While most of the sailing world is struggling to get enough boats to make a regatta of it, in Europe they are cooking with gas to the point of almost absurdity. I am thinking of the ILCA, The International Laser Class Association which has been holding massive regattas across Europe all summer.
They have a number of classes within the ILCA, or eurILCA, the full European monte that hosts regattas in 42 European countries. There are three main classes; ILCA 4 which is a short rigged laser primarily for youth sailors. There is ILCA 6, a mid-sized rig used as the women’s Olympic class, and also raced by men, youth, and masters, and then for the big guns ILCA 7 which has the largest rig, sailed by men in the Olympics.
They also have five Master categories for sailors older than 30 all the way up to Legend Class for those 75+. I think that you get my point. There are a lot of sailors of all shapes and sizes competing at the highest level all over Europe and the depth of talent is extraordinary.
Right now they are racing on beautiful Lake Garda. If you are driving from Milan to Venice, halfway on the left you will see this stunning body of water that stretches as far as you can see. I know this because I stopped there a few years ago on my honeymoon (the marriage that didn’t last but it was fun while it did).
At the northern end of Lake Garda there is Riva del Garda, an antique Italian town that stretches up a valley. This week they have 640 sailors from 38 countries competing. Now that’s a fleet if you ask me.
The sailing is tricky because the wind funnels down the lake between steep mountains either side. The wind starts before dawn and is called the Pelèr and blows north until around midday when I switches to a southerly wind called Ora which blows all afternoon. It all makes for a petrie dish of tricky sailing.
For my part I would like to meet the sailor who has the guts to port tack the fleet at the start. Yes sailing is alive and well all across Europe while our sailing body fusses and muddles with rules and regulations. – Brian Hancock.
Title inspiration thanks to Drizzy.
