Grand Soleil Cup 2022: The great return to Punta Ala
by Grand Soleil Yachts 24 May 2022 16:49 BST
20-22 May 2022
For the 20th anniversary of the Grand Soleil Cup, Cantiere del Pardo returned to Punta Ala after more than 10 years, a famous and renowned marina all across Italy. More than 25 Grand Soleil yachts are permanently moored.
Thanks to the collaboration with Yacht Club Punta Ala, Marina of Punta Ala, and official local dealer Mar-Go, more than 50 registered boats were able to gather for two intense days of sailing in the Tuscan waters, with Elba Island as a backdrop: one of Italy's most prestigious regatta courses.
Indeed, the weather conditions lived up to expectations: two days of sunshine and light wind allowed all sailors to have fun and enjoy the regatta, from the most experienced sailors, such as Enrico De Crescenzo, owner of the GS 48 Race Luduan 2.0, to owners crossing a start line for the very first time, such as Marco Cusinato owner of the GS 52LC Wonderland.
The Grand Soleil Cup 2022 saw Cantiere del Pardo's entire Performance and Long Cruise range on the water, as well as several models that helped writing Grand Soleil's history, such as Galeone, Enrico Casella's GS 34 from 1976, Peter Van Den Eynde's GS 40 B&C Selvaggia and Claudio Masotti's GS 50 Judel & Vrolijk Mythos. Grand Soleil Cup 2022 with an international soul, where crews from Belgium, Austria and Germany competed.
On Saturday, accompanied by a south-westerly wind of around 10 kts, the boats rounded a buoy of disengagement and then headed towards the Island of Cerboli, sailing around the Scoglio dello Sparviero for a total of 28 miles.
On Saturday evening, more than 300 people gathered at the Crew's Cocktail Party, enjoying a wonderful sunset by the sea. Afterward, the owners were able to relax by the pool of Punta Ala Yacht Club, dining at the Gala Dinner organised by the Shipyard.
On Sunday, a shorter sail was planned, where the boats headed for the Scoglio dello Sparviero, leaving it to starboard, sailing around it and then returning for a total of around 6 miles.
The award ceremony saw Gianluca Poli's Grand Soleil 56 Paolissima take the top step of the podium for the Overall Category and Category A, while Walter Tronconi's GS 43 Raffica 3 came first in Category B and Mario Badami's GS 343 Silver Bullet in Category C.
Cantiere del Pardo would like to thank all the owners who took part in the Grand Soleil Cup 2022, with their families and friends, the press who attended and all the Shipyard staff who actively contributed to the perfect success of the event. The Shipyard would also like to thank Yacht Club Punta Ala, the Marina of Punta Ala, the official local dealer Mar-Go, the regatta committee chaired by Giovanni Capitani and the Technical Commissioner Nicola Sironi. They allowed the perfect outcome of these two days of sailing.
Grand Soleil events keep on coming: we look forward to seeing you on June 18 and June 19 2022 at the Grand Soleil Vintage Cup, in Portopiccolo Sistiana resort in Trieste. The GS Vintage Cup represents an unmissable event dedicated to all Grand Soleil yachts designed before 2000.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks go particularly to the event's main sponsors, B&G and Banca Intesa, as well as to the official partners Volvo Penta, Carboway, Beep!, Osculati, Harken, Bamar, and Millennium, who contributed to the success of this 2022 edition. Finally, a heartfelt thanks also to the Marino di Scarlino, which hosted some participating boats.
Overall Results:
Category A
1 - Paolissima - GS 56 - Gianluca Poli
2 - Bellatrix III - GS 48 - Giovanni Viani
3 - O1 - GS 52LC - Alberto Osculati
Category B
1 - Raffica 3 - GS 43 - Walter Tronconi
2 - My Way - GS 47 - Alessio Cecchetti
3 - Follia - GS 42LC - Paolo Anselmi
Category C
1 - Silver Bullet - GS 343 - Mario Badami
2 - Gin Dry 2 - GS 46.3 - Franco Benadì
3 - Galeone - GS 34 - Enrico Casella
Overall category
1- Paolissima - GS 56 - Gianluca Poli
2 - Raffica 3 - GS 43 - Walter Tronconi
3 - My Way - GS 47 - Alessio Cecchetti
Special prizes
Rosa dei venti (crew with the biggest number of women): Tre C - GS 52LC - Carlo Bertani
Vintage (oldest boat): Galeone - GS 34 - Enrico Casella
Lupo di mare (biggest boat): Ely J - Maxi one - Alessandro Pini
Delfino (most elegant crew): Fenice 2 - GS 58 - Blasco de Felice
Latitudine (crew coming from the farthest location): Selvaggia - GS 40 B&C - Peter Van Den Eynde