Vintage Sails 2024, a love story for sailing

TheImperia International Sailing Week 2024 opens under the shadow of a day of prohibitively bad weather that sees the 41 registered boats forced into the docks.
Formed seas outside and flashes of rain in the harbor, however, did not discourage crews and fans, who still knew how to fill the docks here in a festive and enthusiastic atmosphere.
Better is the start of the second day, with a first outing at 10:30 a.m. that seems to hold great promise.
However, the weather seems unwilling to give the crews any peace, increasing to 22/25 knots, accompanied by a short wave that is not particularly healthy for many of the “seniors.”
The Sailing Newspaper, in this case, is aboard Barbara, Roberto Olivieri’s splendid and over 100-year-old Yawl, which gives a flawless performance in those edges that we try while waiting for the start, prevented, however, by Intelligence on H. Even today races cancelled, the weather doesn’t want to know.

Vintage Sails 2024

Cancelled trials aside, the Vele d’Epoca are still an unmissable spectacle.
And, indeed, perhaps it all benefits the spectators ashore who, after an hour or so spent watching distant broadsides, can once again return to admire the hulls up close, to touch them with their own hands even, in many cases.
For while sailing on a 1923 hull is a unique thrill, equally enjoyable is being able to move among so many sailing classics, a cultural heritage that can rarely be seen so closely, and all together, as here.

A dock full of passion

Just on the subject of the passion that knows how to manifest itself (almost) only on occasions like this, a wonderful colorful note is told to me by Pietro D’Alì, present in Imperia as helmsman of Aria, the splendid as well as iconic 8 Meters International Tonnage of Serena Galvani.
Just yesterday afternoon (Friday, day two), a gentleman appears at the stern of Aria, kneeling in front of the hull. At the side, his son. “You see, this one was built by my grandfather, who like my father worked at Cantieri Costaguta” A moment charged with both passion and tenderness, especially for Serena Galvani, who discovers with me about this note, pointing out how Aria is just that for her: a boat that knows how to bring passion and history together.

Aria, in fact, 8MSI built in 1935, has been owned by Serena since 1998, when, as the owner of a Solaris 47, she discovered her on a hillside opposite Favignana.
The boat, battered for some reason, immediately kidnapped her, although she had seen many others, and in far better condition.
Aria had indeed been converted to a cruising hull, completely distorted, but she had that extra something … “I couldn’t explain why, but Aria was the only one that really made my heart beat. There was something about her and I decided to buy her. Only when I found out her sail numbers did I somehow understand: 8 I-17. The first, the date of my father’s birth; the second, the date of his passing. Suddenly, it all made sense, and Aria became a piece of the family. I devoted body and soul to her.”

Since then, Aria has been a jewel.
Restored in a philological manner, Serena brought her back to life as she was by design, and that is how she has always kept her and wants to continue to keep her.
Regattas, regattas, regattas… Aria and Serena have created a history around them, participating in every gathering and event, winning major prizes (including an America’s Cup Jubilee with Pelaschier at the helm…) and, indeed, creating a true revival of the Class. “Aria leads my life. Now I moved to Genoa because she is there, since last year’s World Cup, so there I have to be me. I don’t want to modernize her. I believe in history and she has to stay as designed. I’m of the opinion that if you buy a boat from 1934, you can’t think of putting a kitchen, bunks and bathrooms in it. You can’t distort her. It would be like taking a Raphael and asking a painter to restore it in his own way. No, it would no longer be a Raphael. And so it is with Aria. 8MSIs are part of history, they belong to nautical history, and as such they should be respected. I wouldn’t change it even to win, no.” (And, Aria, anyway win won, a lot… ed.)

With Aria you have, in short, a great demonstration of the spirit that permeates the event, as well as the whole world of the Epoca.
Such speeches, in fact, one hears quite a few, and the culture of respect for design and history, fortunately, prevails.
Similarly, Roberto Olivieri tells me as we stand together on Barbara, with his 101 years gliding nonetheless soaring through the short waves Imperia throws at us.
Hers , too, was “a love affair at first sight. With those so clean lines, the flush deck and the very elegant superstructures. Not to mention the interiors, their habitability and her sailing behavior… .” All very true, evidenced by the boat itself, more than alive and elegant in the 22 knots of this second day.

New for the “Classics”

Among the epochs and many classics of the early IOR-including Resolute Salmon (Chance), Sagittarius (S&S) and Optimist (Carter)-these vintage sails, however, also have an unexpected, well-camouflaged, elegant hull that may surprise: Triboulet, a 1985 Swan 43, a grand design by Ron Holland.
Number #01 in the series, to be precise, ergo, the first ever among the Pietarsaari Swan hulls to be signed by Holland.
But it is not a misplaced hull; in fact, it is an introduction to a great novelty that emerged right here in Imperia at this 2024’s Vele d’Epoca.

Designed by Holland through studies derived from his experiences in America’s Cup (New Zealand), the Swan 43 is not only the first Swan to see reduced momentum and lines designed to gain from increased displacement-increasing the waterline at heeled boat (and thus critical speed); but it is also here by way of witness to the new Swan initiative, the launch of a new project intended to celebrate the brand’s heritage, the fleet Swan Classic, consisting of the brand’s hulls signed Sparkman & Stephens, German Frers and Ron Holland, which will see its launching pad precisely at Vele d’Epoca 2025.
Mind you, however, this also means specific news for owners of Holland’s signature Swans, because Triboulet is also celebrating the birth of a new association under the Swan logo, the Swan Classic RH, or the association designed to celebrate Holland’s signature Swans, which is important news for the more than 200 owners of these splendid Classic Boats.