PORTO SANTO STEFANO. Sailing and the sea were his great passions. And it was precisely in that sea that she loved that he met his death. He was Pietro Stipa, 26 years old, originally from Porto Santo Stefano where the family has its home in Pozzarello. His family has always been divided between Argentario and Orbetello.
Stipa was a young officer of the Navy’s SDAI (Demining and Defense Against Dangerous Vehicles) unit and died shortly after 3 am on Saturday in the waters between Isola Madre and those of Santo Stefano in La Maddalena, Sardinia. An area of which he was also familiar due to his work in the Navy. The twenty-six year old had gone out on a dinghy for a night ride. He was accompanied by a girl.
For reasons still under investigation, his dinghy crashed into the rocks: the young officer, after the impact, was thrown out and hit his head violently against the rocks, losing consciousness. According to an initial reconstruction, he died instantly and not from drowning, as confirmed by a serious head wound. The alarm was given by a man who was in the port and heard a loud noise. The Port Authority was on site and, after about an hour, found Stipa’s body on the seabed and recovered it.
The girl – who was unharmed – who was with him was in shock. The news of the young man’s death arrived in Maremma as a cold shower for all those who knew him and with whom he had shared his love for sailing. Disconcertion in Talamone where there is the sailing school that Pietro attended.
«Pietro has always been a very lively boy since he was little – recalls a former teammate – he was the little one in our Talamone sailing team. None of us would have expected that he would enter the Naval Academy in Livorno and instead he surprised everyone. He had found his way. Then I lost sight of him due to commitments that separated us. I am very sorry for this tragedy that struck him and his family.”
The guys who raced with him on the Optimists are all shocked. They struggle to speak and believe what happened: «He began his sailing activity in Talamone in 2007 until around 2012 – his fellow sailors recall – taking part in summer sailing courses, then continuing with the pre-competitive path until arriving at competitiveness. He had done years of racing in Optimist. After attending scientific high school he decided to enter the Academy and later became an officer. He was a golden boy, with a head on his shoulders. We can’t understand how something like this could have happened to him who went into the sea a lot in the area where the accident happened. Pietro was very polite and always smiling. A boy with a lot of discipline that had been taught to him by his family.”
Marco Iazzetta was Pietro’s coach at the Talamone sailing club: «Pietro was in Optimist with the Talamone sailing club – recalls the coach – I took him to the regatta. He was one of the promising sailors in the area. The sea and sailing have always been his world. He was an athletic boy, passionate about sports and the sea like his father. A kind-hearted person, at the time I met him – he adds – a very polite and cheerful boy. He was a great group of guys. Learning about this tragedy is a great blow to the heart.” Another of his coaches also in Talamone, the sailor Andrea Fornaro, is also shocked: «This I received – he comments – is terrible news. I trained Pietro and took him on a boat with me a few times. A golden and beautiful boy. He was always smiling and he was very good on the boat. A wonderful boy. Over time I lost contact with them but this news is truly dramatic.”
Condolence was expressed by the board of directors, by the entire Vela Talamone club and by its president, Admiral Sergio Biraghi: «We are affectionately close to the family for this dramatic event, remembering the first steps on the sea taken with us by dear Pietro». In 2019, Stipa participated in the “Las Anclas” Trophy – “Snipe” class regatta. © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
