More than 50 boats registered for Vela Cup Liguria the weekend of May 3. See who’s already there!

We are 18 days away from the grand premiere of the VELA Cup circuit, Italy’s most crowded regattas/sailing festivals. And there are already more than 50 boats, of all shapes and sizes, registered for the VELA Cup Liguria to be held in Chiavari May 2-4 (regatta and dock party on May 3) hosted (free for one night) by Marina Calata Ovest.

And there are dozens of requests for participation on standby. They ask us, shyly, if they can participate with their own boat. And we tell them yes: any boat can participate. They ask us if there is a need for some kind of certificate: we reply that there is no need for anything, just sign up, gather a minimum of crew(to be searched with Search/Offer Boarding if you need it) and come to Chiavari, in the heart of the Tigullio Gulf to…have fun!

• All against all, on equal terms. This is the VELA Cup 2025

What will the weather be like at the VELA Cup?

Some people even asked us what the weather will be on May 3, the day of the regatta/festival. We are not meteorologists, we asked Riccardo Ravagnan the great expert of Meteomed, the official weather partner of the VELA Cup. Riccardo replied that he is not futurologist, but he whispered to us by looking at the forecast synoptics, that from the end of April an anticyclone should be installed which certainly does not bring bad weather.

• SIGN UP NOW FOR SAILING CUP LIGURIA

Someone asked us about prizes, gadgets T Shirt VELA Cup… in short, he wanted to know if it is worth participating even without any ambitions to win. We explained to them, and here you can see for yourself, that it is worth participating because, thanks to our partners and the Sailing Newspaper, certainly those who come will not go home empty-handed. None.

Quieter or better performance at the VELA Cup

We were saying about the lucky 50-plus boats already registered who will enjoy racing a coastal course in the Gulf of Tigullio that also touches the legendary Mount Portofino.

Let’s start with the division between Cruising Boats (boats that race only with mainsail and jib) and Sport Boats (with any kind of sail). A first division that allows everyone to choose whether to compete by pushing boat performance to the max (Sport Boat) or more relaxed (Cruising Boat).

• Cruising, Sport, Classic Boat. What boat are you coming to the VELA Cup 2025 with?

The list of participants in the two categories, Sport Boat and Crusing Boat, is divided equally 50/50, 27 boats each. And of all sizes and shapes, as the VELA Cup formula states.

In Cruising Boat we fish, for example, the smallest of the fleet, Jonathan Emma’s 7.20 m Avalon, a newly refitted Tequila from the legendary Barberis shipyard. Mention must be made of the prestigious Italia Yachts 15.98 SofiMa entered by Michele Centemero of Milan. Another rare piece the glorious 1982 John Alden 51 Ketch “Half Moon” by Francesco Nessi from Villa Guardia, in the province of Como. We should mention all 27 already entered, but it would be too long. We fish the newest boat, an X-Yachts 43 from 2023, Xilla by Matteo Giuseppe Villa from Arluno (MI).

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At the VELA Cup to save children

And we come to the Sport Boat category. Here the first mention among the participants is deserved by Spirit of Nerina, the very fast and multi-award winning Swan 42 participating in the VELA Cup in Chiavari/Liguria with a special mission: to save children’s lives.

Spirit of Nerina and its crew will be ambassadors for the non-profit organization La Rianimazione Dei Bambini, an initiative that the VELA Cup will help promote. On the dock, at the Marina di Chiavari Calata Ovest, will be doctors and nurses from the Resuscitation Department of the Gaslini Hospital in Genoa.

Those who would like to support this initiative can purchase the association’s T Shirt (beautiful!) by contributing to the support of the association. Learn more: Instagram @larianimationofchildren and www.larianimazionedeibambini.it or download the PDF brochure here.

Look who’s already at the VELA Cup

Returning to the Sport Boat category (boats with all types of sail) the presence of 27 boats already entered – beautiful, fast and fierce – guarantees a great show. After the victory in the winter championship, Alessandro Agosta and his crew are at the start of the VELA Cup in the Sport Boat category with the very elegant “Grazia,” a Tofinou 12. Another boat that deserves for its originality the mention is theAdvanced A44 “Alebi” very fast at the carrying gaits. Mythical projects of X-Yachts theIMX 38 “Express” and the glorious X-3/4 Ton of Pietro Giolli, who has a great history of passion behind him, and is at his first regatta with his “Ghostbuster.”

“We are a competitive boat with a close-knit crew,” those of the perfectly equipped “First…issima,” a Beneteau First 34.7, write to us.

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A good story is that of theEste 24 “Celestina 3,” which bears the glorious name of the brig of the Chiavarese family Carniglia that in 1879 rescued the crew of a British ship in trouble in the English Channel. Candidates for a good performance include the Rodman 42 “Cheyenne” and the Comet 41 S “Sventola,” among others.

Honoring boats with a few years at the VELA Cup

But at the Vela Cup, age also counts. In fact, all boats built from 1969 to 2000 will also have an additional special ranking (and rich prizes), that reserved for Classic Boats. As many as 25 boats already have the honor and right to be part of the Classic Boat category, but we are still expecting many ladies of the sea at the VELA Cup in Chiavari.

Preparations are in full swing in the Gulf of Tigullio, at sea and on the dock to ensure you and your boat have a great time. All you have to do is sign up!

• SIGN UP NOW FOR SAILING CUP LIGURIA