It will be yet another rich and intense year for the Yacht Club Sanremo Compagnia della Vela, the club set on Italy’s Ligurian Riviera, with a full racing programme including several national and international events.

The first key event of the season is only a few days away: the Carnival Race, from 21 to 24 February, a regatta for 420 and 470 classes with around 200 crews from twenty nations expected to muster in Sanremo.

Having become a traditional venue for the class, Sanremo will host-from March 14 to 17-the International Dragon Cup, that will surely see a consistent land very competitive line-up.

From May 6 to 14, the best sailors from the continent and from all over the world will gather for the 470 European Championship, with duos coming as far as China and Japan. To guarantee the best facilities ashore the boats will be based at the Marina degli Aregai in the close village of Santo Stefano al Mare while racing will be managed by the Yacht Club Sanremo.

On June 7, a large number of Italian boats will convene in Sanremo for the traditional rally race to Saint-Tropez in France for the start of the super classic Rolex Giraglia, that will feature a midnight start  after a fireworks show.

A few days later, from 23 to 29 June, the Yacht Club focus will switch to offshore racing for the IRC Europeans.

The IDA, International Dragon Association, has selected the Yacht Club Sanremo for a unique event: the 90th anniversary of the one-design boat created in 1929 by Norway’s designer Johan Anker, that has never ceased to be appreciated by sailors from all over the world. The Dragon 90th Anniversary Regatta, with a fleet of over 250 teams expected to participate, from October 5 to 11, will feature many world, olympic and international sailings stars.

From October 14 to 20, the J70 Italian Championship, open to foreign flagged teams too, will close the international racing season in Sanremo.

In 2019 the club will continue co-operating with international institutions, namely the Yacht Club de Monaco, co-organiser of the Trophée Grimaldi from Sanremo to Monaco and back.

The full 2019 calendar, complete with notices of racing and entry forms, is available at this link: https://www.yachtclubsanremo.it/regate/

Besides top racing events, the Yacht Club Sanremo’s dedicated staff will keep focusing on its Optimist and 420 racing teams with extensive training on site and participating to several events in Italy and abroad, national, European and Worlds championships.

The Yacht Club Sanremo’s sailing and social activities are supported by its main sponsors: the City of Sanremo, Abate Gioielli, Gruppo Cozzi Parodi, Portosole Sanremo and Hotel Royal.

Editor’s notes:

The tradition of sail racing in Sanremo dates back to the start of the 20th century, despite the Compagnia della Vela being established only in 1920. Since the beginning the Compagnia della vela has hosted high-profile events, and in 1930 joined the Italian naval league. In 1947 the Compagnia della Vela was reconstituted and in 1956, became the “Yacht Club Sanremo”, while retaining the previous name too.

In 1953 the Compagnia della Vela contributed to the creation of the Giraglia, an event conceived by Pier Franco Gavagnin, Beppe Croce and Renè Levainville, that was bound to become a classic of offshore sailing in the Mediterranean.Over the years activity gradually shifted from dinghies to offshore, and the Yacht Club has been constantly organizing national and international championships, contributing to the history of Italian sailing.

The Yacht Club and its mooring, locker rooms, classrooms and recreational areas, is located on the North pier of Porto Vecchio, the beating heart of the so called “city of flowers”. The club’s entrance is adorned by the beautiful royal ladder from the ship Augustus, dating back to 1927.