From Alessandro Pelliccia, Ufficio Stampa e Sito internet, F18 Italia, pictures by Marta Rovatti
The 2023 Italian Championship took place at the Circolo Velico Sferracavallo, a town near Palermo, the capital of the Sicily region, a very successful event. Thanks to this class of high-performance sports catamarans, adrenaline thrills and safety in all conditions and for all ages. Then the Palermo summer which seems to never end with sun, wind and temperatures above 30 degrees for almost the entire event. As many as 9 trials were completed with winds between 12 and 18 knots between Isola delle Femmine and Capo Gallo by a fleet of twenty-six catamarans, including three foreign crews (Finland, Germany, Switzerland).
The first five crews were awarded by the coach of the national Olympic team Nacra 17 Gabriele Ganga Bruni. The crew sponsored by Dolce Carollo formed by Matteo Fiori and Lorenzo Casamenti of the Rimini Yacht Club won the title of Italian Champions 2023. Second place for the Gielle Energy Team formed by Alessandro Siviero and Maurizio Stella (Centro Vela Dervio), followed by the Pariconsulting Team of Matteo Ferrante and Lamberto Cesari (Circolo Vela Arco). Fourth place went to Team CaroCavallo Velasurf with Andrea Sanzone and Leonardo Ruggeri (Anzio sailing club). The Circolo Velico Sferracavallo, represented by the GreenBlue Piscine team with Marco Gambardella and Felice Cupane, ranked in fifth position.
The event organized with the Formula 18 class and the patronage of the Municipality of Palermo and the participation of many sponsors who “signed” the boats, saw the participation of crews from all over the territory, from Alto Garda, Tuscany, Lazio , Campania, Molise, but also Lake Como up to the Emilian Adriatic coast and then the Sicilian locals.
Also competing are Team EcoAlf, Team Giardino di Serradifalco, Team GiBi Auto, Team Guajana, Team Malta Sail Factory, Team Pry-Cam Home, Team Real Mutua and Team SM Intermedia.
«Four days – explains president Giuseppe Giunchiglia – in which our club was a natural setting for water sports. Having hosted, for the first time, the Italian Formula18 class championship makes us very proud and testifies to the credibility and reliability of our partnership at a national level. The positive feedback from the crews is the best reward for the efforts made by all the staff – on land and in the water – of our Club.
Thanks to the crews who reached Sferracavallo, but also to those who believed in this location and created all the conditions for the event to take place in the local ITA 77 Gambardella-Cupane, to the Circolo Velico Sferracavallo, to the regatta committee always ready to make the right decisions. And then who showed this Championship, the photos of Marta Rovatti Studihrad, the drone shots and the video productions of Alessandro Pelliccia for the Class and the social communication of Viviana Cinque and finally the sponsors who supported this 2023 Italian Championship.
The F18 racing season ends here, appointment in 2024 with the World Championship in Europe!