Sailing”

The full story of Franco Deganutti and Manuel Vlacich and their “The Grand Tour Sailing” can be found in the March issue of the Journal of Sailing now available on newsstands and digitally. A long account that starts from the first edition of the project when the sailing duo entered the Guinness Word Record for participating with their Melges24 in three of the most attended regattas in the World: the Bol d’Or on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, the Round The Island at the Isle of Wight in England and the Barcolana in Trieste.

And then again in 2023 when they sailed on Loch Ness, Scotland, and then on Lake Titicaca. The highest in the world (+3,812m above sea level) between Peru and Bolivia.