Barcolana56 presented by Generali kicks off with over 1,000 participants already registered
by Barcolana 30 Sep 12:06 PDT
4-13 October 2024
Barcolana56 presented by Generali kicks off © Barcolana
Everything is ready for the 56th edition of the Barcolana to kick off on Friday, 4 October with over 300 events, which will culminate in the world's largest regatta taking place on 13 October, whose motto this year is going to be "Positive Energies."
The event has been presented today by its organisers, Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano (SVBG, the Sailing Club of Barcola and Grignano) and presenting partner Generali, which has reinforced its presence "on board" for this edition, especially by focusing on further developing the project 'Women in Sailing by Generali'. The project was created in 2020 with the aim of promoting inclusion in the world of sailing by awarding a cup to the first team skippered by a woman to cross the finish line and by organising a number of awareness-raising initiatives. Generali and Barcolana have decided that 'Women in Sailing', to this day a platform connected to this specific regatta, should take on a new dimension this year, so that the number of women holding decision-making roles in sailing can increase not only in the world's largest regatta, but in sailing competitions at large.
The Barcolana in short - In a year during which sailing has been playing a major role from the Olympics to the America's Cup, Barcolana has assembled a calendar featuring more than 300 events on land and at sea and is ready to engage with an ever-growing public, combining sports and fun with the positive energy deriving from projects of inclusion, sustainability, education and dissemination which all have the sea as their common denominator, and creating a comprehensive platform that puts Trieste and the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in the limelight.
The first weekend - The Barcolana is kicking off with the traditional flag-hoisting ceremony taking place at the headquarters of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano on Friday, 4 October, followed by a free concert by Subsonica, who will open the event to the sound of music. On the first weekend of October more than 1,000 athletes around the region will take to the sea for a series of events, including the Barcolana Grado SUP Experience (which is on its way to doubling the number of participants compared to 2023); the Barcolana Beach Sprint taking place in Lignano; the Barcolana Fun across the Northern Adriatic Sea, from Savudrija to Lignano; and then the competitions being held in Trieste, among which the Barcolana Young, featuring the young sailors competing in the Optimist class; the Barcolana Nuota (Barcolana Swims), which has now reached its 10th edition and will involve more than 350 open-water swimming enthusiasts, including a significant number of athletes with disabilities; and a competition for water polo enthusiasts taking place in front of Piazza Unità.
"By bringing to the sea more than 1,000 athletes of different disciplines all around the region, we have achieved an extraordinary result thanks to a winning strategy we have been following over the years and which has been supported by PromoturismoFVG. There will be many water sports playing a central role in the Barcolana," said SVBG President Mitja Gialuz, "because the Barcolana is turning more and more into a festival of the sea, which succeeds in bringing together fans of many disciplines who are united by a passion for the sea."
Events at sea - The week leading up to the world's largest regatta will first feature Parasailing (from 7 to 10 October), which will include regattas and opportunities for people with disabilities to come together and to experience going to sea. The Barcolana Maxi - Trofeo Portopiccolo (Portopiccolo Cup) (from 9 to 11 October) and the Barcolana Solaris Adriatic Cup (10 and 11 October) will follow, offering a preview of the Barcolana itself. They will be dedicated respectively to boats more than 16 meters long and to Solaris Yatchs boats, a shipyard made in Friuli-Venezia Giulia which is celebrating its 50th anniversary and has chosen the Barcolana to share this achievement with all sailing enthusiasts.
The Gulf of Trieste will also host the Barcolana FIV Foil Academy, dedicated to fans of disciplines such as wing foiling, kitesurfing, windsurf foiling and moth sailing, and will welcome vintage boats competing in the Barcolana Classic - Trofeo SIAD (SIAD Cup) (12 October) and One Design boats taking part in various competitions. It will then host the Trieste24 - Trofeo GHC Sanatorio Triestino, the Barcolana By Night Snam Cup, i.e. the stadium race taking place on the eve of the Barcolana right in front of Piazza Unità, and the Barcolana Sea Chef, "captained" by well-known and award-winning chefs.
The focus on 'Women in Sailing' - The 'Women in Sailing by Generali' regatta will take place on Friday, 11 October. This event, which has been organised by Barcolana and Generali and is aimed at promoting knowledge of mixed crews among the sailing community, will feature major players at sea, ranging from Olympic sailor Caterina Banti, two-time Olympic gold medalist in a mixed team, to one of the up-and-coming mixed sailing teams featuring Lisa Vucetti and Vittorio Bonifacio, the very young 420 champions who will be playing at home, as they are SVBG athletes. The two local talents, who have won a world youth title, two European titles and an Italian title in 2024, have been nominated by the Italian Sailing Federation (FIV) for a highly coveted international award, as announced today by FIV President Francesco Ettorre.
On Sunday 13 October, during the Barcolana, the 'Generali Women in Sailing Trophy' will be awarded to the mixed team with a woman in the role of skipper that first crosses the finish line. The winner will be rewarded with a coaching and leadership course customised to her needs by Generali Academy.
The key theme of the press conference has been 'Women in Sailing', a project which has been improved by Barcolana and Generali starting from a study commissioned to SWG and aimed at analysing the issues that hinder the spread of mixed teams in the world of sailing. The underlying assumption is that experiencing mixed teams at a young age is key towards more inclusive sailing. Overcoming the issues hindering mixed teams in sailing today means providing young people with a more comprehensive sporting and social experience now, while also ensuring a greater number of mixed crews on open-water boats in the future. The results of the study are the new starting point for 'Women in Sailing' - over the next few months Generali and Barcolana, in partnership with FIV and World Sailing, with the support of psychologists and coaches, and based on the responses to the study, will draft educational materials and make them available to sailing clubs and instructors in order to provide support in removing the barriers that limit mixed youth sailing and thus strengthen the creation of mixed youth teams.
Generali Chairman Andrea Sironi said, "Generali promotes a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Sport is an extraordinary tool for education as well as physical and mental well-being, contributing to the development of individuals and collective growth. With this in mind, we are committed to taking concrete actions such as the Generali Women in Sailing Trophy, part of a project which, from the enhancement of a single person's commitment in Barcolana, is now expanding to a wider audience, with the provision of new tools to benefit sailing clubs, athletes and coaches. Addressing the obstacles holding back the youth mixed sailing experience today means ensuring more mixed crews made up of adults in the future, as well as a more complete sporting and social experience."
Events on land - More than 200 exhibitors, sponsors, partners and institutions will welcome thousands of sailors and sailing enthusiasts on land. They will be the protagonists of the Barcolana Village, which will be opened in Piazza Unità and Scala Reale in the afternoon of Saturday, 5 October, and will then extend along the Rive (Trieste's waterfront) starting from Wednesday, 9 October. Piazza Unità will be transformed to look like the sea - it will host a 50-foot boat "moored" by Solaris in the center of the square, as a manifesto of the region's great shipbuilding expertise, as well as the wonderful installation 'Deep Blue Exploration Zone', which will be part of this year's village to raise awareness of the connection between the ocean and all life on the planet through an immersive experience featuring videos of deep-sea exploration shot by the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor (too) and BioMa.
Sharing and inclusion will also be at the heart of the free-access workshops for children that The Human Safety Net initiative will offer on 10,11,12 and 13 October in the Generali space in Piazza Unità d'Italia together with the Centre for Child Health (CSB).
"We designed the Barcolana Village with great passion and effort so that the audience of the Barcolana can have fun, learn, be amazed, celebrate and bring joy to the Barcolana," said President Gialuz. All of the Barcolana's onshore activities and events are open to the public. A day-by-day calendar has been published for people to find their way across the many opportunities for gatherings, cultural events and fun. It is now available online at www.barcolana.it, as well as distributed in printed form at the information point in Piazza Unità and in hospitality facilities.
The big events - In addition to hosting crews, partners and events jointly organised by local associations and institutions, Barcolana has organised a number of big events on land. These include: the opening concert organised with the Municipality of Trieste; the Barcolana Sea Summit, consisting of four days of events dedicated to sea health and covering economics, dissemination of knowledge and sea governance (from 8 to 11 October); 'Barcolana, Un Mare di Racconti' (Barcolana, A Sea of Tales) (from 9 to 12 October), a literary festival featuring, among others, the Premio Campiello winner Federica Manzon; the Barcolana Sea Chef (9 October). Their common denominator is the theme of sustainability and the commitment to make the event itself more sustainable. Barcolana has also organised the exhibition 'Dal pensiero alla mano' (From Thought to Hand), showcasing the designs of master shipwright Federico Lenardon, opening on Saturday, 5 October at Sala Comunale D'Arte in Piazza Unità (vernissage at 6 p.m.).
On Saturday, 12 October the 'Barcolana Ski FVG' will take place, an event conceived by PromoTurismoFVG to showcase the uniqueness of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, where you can experience both the mountains and the sea on the same day. Four former ski champions representing Italy, Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia will be the faces of the event. At 10:30 a promotional alpine skiing team competition will be held on the Aurisina artificial slope, led by the former champions and the young athletes of the regional team, and at 5 p.m. authorities will give a speech in Piazza Unità, where the hospitality area will be available. The former champions will then board the Solaris 60 yatch, the standard bearer of the 'Io Sono Friuli Venezia Giulia' (I am Friuli Venezia Giulia) message for the Barcolana regatta, together with representatives of the Frecce Tricolori (Tricolour Arrows).
Meanwhile, sailors are getting ready - more than 1,000 people have already registered for the event, from large boats coming to win to small family boats, some of which are planning to sail up the Eastern and Western Adriatic together as part of the 'Go to Barcolana' regattas from Ravenna and from Slovenia, which are going to play a central role in the days leading up to the Barcolana. The Nice, the Guardia di Finanza boat, is on its way to Trieste, too - they have chosen the Barcolana as the concluding event of the corps' 250thanniversary celebrations.
For more information visit www.barcolana.it.