Please select your home edition
Edition
Allen Sailing

EurILCA Europa Cup Italy at Punta Ala

by Centro Velico Punta Ala 6 May 2024 06:02 BST 2-5 May 2024

Sunday marked the successful conclusion of the EurILCA Europa Cup Punta Ala 2024, a four-day international sailing event characterized by sport and fun at the host venue: PuntAla Camp&Resort.

The event saw 553 sailors from 29 different nations lining the shores of Maremma, predominantly young athletes aged 14 and up, all eager to launch their ILCA class boats into the beautiful Tuscan sea of the Gulf of Follonica.

However, the sea conditions were not immediately favourable for entering the water, leading to all athletes staying ashore on the first day. It was too risky for the Regatta Committee to launch and retrieve fleets with such a significant number of boats, opting instead to wait.

The waiting time, though, was far from boring, thanks to numerous leisure activities provided by PuntAla Camp&Resort and the youthful spirit of the competitors. The venue transformed into what seemed like a genuine holiday village, complete with music and games in true vacation-with-friends style.

From the second day onwards, the competition really kicked off with a strong Mistral blowing from the early hours of the morning. The more experienced sailors in the Olympic categories ILCA7 and ILCA6 women, after a tense wait for the Delta flag until early afternoon, finally got the green light from the Regatta Committee to race in over 25 knots of wind and waves reaching up to 1.5 meters in open sea.

"Launching and retrieving the boat from a beach under these conditions is a procedure that requires some experience. Choosing the exact spot on the shoreline, timing the waves, and calculating the right tacks to take advantage of the right moment are all aspects of personal growth for the athlete to be competitive under all conditions. I believe that for many of the young participants, even just watching the start of the older athletes could have been a useful and educational experience," stated Michele Tognozzi, an expert coach from Club Velico Castiglione della Pescaia.

The stretch of sea between the Gulf of Follonica and Elba Island proved to be an ideal spot for sailors who, once in open waters, could navigate in both strong and light wind conditions ranging from 5 to 10 knots, which characterized the third and fourth days of the regatta allowing all fleets, including ILCA4, to compete. In total, the ILCA7 and ILCA6 women classes completed 7 races while the ILCA6 men and ILCA4 completed 5. The physical and fast-paced nature of the first races was followed by more tactical races requiring greater sensitivity and interpretation.

"As the Punta Ala Sailing Center, we are very pleased with these four days of racing, an event we eagerly anticipated and embraced with a spirit of challenge, in line with the sporting vocation of the hosting PuntAla Camp&Resort. We sincerely hope the competitors will visit us again soon to enjoy our sea and facilities for training, but now it is time for the entire team to focus on the upcoming major events: the Finn World Master Championship from June 7-14 and the A-Cat World Championship from September 7-14, 2024," declared Maria Luisa Cionini, events manager at Camp PuntAla Camp&Resort and secretary of the Punta Ala Sailing Center.

After 7 races for ILCA7 and ILCA6 women and 6 races for ILCA 6 men and ILCA 4, the winners of the different classes are as follows:

ILCA 7
1. Theo Peyre FRA 36pts
2. Cesare Barabino ITA 41pts
3. Attilio Borio ITA 48pts

ILCA 6 Women
1. Matvi Emma ITA 16pts
2. Voutilainen Vanessa FIN 50pts
3. Rizzardi Carlotta ITA 57pts

ILCA 6 Men
1. Luzzi Francesco ITA 5pts
2. Raison Ulysse SUI 8pts
3. Cittadini Federico ITA 14pts

ILCA 4 Women
1. Lorenzi Clara ITA 7pts
2. Micieli Lucrezia ITA 20pts
3. Alujevic Antea CRO 22pts

ILCA 4 Men
1. Tesser Francesco ITA 7pts
2. Ghirotti Lorenzo ITA 11pts
3. Stabile Francesco ITA 13pts

Full results can be found here.

The Punta Ala Sailing Center wishes to thank the municipalities of Scarlino and Castiglione della Pescaia, as well as technical partners Devoti Sailing, Negrinautica, and Decathlon Grosseto for their collaboration and support in organizing the event. For logistical support, thanks also go to PuntAla Camp&Resort and the entire team, including the Beach Bar Punta Ala and Isolotto Caffè & Restaurant, which played a key role in welcoming everyone involved, along with numerous local associations, including the Yachting Club Isole di Toscana, Club Velico Castiglione della Pescaia, Lega Navale di Follonica, Club Nautico di Follonica, and Yacht Club Punta Ala.

www.centrovelicopuntaala.it/eurilca-2024

Related Articles

ILCA Women's Coaching day at Parkstone
It's really rewarding to coach groups with so much energy and enjoyment of the sport George Povall brought the ILCA Women's Coaching Programme to Parkstone on Saturday where 14 ladies attended from Poole YC, East Dorset SC, Chew Valley SC as well as the home club. Posted on 10 Sep
Derwent Reservoir Lakeland & Borders ILCA Open
A longer walk to launch, but plenty of water for the 21 entrants Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club welcomed 21 entrants to their annual ILCA open on Saturday 6th September, forming part of the 2025 ILCA Lakeland & Borders series. Posted on 8 Sep
ILCA Thames Valley Series GP at Island Barn
39 entries made it the largest of the series so far this year Thirty nine entries made Saturday's Island Barn ILCA Open the largest of the Thames Valley Grand Prix series so far this year. The club worked hard to encourage all sailing levels to enter and the conditions made for a wonderful day's racing in Surrey. Posted on 7 Sep
ILCA Northern Championship at Leigh & Lowton
Hosted as part of the club's regatta weekend The Northern ILCA circuit held the Northern Championship at Leigh & Lowton SC on the weekend of 30th and 31st August. The event was hosted as part of the club's regatta weekend, sharing the water with Solutions, Wayfarers and a mixture of club boats. Posted on 1 Sep
Laser Wars: Australian builder rejects ultimatum
Performance SailCraft Australia claims boats to the new moulds will be shorter than current ILCAs Performance SailCraft Australia (PSA) claims boats to the new moulds will be shorter than the current class. Posted on 31 Aug
2025 ILCA Under-21 Worlds at Dún Laoghaire overall
Breezy final day crowns three champions on Dublin Bay The weather co-operated once again on Dublin Bay to deliver a nail-biting conclusion to the 2025 ILCA Under-21 World Championships today, where three new world titles were decided at the end of a full 12-race programme. Posted on 30 Aug
Major ILCA builder loses Builder Approval
Performance Sailcraft Australia (PSA) is no longer an ILCA-approved Builder The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) has announced that Performance Sailcraft Australia (PSA) is no longer an ILCA-approved Builder under the ILCA Class Rules. The Class Assoc has not given any specific reason for its withdrawal. Posted on 30 Aug
ILCA UK Nationals at Plas Heli Overall
The festival vibe at Plas Heli for the 200+ sailors When ILCA Chairman Mark Lyttle welcomed over two hundred sailors and army of supporters to Plas Heli, he stressed that this is as much a festival of sailing as a competition. Posted on 29 Aug
2025 ILCA Under-21 Worlds at Dún Laoghaire Day 5
Penultimate day brings pressure to leaderboards Despite further tricky conditions with the offshore breeze on Dublin Bay today, racing got off to a smooth start though there were plenty of upsets in both the ILCA 6 Women and ILCA 7 Men's events, leaving just two races on Friday to secure best outcomes. Posted on 28 Aug
2025 ILCA Under-21 Worlds at Dún Laoghaire Day 4
Gold fleet compresses while wind still rules the waves On the first day of Gold fleet racing for the Men's event at the 2025 ILCA Under-21 World Championships today, the leaderboard tightened significantly, while in the Women's event a clear leader extended her advantage. Posted on 28 Aug