A race course that could not have been more difficult and a draw that immediately pitted us against the
champions, the French team of Les Glenans. And it was precisely at the home of our 'cousins' in Marseillans, France, that we achieved the feat: a gold medal at the European Sailing Academies Cup for the Seniors (the first time ever for the Italian team) and an amazing silver for the Under 21 crew. "It's really a great result that makes us proud," said the tactician of the Senior team Vincenzo Liberati 'Polinesia', "also because the race course was really complicated, with many shoals that made the local knowledge crucial. In the first match race we faced the French, we started off with an advantage and we were neck and neck for a while, then as soon as they got rid of the mark they gained a length that led them to close with an advantage of around 10 seconds. But we are also very proud of the only match we lost because, as I said, the field was very difficult to read and the home factor was decisive.
The final success matured in all the other races, in which the CVC team always started in front of the others, winning every match with a gap between the two teams.
CVC always started ahead of the others and won every match with safe distances, up to 1 minute and a half. "We have always
our race - explains Polinesia - without aggressiveness, simply positioning ourselves well thanks to the lightning fast
thanks to the lightning starts made by Gio, our helmsman, which allowed us to build up a good lead that we then maintained.
which allowed us to build up a good lead that we then maintained on all sides.
Success of this magnitude, in both categories, is no accident. Behind it there is the hand of an exceptional sailor
Roberto Ferrarese, a former Olympian and world champion, who also looks after the Master Stage for the CVC.
Ferrarese, a former Olympian and world champion, who is also in charge of the CVC's Master Stage, which will start on the island in the next few days. The technical preparation for the manoeuvres and the crew's harmony were fundamental," commented Enrico Bertacchi, secretary general of CVC, "but the mental and psychological approach to the race was also decisive, which is the aspect on which our youngsters worked the most with Roberto, both Seniors and Under 21s, and which proved to be one of our winning weapons. The Under 21 crew were competing for the first time in an international context and were up against opponents of absolute technical prowess. The English, who finished in first place, had been preparing for this competition for months and many of their instructors, despite their young age, have an impressive CV in top-level regattas: the Under 21s' second place is worth a gold medal.
Incredible performance in wind conditions that covered the entire possible spectrum,
from almost no air to 25 knots (in which life jackets must be worn and any manoeuvre is extremely risky).
every manoeuvre becomes very risky). "This victory takes on an even more important value since the CVC will host the event at the end of September 2019 right in the waters of Caprera - adds Paolo Bordogna, President of Centro Velico Caprera-. The news has been taken with great enthusiasm by all the crews who took part in the event due to the fame of Sardinia, the Island of Caprera and the unique regatta course in the world".
Here are the names of the crews to whom a big thank you and applause is due from the whole Caprera family.
and applause from the whole Caprera family:
Senior
Lorenzo Bramonti "Wig"
Giovanni Coppo
Vicenzo Liberati "Polinesia
Ranieri Mercanti "Iveco"
Junior
Chiara Mondini
Davido Boni Brivio
Giulio Fumagalli
Fiammetta Mondini
