35th Garda Optimist Open Meeting - Day 1
by Elena Giolai 13 Apr 2017 23:13 BST
12-16 April 2017
It was a great technical and organisational start, thanks to the understanding between Fraglia Vela Riva staff and the Race Committee. As scheduled, Cadets (9-11 years old) completed two races, while the Juniors (12-15 years old) sailed three races.
Not only a regatta, but an extraordinary celebration with many new friends
Over the years, the Lake Garda Optimist Meeting gets more and more stunning: children and teenagers are thrilled to participate in the Guinnes World Record's Regatta, as well as their parents, who experience Garda Trentino and Riva del Garda as perfect locations for those who love nature and outdoor sports. In the mornings, before the beginning of the races, an endless stream of skateboarders, bicycles, sports equipment spread in the area of Fraglia Vela Riva and the centre of the town until the Palavela, where the boats are parked and later moved towards the lake ready to be launched.
Today - day one of the races - the 1063 final participants reached the starting line by midday: the five junior fleets started their competition on time, while the cadets' course placed in the north benefitted only later from the wind, which permitted to sail two good races.
Cadets, 2 races - 278 participants
Among the youngsters, Maria Vittoria Arseni (CV Roma) leads the way thanks to her 1st and 4th place, followed by the Spanish Codinachs (1-7). The Czech Kraus Lukas is just three points away, while Manuel De Asmundis (Fraglia Vela Riva) is outdistanced by two further points (11-2). Noteworthy is the final 6th place of Alex Demurtas, who unexpectedly won after the 13th place of the first race.
Juniors, 3 races - 785 (after 2 races, 3rd race being processed)
The Slovak sailor Krivosudsky had two first places and is on the top of the temporary results, followed by the Italian Tommaso Boccuni (Fraglia Vela Riva) placed 2nd, 3rd is the American sailor Baker (1-2). The Danish Laura Kjaer is the first female, scoring a great eighth general place, winning the first race (1-11). The Italians in the Top Ten are Jan Pernarcic (Yacht Club Cupa) placed 6th (4-5) and Mattia Cesana (Fraglia Vela Riva), the Cadet winner of the past edition of the Meeting, placed 9th. It is to note also the performance of Francesco Novelli (Fraglia Vela Malcesine) placed 13th, who also won the Meeting few years ago as Cadet.
Did You Know?
"Did you know that there is a buddy coming from the North Pole?!" someone says this morning on the dock... it is clear that the children imagination was affected by the Scandinavian countries Norway, Sweden and Denmark! Who knows how many oddities are stated during the Lake Garda Optimist Meeting, considering that the country represented are thirty - the furthermost ones are Mexico, Canada, Thailand, Russia, and the USA, just to name a few. J
www.fragliavelariva.it/regatta/2247/view