Also the sailing boat of the Roan, the air-naval department of the Fiamme Gialle Labroniche, at the Viareggio – Bastia – Viareggio sailing regatta, Angelo Moratti trophy
This year, the Guardia di Finanza, as part of the celebrations planned for the 250th anniversary of its foundation, wanted to accept the invitation to participate, with its own vessel, in the Viareggio – Bastia – Viareggio, regatta which, in the national and international sailing scene, represents an important competition in the Altura Irc and Orc classes. The participating naval structure, belonging to the required sailing class, is the Grifone III, a beautiful sailing boat belonging to the Corps fleetstationed at the Nautical School of Gaeta, i.e. the training and post-training institute for financiers of the air-naval sector of the Guardia di Finanza.
In particular, the Grifone III is a vessel normally used for the training of financial students, inspectors and naval officers, with a truly unique history.
Launched in 1988 by the D’Ambrosi shipyard in Lavagna, with the name of White Angelas it was designed to transport large quantities of narcotic substances, in the same year it set sail for South America from where it returned with its first load of cocaine but, intercepted in the Mediterranean, it was escorted to port by units of the Financial Police for a check.
It will be precisely after the seizure and subsequent confiscation that this vessel, together with two others, will be made available to the Corps to train its crews.
At the inauguration ceremony of the regatta, yesterday evening, in addition to the city and provincial authorities, the regional general commander of the division Giuseppe Magliocco was present, accompanied by the provincial commander of Lucca, colonel Marco Querqui, by that of the Livorno air-naval operations department, lieutenant colonel pilot Nicola Navarra, as well as by the commander of the Viareggio Group, lieutenant colonel Matteo Giardi. The general officer, shortly before the opening ceremony of the event, wanted to meet, on board the Grifone III, the crew taking part in the competition.
The regatta – chosen among the events that aim to evoke the transversality of employment and the different specialties with which the Guardia di Finanza operates on a daily basis – represents an important showcase to exalt the centuries-old seafaring traditions of its naval component.
Today, after the starting line of the race field has been cut, it will be possible to appreciate this, thanks also to the new livery that the Grifone III showed off for the occasion, appropriately redesigned to celebrate, especially with the effigy placed on the main sail, the 250 years of the foundation of the Corps.
