A blank cannon shot fired at 6pm sharp on April 24th from the frigate Margottini kicked off the seventh edition of the «Ran 630», the Naval Academy Regatta. Also greeted by Giovanni Soldini, the fleet of 15 boats, of which 6 are racing doubles and the others with full crews, headed towards Porto Cervo in Sardiniawhere the first mark of the 630 mile course is positioned, making the Ran 630 the longest offshore race in the Mediterranean.
Livorno, Porto Cervo, Faraglioni of Capri, Livorno: the queen route
The Ran 630, main sponsor le Gullo workshopsis part of the International Sailing Week Naval Academy – City of Livorno and organized by Livorno Yacht Club in collaboration with theNaval Academy and the Sailing section MM of Livorno “Riccardo Gorla”.
The regatta, whose route is Livorno, Porto Cervo, Faraglioni of Capri, Livorno, takes place as always under the aegis of FIV and UVAI and is a valid test for the Italian Offshore Championship with a coefficient of 3, the highest. The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the Yacht Club Capri will be responsible for checking the passage of the competitors at the respective gates of the route. The final rankings will be calculated with the ORC and IRC compensation systems, both for full and double crews.
Support from the Navy
Thanks to the support of the Navy, the fleet will also be able to count in this edition on the monitoring of the entire regatta field by the Operations Center of the Naval Team’s Chief Command, thus guaranteeing the competitors the best safety conditions.
Many of the competitors are veterans of this fascinating regatta, who return year after year. Among these the Grand Soleil 40′ Blues by Maglione-Villioverall and Double Handed winner in 2021 and the Class 40 Vaquita by Alessio Bernabò, disabled skipper and member of the Livorno Yacht Club. Gian Luca Conti, president of the Livorno Yacht Club, also welcomed the crews.
The boats of the military corps also compete for the Gold Medal for Military Valor Trophy, Reserve Captain Saverio Marotta, reserved for them. On this occasion, three sailboats from the Navy are competing: the IMX 40 Antares, the First 36.7 Fomalhaut and Gemini, a 1983 IOR First Class designed by Andrea Vallicelli.
The Polar Star and the training regatta towards Northern Europe
And a greeting on departure also came from the crew of the Stella Polare, sailing ship of the Navy which, after the departure of the Ran 630, headed towards northern Europe for its training campaign with the students of the Naval Academy.
Since the first edition in 2018, the Ran 630 has adhered to the ethical principles for the protection of the sea promoted by the Charta Smeralda of One Ocean Foundation, Sustainability partner of the regatta. In the last edition, the competitors were offered the initiative of the Onboard Ecological Manager (RECO), a new crew figure responsible for good practices of sustainability and protection of the sea, which this year has become an integral part of the FIV Regulations for offshore racing. Precisely on the protection of the sea, a topic very dear to him, Giovanni Soldini shortly before departure he held a conference.
