(AGENPARL) – Rome, 10 June 2024
(AGENPARL) – Mon 10 June 2024 Golden moment for the Viareggio Historic Sails Association, which after an exciting sixth edition of the Coppa Ponte Vecchio in Florence, reserved for the historic dinghies of the 12′ Dinghy class, successfully concluded the fourth edition of the Capraia Sail Rally, which took place on the Tuscan island from 6 to 8 June 2024. Around twenty vintage, classic and historic boats participated, which gave life to a real Floating Museum moored along the quays of the port, with signage describing their story. If we add that recently the correspondent of “Striscia la notizia” Davide Rampello also praised the island in his column Countries and Landscapes and that the municipal administration, in the person of the mayor of Capraia Lorenzo Renzi, wanted to establish a trophy special dedicated to sails, it is confirmed that what was strongly desired by the Viareggio Historical Sails Association, chaired by the Florentine Gianni Fernandes, has achieved the objective of enhancing the timeless charm of these boats in a unique landscape context. The Capraia Sail Rally, again this year characterized by great conviviality and friendship between the crews, was organized with the patronage of the Tuscany Region, the Province of Livorno, the Municipality of Capraia Isola, the FIV Italian Sailing Federation, the Coast Guard, the AIVE Italian Sailing Association d’Epoca and the Noble Maritime Order of the Knights of Capraia.
On Thursday 6 June the boats arrived in Capraia until late in the evening due to the lack of wind along the route. The day’s rankings were drawn up by the Florentine Frisbi energia naturale, a company supplying only renewable electricity, which made Barbara 1923 its “operational base” to analyze the Navionics traces of the path of all the hulls after the “multi-departure” which took place from various ports in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The fleet was awaited by a convivial welcome cocktail held at the House of the Noble Maritime Order of the Knights of Capraia. The first coastal regatta took place on Friday 7 June between two buoys located respectively in front of the sixteenth-century Forte San Giorgio and in front of Le Formiche, rocks emerging near Punta della Teglia, off the northern coast of Capraia. Despite the light breezes, up to 5 knots of intensity, it was possible to conclude the race, with Mariska 1908 still leading the competition. In the afternoon, the historic cars taking part in the “Isola di Capraia” Competition of Elegance disembarked from the ferry, combining vintage cars and boats. The event, organized by Vele Storiche Viareggio member Roberto Giacinti in partnership with the Scuderia Automobilistica Clemente Biondetti of Florence, saw model boats from Alfa Romeo, Triumph, Mercedes, Austin, Porsche, Fiat and Morgan parading and stopping in front of them. In the evening, the day’s awards ceremony and crew dinner took place in the Sala Ipogea. “The Capraia Sail Rally” stated Mayor Renzi, “must become an unmissable event and our community thanks the Vele Storiche Viareggio. Also for this reason I am announcing the establishment starting this year of a Challenge Trophy to be awarded to the winner of Saturday’s regatta”.
The second and final coastal race, called the “reverse regatta”, took place on Saturday 8 June. In this competition, with a sirocco wind at 15 knots, each boat started at a time established based on the handicap assigned by the organization, with the aim of allowing multiple hulls to cross the finishing line almost simultaneously. Crivizza from 1966, after having won the Cavalieri di Capraia Challenge Trophy the previous day, also won the new Isola di Capraia Classic Challenge Trophy. Second and third place of the day were Ojalà II from 1973 and the splendid Fife Mariella from 1938.
“Harmonious appreciation of the emotion produced by the combination of the car with the vintage boat”. This is the motivation with which Roberto Giacinti announced the victory of the Best of Show to Mariska from 1908 and to a 1958 Triumph TR3 of Mauro Bini from Prato teamed with Vittorio Mascaleros. If the first is the twin of the 15 Meter International Tonnage Tuiga (1909) of Prince Albert II of Monaco, an identical model of this Triumph belonged to the film star Marcello Mastroianni. Mariska raced representing the Real Club Nautico of Barcelona and won both in the 1st VSV Grouping and among the CIM Vintage Yachts. In the special car-boat classification, second place went to the Crivizza from 1966 combined with a 1959 Austin Healey 100/6 bn4, followed by Vistona from 1937 with another 1960 Austin Healey Frog Eye. Present at the event with his Mercedes 500 SL from 1990 also Stefano Biondetti, great-grandson and vice president of the Florentine Scuderia Automobilistica of the same name founded in 1957 and named after Clemente Biondetti, famous road driver who passed away in 1957 at the age of 55, winner of 2 Targhe Florio and 4 Mille Miglia . To underline the car-sailing relationship is the fact that Biondetti is also the owner of the Class ‘A’ Regina, a splendid vintage dinghy based in Versilia.
INFORMATION
Viareggio Historic Sails Association – http://www.velestoricheviareggio.org
AC Biondetti Asd Scuderia Historic Cars Secretariat: Roberto Giacinti
