The 89th edition of the Italian Championship concluded at the Marciana Marina Sailing Club
The 89th edition of the 12′ Italian Dinghy Championship, 89th edition, ended at the Circolo della Vela Marciana Marina (Elba island) with the victory of the Ligurian helmsman Vittorio D’ Albertas. We remind you that the Italian 12′ Dinghy Championship returned after 21 years – in 2023 – to the CVMM regatta field.
Four days of racing in particularly demanding conditions for the fleet made up of around seventy participants – at sea with the most modern fiberglass hulls and classic wooden ones – especially due to the weather and sea conditions influenced by the very disturbed situation last week on practically the entire northern Mediterranean.
In fact, on the first day of regattas, the orange weather alert issued by the Tuscany Region forced the Regatta Committee, chaired by the Romagna judge Andrea Gatta, to cancel any type of activity at sea.
On the second day of the championship, also characterized by challenging weather and sea conditions, a race was held with light and rather inconsistent winds from the point of view of the direction which oscillated between north-east and east.
The third and final day It was again challenging from the early hours of the morning: in the morning two heats were contested with sirocco winds at the limit of the intensity permitted by the class (16 knots). Subsequently, after a long wait for the crews on the ground, in the afternoon it was possible to compete in the fourth race, again with a sirocco wind, but with an intensity within the limits, which thus allowed the tricolor title to be assigned (and to be able to apply the discard of the worst result for the purposes of the final ranking).
Vittorio D’Albertas Italian champion 2024
Vittorio D’Albertas with two firsts and a third in the heats (discarding the seventh place in the opening race) became the 2024 Italian Champion, his seventh Italian title in this class, also winning the Barone Girolamo Vannucci Cup.
Behind him in second place was the Genoese Gerolamo “Gigio” Bianchi (partials 8-2-2-2) who recently returned to racing in this class after twenty years of absence.
Third position in the ranking valid the overall Italian championship for another Ligurian helmsman Alberto Patrone (partials 2-4-9-5) who won the victory in the Classics category with the Silvio Gottuzzo Trophy.
Alberto Patrone is first Master (over 65 years ); Vincenzo Penagini, standard bearer of the Italian Yacht Club of Genoa, is the first of the Super Masters (over 75 years);
the first Legend helmsman (over 80 years) is the Neapolitan Gaetano Allodi.
The first Lady helmsman classified Elena Balestrieri from Chioggio was awarded the Mario Catalano Trophy; Also competing in the pink quota are the secretary of the Francesca Lodigiani class. The Daccà Trophy went to the first competitor under 40, the Tuscan Antonio Iacometti (6th overall).
The other challenge trophies awarded were: the Francesco Bariffi Trophy to the first Vintage Classic Dinghy (built before 1975) at Titti Carmagnani’s boat “Scignoria”; the best helmsman of the Garda Fleet, Marco Dubbini (9th overall), won the Guerrino Pifferi Trophy, the best of the Lario Fleet, Andrea Cito Filo Marino who won the Marco Moschioni Trophy.
Fierce participation in the 89th Italian Dinghy 12′ Championship
“It was a beautiful baptism of fire, in the first twenty days of my four-year presidency – declared CVMM president Giuseppe Messana – having to face the fierce team of 12′ Dinghy owners, participating in the 89th Italian Championship of the class . Thanks, however, to the equally fierce war machine, made up of our “boys” (as our employees are now known), the councillors, the members who volunteered and all the friends from the sailing clubs and elsewhere, who came from all over the world. ‘island to support us in the organizational effort, the event managed to come to an end without incidents. All this also thanks to the active collaboration of the land and sea law enforcement agencies, who ensured that everything was carried out correctly and safely. Even the sponsors, whether long-standing or more recently acquired, contributed to the smooth running of the event which, as far as I was concerned, was a notable success. For other aspects, it is up to our guests to evaluate. We thank them for choosing Marciana Marina for this important event, we hope to have fulfilled our task and obviously we apologize for any possible errors in the organisation”.
Appreciation for the success of the event was expressed by the class through the voice of its secretary Francesca Lodigiani: “Marciana Marina and her Sailing Club welcomed us after 21 years with great availability. We had a good time and appreciated how between councillors, members, volunteers, staff and the collaboration of all the Elban clubs who made men and means available, despite the weather, we managed to have a valid Championship held, with a good fight in sea and the pleasure of being together on land that characterizes the 12′ Dinghy Class.
The success of the event held in Marciana Marina
The event took place under the patronage of the Municipality of Marciana Marina and the collaboration of the local Pro Loco Marciana Marina . All the sailing clubs in Elba contributed to the organisation, making some vehicles and staff available for assistance at sea. They supported the Acqua dell’Elba event with prizes for the winners of all the competing categories; Aithàle/Terme di San Giovanni with prizes for the participating sailors; Fonte Napoleone who supplied over 1500 bottles of mineral water to the competitors and the organisation; Moby has always been alongside CVMM regarding transport to the island of Elba.