VELA Cup Procida, a memorable premiere. PHOTOS and CLASSIFICATIONS.

“I have been dancing with my boat for two days to get to the VELA Cup in Procida.
I even caught a net in the propeller in the process!
But it was worth it “. Valerio Cera, owner of Enigma, was right. The first edition of the VELA Cup Procida, in collaboration with the Marina di Procida run by President Eugenio Michelino, will be long remembered. More than 80 registered, in 60 boats at the start to challenge the breeze that touched even 26 knots during the circumnavigation of the island.
Impeccable organization at sea by the Lega Navale of Procida, which was perfectly able to safely manage so many different boats.
To cross the starting line in front of the striking Palazzo D’Avalos, and then parade in front of the multicolored village of Corricella, under a leaden sky broken by the sun’s rays, boats of all kinds.
From the tiny 1950s Latin-sailed gozzo Santa Rosa to the 65-foot ketch to ocean-going globetrotters (like sailor Pippo Bangert’s Allures 51.9 Rossa!), from the very comfortable cruising Fountaine Pajot to vintage gems like Don Quijote, a 1953 design by German Frers sr (very fast and beautiful) or Fabio Ratti’s Kiwi.
Real seawolf regatta on the water, party ashore in the Procida square with music, food and prizes for all, and party until late at night for the crews.
Here is how the VELA Cup Procida went, in detail, and who are all the winners of this first, memorable edition.

The great festival of SAIL in Procida

For Luca Oriani, editor-in-chief of the Giornale della Vela, being able to bring the VELA Cup to Procida “is a dream come true, because on this island you can breathe the true meaning of this event of ours, which is much more than a regatta, it is a real celebration.” And Eugenio Michelino, director of the Marina di Procida, also confirms this to us,“It was a beautiful day because we managed to convene dozens and dozens of boats on the island. It was a beautiful celebration of the sea, a free sail in which all kinds of crews participated, united by a great passion for sailing but with a great desire to win.”

The Arturo Island Barcolana has already been called.
A reference to Elsa Morante’s famous book that does not come about by chance, because precisely on the occasion of the VELA Cup Procida, at the regatta village set up in Piazza Marina Grande, the beating heart of the town, on the Friday before the regatta the Passione Mare Prize was awarded, chosen by the jury of the Procida-Isola di Arturo-Elsa Morante Literary Prize and destined for the author whose work has best spread the culture of the sea and its values.
The winner was Davide Besana, a cartoonist among the most widely read and appreciated sea authors, for his Sail The Children project, thanks to which hundreds of children each year can discover the fascination of sailing.

VELA Cup Procida: how it went

On Saturday morning, amid a few drops of rain and the whistling of the wind between the shrouds, the VELA Cup briefing was held in Procida’s main square.
A little later, having cast off their moorings and reached the tip of the Monks, the more than 60 crews, who had come from all over the Gulf of Naples and beyond for this first edition of the VELA Cup Procida, crossed the starting line close to the spectacular bay of Corricella.

There were not only racing boats on the starting line but also crews at their first experience, such as Diogene the Bavaria 32 Cruiser of Raimondo Rocco.
Real family challenges were also on the water, including that between Bruma Fugit, Renato Sesto Conte’s Alpa 11.50, the last Alpa built by the shipyard (serial no. 185), which challenged Nanook, Moreno Conte’s Alpa 11.50, the first hull in the series built in 1979.
A wonderful story theirs, with the father who, after crossing the Atlantic from Procida to the Caribbean and back, donates the boat to his son who refurbishes it and keeps it in the family.

The course involved circumnavigating the island of Procida clockwise, passing through Vivara Island, to Punta Serra and back. 10 miles in total that were covered in just under 1 1/2 hours by the fastest boats.
The wind, most intense in the area north of the island reached peaks of 26 knots, giving the most competitive crews ideal conditions for a fast and fun race.
A few crews chose to retire, but fortunately it was always safely managed. In real time, crossing the finish line first was Sly Fox Cube, the Grand Soleil 46 B&C owned by Roberto Fotticchia – Gagliardi.
Following in second was Nientemale, Giuseppe Osci’s Beneteau First 40 CR, and just behind in third place was Tango, Andrea Eminente’s Grand Soleil 56.

Juan Perón’s boat

Among the most beautiful sails at VELA Cup Procida was Lodovico Visone’s Don Quijote.
As Alessandro Cunzo told us aboard this fantastic Bermudian ketch, ” it is a hull designed by Germán Frers senior in Argentina in the 1950s, ordered by Juan Perón himself to give as a gift to Evita Perón, who died, however, the year before he was able to receive it while it was still under construction.
Sold to a Brazilian doctor who was based in Argentina but took it to Europe for vacations, Don Quijote crossed the Atlantic nine times before being sold to England .”

Restored at Antico Cantiere del Legno Aprea, it participated in the VELA Cup with an all-Neapolitan crew. “We hadn’t been boating together for a year, filming on a boat like that is not easy because you have to be careful how much load you give on each maneuver.
This is a living, moving thing, so there was certainly a few moments of let’s say latent tension, but the boat behaved very well.
Plus it was a super fun race, on the way back down under Vivara we were butterfly with four yankee sails, foresail, mainsail and mizzen.
I am very happy to have participated in an event like the VELA Cup because it is regattas like this that preserve the true sense of going to sea.
This is a dimension that is somewhat lost in racing circles, where there is too much distance between the professional and the enthusiast, which then becomes more and more of an abyss, which unfortunately goes to sectorialize and professionalize the environment too much .”

For a good cause

The VELA Cup Procida was much more than a regatta.
In addition to the party on land and at sea, this somewhat special leg of the VELA Cup was also attended by the boats of Blue Dream Charter , which for several years has been collaborating with the nonprofit Africa Mission with the goal of building wells for drinking water in northern Uganda.
Their solidarity regatta, with which it has already built five wells in Karamoja, one of the poorest areas of Uganda, was included within the VELA Cup this year.“We are trying to do some charity,” said Antonio Scotto di Porta, charter fleet manager.“I’m grateful to the more than 200 guys, or rather 200 friends, who espoused our idea of solidarity this year.”

VELA Cup Procida – All Photos

Now, as promised, it is time to relive the regatta (organized in collaboration with Marina di Procida and Lega Navale di Procida) in pictures . Click on the link below to access the official VELA Cup gallery where all the photos of Francesco Rastrelli and Gianluca di Fazio are waiting for you!

See all the photos of the VELA Cup Procida

  Feel free to download and share them! Now let’s take a look at the winners and final rankings.

VELA Cup Procida – Standings

Total registered boats: 80

LEG WINNER AND OVERALL SPORT BOAT WINNER

Veneziani Yachting special prize with Speedy Carbonium antifouling and Adherpox primer

No-nonsense, Giuseppe Osci, Beneteau First 40 CR

OVERALL CRUISING BOAT AND LINE HONOURS WINNER

Sly Fox Cube,
Roberto Fotticchia – Gagliardi, Grand Soleil 46 B&C

• CLASSIC BOAT RANKINGS

CLASS 1 from 7.5 to 11 m

1
Might of the Sea, Eugenio Ferrandino, Comet 910 Plus del 1986

CLASS 2 11 to 13 m

1
Didi I, Angelo di Gioia, Grand Soleil 41 del 1983

CLASS 3 13 to 15 m

1
Stars, Guglielmo Maraziti, Grand Soleil 45 del 1994

CLASS 4 over 15 meters

1
Don Quijote, Lodovico Visone, Frers One Off del 1953

• SPORT BOAT RANKINGS

CLASS 1 (up to 10 m)

1
Fruscìo, Francesco Golia, Beneteau First 31.7; 2
Bagheera, Luigi Russo, Beneteau First 31.7; 3
DNF Salvatutti, Bruno Russo, Doufur 31; DNS
Ardita Ingegneria del Sole, Adriano Tucci, Wip 650; DNS
Sigma, Stefano Marano, Dheler 28; DNS
Enrico, Antonio Ciniglio, Hanse 301; DNS
Liber, Antonio Ciniglio, Comet 910 Plus; DNS
Farouche, Vincenzo Toscano, Beneteau First 30 E; DNS
Distinti Saluti, Giovanni d’Addio, Beneteau First 33.7; DNS
Kleintje, Sergio Orza, Jeanneau Sun Odissey 32; DNS
Vagamondo, Maria Raffaella Borriello, Comet 1050; DNS
My Dreams, Amedeo Zezza, Comet

CLASS 2 (10.01 to 13 m)

1
Nientemale, Giuseppe Osci, First 40 CR; 2
Posto delle Fragole, Rodolfo Montemagno, Elan 333; DNF
Alisea, Stefano Mango, Wood&Sea Open 40; DNS
Cavallo Pazzo II, Enrico Maria Danielli, X-35; DNS
Loucura 3, Frederic Roncone, Comet 38; DNS
Millenium Falcon 2, Stefano Cervo, Grand Soleil 43 F

CLASS 3 (over 13 m)

1
Don Quijote, Lodovico Visone, Frers One Off; 2
Diecitrentuno, Sergio della Volpe, First 44.7; 3
Enigma, Valerio Cera, Beneteau Oceanis 50; DNS
Ora Si, Daniele Pica, Rinaldi Sintesi 45

• CRUISING BOAT RANKINGS

CLASS 1 (up to 10 m)

1
Bel-Amì, Davide Costagliola, Dod30; 2
Might Of The Sea, Eugenio Ferrandino, Comet 910 Plus; 3
Ghila, Angelo Ventrella, Ferretti Altura 33; 4
Dream On, Mario di Monte, Comet 1050; 5
Todo Bien, Antonio Travino, Elan 31; 6
B&B, Spada Gennaro, Comet 770; DNF
Allegra, Giancarlo Antonetti, Aprea Gozzo; DNF
Santa Rosa, Eugenio Ferrandino, Comet 910 Plus; DNF
Vento Da Nord, Albino Corradini, Fisksatra Storfidra 25; DNF
Sogno, Salvatore Sorrentino, Hanse 310; DNF
Re Artù, Daniela Ducci, Beneateau First 31.7; DNF
Bolero, Costantino Vitiello, Grand Soleil GS34; DNF
Diogene, Raimondo Rocco, Bavaria 32 Cruiser; DNS
Ekklesia, Mirko Vista, Maestro D’ascia Leudo Genovese; DNS
Donna Giulia, Gennaro Rutoli, Nauticamania Sloop 27; DNS Onlyou, Michele Intartaglia, Comet 850; DNS
Tar, Stanislao Nanino, Archambault Sprint 95; DNS
Sang’ E Anema, Giuseppe Addezio, Archambault Sprint 95

CLASS 2 (10.01 to 11 m)

1
Vetara, Mario Adario, Pogo 36; 2
Windfinder, Raffaela Orlando, Dehler34; 3
Ginostra, Aniello Anna Giamundo, Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 40; 4
Mawi, Pasquale Flauto, Jeanneau Sun Odissey 34.2; 5
Borea, Filippo Avilia, Dufour 325 Gl;
DNF Argo, Bruno Sacchi, Jeanneau Sun Odissey 34.2; DNF
Alicantes, Marina Gandolfo, Emisul B&B 36; DNF
L’altra, Vittorio Helzel, Jeanneau Sun Odissey 37 Legend; DNS
Ciao Dalma, Vincenzo Trapanese, Comet 1050; DNS
Hay Lin, Osvaldo Danisi, Beneteau First 36.7

CLASS 3 (11.01 to 12 m)

1
Blessy Moon, Nicola Torre, Beneteau First 40.7; 2
Ala di Sogno, Francesco Paolo Storti, Sangermani; 2
Anna, Renato De Domenico, Dufour 382 GL; 3
Lasco V, Riccardo Pampaloni, Alpa Maica; 4
Aquila del Sud, Francesco Chiaromonte, Alpa 38; DNF
Fragolina, Costantino Braccagno, Bavaria 37; DNF
Nanook, Moreno Conte, Alpa 11.50; DNF
Folie, Andrea Proto, Beneateau Oceanis 38; DNF
Bruma Fugit, Renato Sesto Conte, Alpa 11.50; DNF
Silver Ray, Andrea Trupia, Tortuga 38; DNF
Margarita, Vito Polito, Fountaine Pajiot Lucia 40; DNF
Athanotos, Clemente Costigliola, Elan 40

CLASS 4 (12.01 to 14 m)

1
Stars, Guglielmo Maraziti, Grand Soleil 45; 2
Kiwi, Fabio Ratti, Carlini S&S 45 One Off; 3
Didi I, Angelo di Gioia, Grand Soleil 41; 4
Blue Dolphin, Salvatore Di Domenico, Beneteau Oceanis 411; DNF
Habibi II, Eugenio Cesare, Fountaine Pajiot Elbaa 45

CLASS 5 (14.01 to 15 m)

1 Sly Fox Cube, Roberto Fotticchia – Gagliardi, Grand Soleil 46 B&C; 2
Zen2, Cesare Bertoli, Beneteau First 45; 3 Alchà, Antonio Grumetto, Jeanneau Sun Odissey 49; 4
Margot, Gaetano Filosa, Beneteau; 5
Logika, Giuseppe Togni, Bavaria 46 Cruiser; 6 Red !, Pippo Banghert, Allures 51; 7
Aleph, Sergio Ottinetti, Beneteau Oceanis

CLASS 6 (over 15 m)

1
Tango, Andrea Eminente, Grand Soleil 56; DNF
Miaplaogous, Alessandro Maruccia, Kanter 65; DNS
Marina, Roberto Manganaro, Nordcantieri Costaguta; DNS
Flow, Paolo D’Antuono, Hanse

VELA Cup Procida Special Awards.

Lodovico Visone’s Don Quijote, a 1953 Frers One Off, wins the Elegant Boat award reserved for the most beautiful and elegant boat in each leg, regardless of the result.
The crew of Margot, Gaetano Filosa’s Beneteau, wins the Gentleman Yachting prize for (almost) carrying out a mutiny, contrary to their father’s decision, tired of the constant wind shifts, to retire without trying to win at least the last-place prize.
Last but not least, Spada Gennaro’s B&B, a Comet 770, wins the special prize for the last-place finisher in real time, showing tenacity and determination to complete the course to the end.

VELA Cup Procida – Prizes raffled off

Those familiar with the VELA Cup know: there are lots of raffle prizes up for grabs offered by ourpartnersMoby, IBSA, Honda, HiNelson, Garmin, Leatherman, ACSI Vela, Veneziani Yachting, Plastimo, YachtIngBond, AMBECO and USAIL. The Garmin GPSMAP® 86s handheld GPS was won by Francesco Chiaromonte while the Leatherman Skeletool CX utility knife was won by Francesco Zezza. Vito Polito took home the YachtIngBond sailing jacket and Fabio Ratti the HiNelson backpack. The ACSI Vela sailing instructor course was won by Filippo Avilia, the 40% discount on Moby A/R Livorno – Olbia by Gennaro Esposito, the3-year “Paper + Digital”subscription to the Giornale della Vela by Andrea Proto and the Plastimo Pilot 165N life jacket by Sergio Ottinetti.
To top it off, they won the IBSA Luigi Russo Wellness Box, a week’s rental offered by Sailitalia from Albino Corradini and the outboard motor BF2.3 by Honda Roberto Fotticchia.

See all the photos of the VELA Cup Procida

After Procida, the VELA Cup awaits you in Capo d’Orlando

On Saturday, October 5, the VELA Cup makes a stop in Capo d’Orlando, Sicily, at Capo d’Orlando Marina.
The perfect opportunity to have a mini autumn cruise in front of the Aeolian Islands, out of the mess of summer.
A great sailing festival with lots of prizes, fun and dreamy scenery.

Sign up now for the VELA Cup Sicily

The VELA Cup Sicilia is open to all types of racing and cruising boats (no cards or certificates required), with no age restrictions, bureaucracy or technical complications.
There are prizes for everyone, including special prizes for the most elegant boat and the last place finisher. To register for the VELA Cup Sicilia all you need to do is enter here and finalize your registration by entering your details and those of the boat!

The next stages of the VELA Cup 2024

• October 4/5 – VELA Cup Sicily

Photos by Francesco Rastrelli and Gianluca di FazioJames Barbaro