Marina degli Aregai, 3/5 March 2022. 05 March 2023 –

An east wind of around 10 knots accompanied the start of the third and final day of racing of the first stage of the Optimist Italia Kinder Joy Of Moving Trophy, underway since last Friday at the Sanremo Yacht Club and with almost 350 young sailors from all over Italy and from Lithuania, the Principality of Monaco, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland.

During the morning the wind gradually decreased until it stabilized at around 6 knots, a condition which, thanks to a very strong current in the same direction of the wind which made the upwind courses extremely long, allowed the two fleets of Division A to bring home a race only (entire for the blue fleet, shortened for the yellow one, which saw the finish moved to the stern gate); the athletes of Division B instead failed to reach the windward mark within the maximum time and, after waiting a couple of hours in the water waiting for the wind, they returned to land around 2 pm with the regatta now declared over.

“It was a more difficult event than expected, both for the very variable weather conditions, and for the regatta field which, due to the current, proved to be a tough opponent – declares Marcello Meringolo, AICO Technician – but the tests brought to term have all been valid and we are very satisfied with this. Many of the probable Azzurrini who will be selected for the next national team were present at this regatta, the level of the competition was decidedly high”.

In the afternoon the regatta awards were held at the Kinder Village, during which Beppe Zaoli, president of the Sanremo Yacht Club, Beatrice Cozzi Parodi of the Marina degli Aregai, the Commodore of the Sanremo Yacht Club Umberto Zocca, Massimo Castiglia representing the sponsor Kinder and the AICO secretary Walter Cavallucci.

At the conclusion of the four disputed races, the overall classification of Division A sees the podium occupied by three athletes from the Centro Nautico Bardolino, Leandro Scialpi, Alberto Avanzini and Artur Brighenti, followed in fourth and fifth position by Jesper Karlsen and Victoria Demurtas from Fraglia Vela Riva . On the other hand, Victoria Demurtas (Fraglia Vela Riva), Anna Chiara Merlo (LNI Mandello Del Lario), Sofia Bommartini (Fraglia Vela Malcesine), Gaia Zinali (CV Antignano) and Martina Corno (CV Bellano) are at the top of the women’s classification in Division A.

In Division B, the top positions in the overall classification are occupied by Niccolò Lonardi of Fraglia Vela Malcesine, followed by Filippo Nardocci and Jacopo Vitellaro of LNI Ostia; the female classification is instead made up of Annalie Meoni and Nina Cesari of the Fraglia Vela Malcesine, and in third place Elena Guidi of the Vela Club Palermo. During the awards ceremony, the awards for the Best Helmsman of the year 2014 and 2012 were also awarded, assigned respectively to Edoardo Mortillaro of the Palermo Vela Club and Filippo Noto of the Marsala Canottieri Society.