UK's Round the Island Race twins with Italy's Barcolana Regatta
by Chrystal Flavin 15 Jun 2019 14:28 BST
Commodore Dave Atkinston (Round the Island Race, UK) and President Mitja Gialuz (Barcolana Regatta, Italy) sign a twinning agreement © Anna Szydlowska
Representatives from two of the world's biggest sailing races, the Round the Island Race (UK) and Barcolana Regatta (Italy) have come together to sign a twinning agreement.
Signed by Commodore Dave Atkinston on behalf of Round the Island Race and President Mitja Gialuz of the Barcolana Regatta, the twinning agreement is set to encourage the world famous sailing events to share knowledge on safety and best practice whilst working together to promote common values such as creating a race for all and protecting the environment. Taking place during a prestigious ceremony at the Italian Embassy, the signing of the agreement was witnessed by the Ambassador of Italy, H.E. Raffaele Trombetta.
The Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club, takes place on Saturday 29th June 2019 and is the largest sailing event in the UK, with over 1,500 yachts regularly competing for more than 200 prizes. Barcolana Regatta presented by Generali is organised by Societa Velica di Barcola e Grignano and is also known for its popularity with nearly 2,700 yachts participating in 2018, making it officially the world's largest regatta in The Guinness Book of World Records. Now in its 51st year, the regatta is held every year on the second Sunday of October in Trieste, Italy.
Crews from the Island Sailing Club and Societa Velica di Barcola e Grignano will be competing in both world-famous races to learn from each other and share best practice and their passion for sailing.
Dave Atkinson comments: "The Round the Island Race has drawn celebrities, professional sailors as well as families and amateur sailors to Cowes for over 80 years. We're proud to be a 'race for all' and I'm looking forward to welcoming Mitja and the crews from Societa Velica di Barcola e Grignano to Cowes.
"The twinning agreement cements our relationship with the Barcolana Regatta and we hope that it will lead to a bigger goal of creating a sailing 'Grand Slam' for all to enjoy."
Mitja Gialuz comments: "Round the Island race and Barcolana share the objective of promoting sailing and its spirit. I would like to personally thank the Island Sailing Club for inviting us to Cowes to take part in the Round the Island Race this year.
"We have a dream. We want to create a sailing 'Grand Slam' for those who love this sport and the seafaring culture; a circuit of sailing races with a large number of participants to bring together the traditions of various oceans and continents, to share our mutual passion for sailing and seafaring traditions, and to protect our oceans and seas. Our two clubs have a lot in common: our passion for sailing and the commitment of our members has allowed us to make sailing popular by joining the spirit of adventure of amateurs and the desire to win of professional sailors. That's the starting point of our great project: seas and oceans have no borders and by joining forces we can raise awareness on the need to protect our Oceans, develop sustainable tourism and promote our sport."
Sailors interested in participating in the Round the Island Race will be able to keep up to date with the latest news on social media using the hashtag #raceforall and can enter online on the Round the Island Race website: www.roundtheisland.org.uk
The 51st Barcolana race will be held in Trieste on 13th October 2019. Entries for the race are already open online on the website at www.barcolana.it