How you get to win the Giraglia after 30 years of cruising

After 30 years of cruising the Mediterranean, Antonino Venneri had a dream: to win the Giraglia regatta. Here’s how he did it, from choosing the boat to the crew, to that magical moment when he climbed to the top step at the great offshore “classic” of the Mediterranean, making his dream come true. Below is his story.

How to win the Giraglia after 30 years of cruising

After more than 30 years of cruising and adventures in the Mediterranean, I decided to start a new sailing life. My family chose not to follow me anymore in my small ventures and so to continue living my dream as a captain I built, step by step, and with great passion, my faithful crew. My new “Family” of the sea. And with the right boat. Goal: no longer to have fun cruising, but to win something important. From a very young age I have always nurtured the desire to compete with others among the waves, but apart from the end-of-summer regatta Trofeo Formenton / Vela Cup in Porto Rafael in the beautiful scenery of La Maddalena Park, where I participated with my old “houseboat,” the Sun Odyssey 54 DS Suspiria, I had no other sailing experience.

By the way, with the name of the boat, the famous Dario Argento movie has nothing to do with it: my choice comes only from the thought of how much my first boat was desired and sighed for months and months before I was finally able to fulfill the dream of being able to buy it. It was the winter of 2018 when I decided I wanted a beautiful and competitive sailboat. It had to be sleek, fast, and maneuverable. One name above all: ClubSwan 42.

And so, together with our inseparable friend Paul we immediately set out to find that model. We began to set our eyes on an initial target in Greece: corporate issues, price too high. We veered toward Estonia, where a model was waiting for us that seemed just right for us. Just a week before departure, however, we discovered that in Scarlino (Grosseto), there was a ClubSwan 42 for sale. Off in the car to Tuscany!

I entered the construction site and it was not long before my gaze rested on her: the object of desire, the reason for our journey, the dream that had been kept in my deepest thoughts for so many years. The time to turn toward Paul (who was already assessing her merits and demerits) gave me the immediate realization that I was in the right place.

His experience in the matter served as my guide, and his smile, flaunting confidence and satisfaction, did the rest. It was our boat! And it was calling to us. The spontaneous response in the face of such beauty inevitably was, “Yes, you will be our Suspiria.” At the end of the voyage to take her to her new home in Liguria, before entering port I decided that she would be “The Revenge,” to shut up all the friends who over the years have often, good-naturedly, teased me by saying that I always arrived after them. She, Suspiria, would be my sweet revenge.

The debut

Our first regatta with Suspiria The Revenge was the Tigullio Invernale, crewed by friends and family. But a bolide like the CliubSwan 42 required very complicated settings, and was equipped with technical equipment to which we were not accustomed. We quickly understood, and to our cost, how much proper break-in with the new equipment was necessary to compete at a high level.

Not forgetting, of course, the importance of a few valuable, and experienced, grafts in the team, in order to make that indispensable leap in quality to be able to aim for ambitious results.
A first help came to us from North Sails, but on the most beautiful came Covid. Forced stop. But our fighting spirit soon brought us back to the sea with “taster” regattas to dust off the equipment and remove some rust from our joints in view of increasingly important commitments.

Ambitions grow, problems begin

The growth of ambition was counterbalanced, however, by the rise of some discontent among the folds of our crew. Some friends unfortunately lost their way, others could not handle the tension of the race, and still others could not get the free time needed to follow me in the regattas. And at one point Paul also decided to leave us: he could no longer bear the burden of responsibility. For me it was a very hard blow, but the normal bitterness over his forfeit, did not affect the esteem and friendship between us.

The new stimuli

At the Tigullio 2022 winter championship my course crossed Davide’s. He coached the boys, had a contagious passion for the sea and racing, and seeing me discouraged by the last events, he proposed that I start again together with a group of young sailors from the minor classes. I liked the idea: after the bad moods of the last period, I too needed new stimulation.

With Davide we put together a sparkling and courageous team of boys and girls driven by a love of sailing, and an endless desire to challenge themselves and grow. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. A group of young talent together with an old sea dog. A great mix. Davide worked great on every little detail, Max – the tactician – showed a unique vision of racing and every time he managed to get me on the start line at the right time in the first positions; and on the finish line often in first place. In short, we were all growing together, the results were coming, and our team was running at its best. Everyone in their place, everyone getting stronger and stronger with each appointment. We were like a tight-knit orchestra ready to debut in a big theater.

A great little feat at the Giraglia

Everyone in life has their own dreams: mine is the Giraglia. If a tennis player thinks of Wimbledon or a Grand Slam tournament, every time I furl my sails to go to sea, my thoughts, instantly, take me there, to the routes of that challenge: with the will to win .

I felt we were finally ready for the big Giraglia event, and in 2023 we lined up in all three races on the program. We placed well in the first race: the San Remo-Saint Tropez. Enthusiasm skyrocketed, in the coastal regattas in Saint Tropez we sailed well, winning some races, and after passing the second fraction of races well we prepared for the final assault for the long, “Queen” of all races.

At the start we were all excited, but that shared feeling pushed us to push our limits, and so from the very first beat Suspiria’s bow made its way into the top positions. The night came and the guys were fantastic, not feeling the fatigue, never giving up, changing sails, adjusting settings, and adding enthusiasm to the group were our brave girls: Francesca, Giorgia, and Giulia. Giulitta, she is special.

When at first light we began to see the unmistakable outline of the Giraglia, we felt that our big chance was waiting for us. But a drop in the wind caught us off guard. We did not lose heart. So we began to change course, looking for every rivulet of wind, any ripple in the sea. Close to our hull were the Argentines from From Now – a Swan 45 – fearsome and fast.

They were strong, but we were not willing to give an inch. The Argentines chose to go to the right side of the race course, and so we veered to the left. The race became a race to be the first to find a trickle of air that could get the boat going again. A game of nerves, skill, flair, and luck. So all the way to Genoa, through puffs and bonanza. When we finally managed to restart, our opponents paraded and beat us to the finish line by a few minutes.

A hurricane of emotions

The sorrow over that ending, however, did not take away from the great satisfaction with our result. We were among the best in one of the most coveted races in the world. Who knows if after all those miles, a place on the podium – on corrected time – would have been there for us. My heart experienced its first jolt when our second place in the “long” was made official. And it was only the prologue to a magical and overwhelming finale, because shortly afterwards the host of that ceremony raised his microphone to announce the last award ceremony, and what he said was music to our ears: “In the combined, in first place, ahead of all, is SUSPIRIA THE REVENGE!”

The rest is a hurricane of irrepressible emotions, joy, and sincere hugs between a group of brave boys and an old captain who with his crew takes the stage to experience one of the best moments of his life. When I look at my wrist, that Rolex Yacht Master I received as a prize that day for winning the combined at the Giraglia reminds me, and will forever remind me, of our great little feat.

Antonino Venneri,
owner of the ClubSwan 42 Suspiria The Revenge