Hansa 303 National Championship or rather the celebration of sailing for all

From June 6 to 9, the waters of the Venice Lagoon hosted the Hansa 303 National Championship, which saw the participation of more than 80 athletes, including the disabled. During the event, the first FIV “Sailing for All” flag was presented.

From the beautiful setting of the Venice Lagoon comes a beautiful message of sailing, racing and inclusion. From June 6 to 9, in fact, the Hansa 303 National Championship was held, organized by Circolo della Vela Mestre and promoted by the Italian Sailing Federation’s Para Sailing Academy in collaboration with IBSA, two realities that decided to join forces and commit themselves to open a new chapter in Italian inclusive sailing.

The event saw the participation of 52 boats for a total of over 80 athletes in the male and female category, both able-bodied and disabled, for an Italian championship all dedicated to the famous Hansa 303 class boat. In recent years, in fact, the sailing community has come to know and appreciate this particular hull characterized by its colorful sails, which stands out for its safety, stability and extreme versatility, being able to be led both in doubles and singles even by disabled sailors.

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A flag symbol of freedom and inclusion

This year’s Hansa 303 National Championships began on Thursday, June 6 with the opening of the host club secretariat and the completion of registration for all athletes. After that, on Friday, June 7, the day began with an official ceremony in which the first “Sailing for All” flag of the FIV was handed over to the City of Venice and the Venice Sports Nautical Center overlooking the Lagoon in Mestre. As a reminder, the “La Vela per Tutti” flag is an exclusive award given annually to Italian municipalities that stand out for their commitment to promoting sailing for all and inclusion, considering them tools for well-being and quality of life.

The handover was attended by Venice Vice Mayor Andrea Tomaello, FIV President Francesco Ettorre, Polo Nautico President Giancarlo Moretto, and finally Vela Mestre per Tutti President Roberto Poletto.

Here are the winners of the National Championship

At the end of the ceremony and after the ritual briefing, the first races were staged and continued until Sunday, June 9, with summer weather, sunshine and heat and thermal breezes of 7 to 12 knots. On the race course set up between Porto Marghera, Cannaregio and Murano Island, all crews gave their best without ever giving up. Spectators ashore moreover this year could follow the races live thanks to the new tracking on board the boats, accessible via the Metasail Live Tracking link.

In the Singles Carmelo Forastieri in a close fight took first place, followed in second by Andrea Quarta and Vincenzo Giulino in third. In the Doubles category, on the other hand, the pair formed by Francesca Ramazzotti and Diana Valentin got the better of the crews formed by Maria Atzori and Lucia Garau, who came in second place, and Matteo Canova and Chiara Ingaglio turned out in third place. Full rankings of the 2024 National Championship can be found here.

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A corollary to the Hansa 303 National Championship was also a talk by Andrea Stella, a disabled sailor and testimonial for the event, who presented his plans for a round-the-world catamaran trip “WOW.” Also celebrated were the 10 years since the birth of the Hansa Class, founded in 2014 by Andrea Stella himself.