Xalient Solo Nation's Cup at Circolo Vela Bellano - Day 1
by Will Loy 23 Jun 13:27 BST
21-25 June 2025
Xalient Solo Nation's Cup at Lake Como Day 1 © Will Loy
I awoke to the unfamiliar roar of an engine turbine as it throttled up, the local ferry utilising a hydrofoil system that, from the estimated weight of the beast, required as much thrust as the flux capacitor could give her to hit 88 miles an hour and lift-off.
I took a moment to reflect on the previous evening's opening ceremony which was cut short by a weather system which we all saw coming but like a deer at night, mesmerised by the headlights of an oncoming truck, stood motionless as it careered towards us.
Every cloud has a silver lining and NSCA Vice President Paul Davis's attempt at public speeches was mercifully drowned out by the screams of children and Chris Brown as it tore through the town. Competitors, already drenched from super-sized rain drops scurried to their Solos as fork lightening erratically touched down across Lake Como, the booms of thunder, inevitable and equally humbling.
There was only minor damage to the Solos, I am unsure as to whether there were human casualties but they are inconsequential with a Championship to contest.
Undeterred and resolute, Circolo Vela Bellano took the drama in it's stride, pizza, beer and conversations about the weather being what the UK do best and sure as eggs are eggs, the Italian summer returned and we could get ready for the action.
I dragged myself from my bed, adjusting the crouch of my pyjamas and looked out from my vantage point overlooking the lake. A light northerly pushed it's way down the valley but soon it would give way to the more dominant southern breeze as the mountain range heated up.
By race time we were into a perfect 10-12 knots and with the temperature dial flicking towards 30 and unbroken azure skies, the fleet launched for what would be the first 2 races of this event.
Circolo Vela Bellano provided a press boat for myself and also for a local videographer who would be arriving for days 2-3-4 so today I would juggle my camera and my phone. Utilising WhatsApp provides almost instant coverage and a connection for those on shore and abroad. The shore team strapped me into the harness, one of the team operating the rib crane to transition me and, once aboard and after checking I was still male, we set off for the arena.
Race 1
The pin end looked favoured and with Solos already bailing out with ten seconds to go it was no surprise to have a general recall.
The second start saw a more even spread, I would suggest some of those a third of the way up the line were those that had been burnt in the first attempt.
NSCA Chief measurer Jonathan Woodward, midway down the line must have used a Ford Transit with the handbrake off as his start line reference point and was judged UFD along with Ted Bakker and Innes Armstrong who were just a second early at the favoured pin. The real culprit was Chris Brown who was arguably so far forward the line judge he was out of his peripheral vision. My theory is that the chap owns the local Gelato shop and they are on first name terms.
The fleet smashed through the chop, the lake produces some decent action and it tends to swirl around like a big bath of water so current also has to be factored into the computer.
Top mark and Tom Gillard rounds from Chris Bunn and Chris Brown and with Ted Bakker UFD, Steve Denison inherits fourth with Gilles de Coombe hot on his transom. The fleet navigate the spreader before heading off down the long run to the gate, splashes of aqua blue cooling and exhilarating as they weave down the complex wave systems.
Gillard extends on Bunn with Denison up to third, no mean feat since his initial flight out to Italy was cancelled before being delayed and then diverted to the other side of the country due to Storm Verstappen.
He eventually arrived one hour before the race, no time to dwell and the technique seems to be paying off though his wife would argue the performance does not justify the stress.
Gilles de Coombe is forth from Brown and a fast improving Matthew Frary with Menno Huisman starting to look dangerous.
The left paid on lap one and my driver, Claudio advised that this was the way to go in these prevailing winds and Gillard was all over it, flicking across on small port knocks before heading back to the left to gorge on more lefty, extending to a commanding position with Bunn holding off a fast finishing Gilles de Coombe for second. Bakker must have been gutted to see his number on the board and so Frary took fourth, robbing Paul Davis on the line. The finish was well down from the gate which made it a run, entertaining from a spectator viewpoint but heart stopping for the gaggles of Solos as they weaved left and right to the gun.
With the first race in the bag, competitors finally had a chance to replenish depleted energy stocks and analyse what went right and what went wrong. For the three UFD casualties the obvious improvement would to be below the start line for race 2 and after a ten minute rest we were into the start sequence.
Race 2
Breeze fluctuating between 8-12 knots, full on tanning weather for me and factor 50 for the majority of the sailors.
Hans Duetz nails the pin end with Bakker and Bas de Regt on his bow wave, the distinctive Ferrari red numbers of Woodward's sail bow forward on the fleet in the middle of the course....UFD.
Vice Horey, Gillard and Brown are flying in a tight formation as they bank left, only a few are breaking rank and heading towards the right.
Duetz leads into mark 1 and heads to the spreader mark with Horey throwing the dice and tacking on top of Davis whose expression was of surprise and astonishment. Deep down though he knew that Vince would now owe him big-time. Bas de Regt, Gillard, Frary and Bakker T completed the top seven from Bunn, Robert Witt and Brown.
The short spreader mark provided a moment of optimum boat speed before driving the bows down onto the run. That sounds more exciting than the reality but it makes the report pop a little.
Hans pretty much did the identical route to the top mark on lap two but Horey, who had made big gains down the leg opted to choose the gate which would take him to the right of the course and the separation so eagerly sort in Sail GP. Didn't help him though and he would drop a place or two but he was not finished yet.
I locked my broken body into the bottom of the press rib and gesticulated to Claudio to accelerate towards the top but he must have been paying for his own fuel so we held along the rhum line and waited for the fleet to roll down to us.
Duetz had worked the favoured side and held a decent lead as he passed by, sitting quietly, peaceful and without an ounce of panic, the cookies he consumed before racing, direct from Amsterdam and totally legal, keeping his heart rate below 50 bpm.
The gentle giant took his first win of the week with Horey recovering to second, third fourth and fifth filled by Gillard, Huisman the Bakker T.
The fleet returned to shore, past terracotta roofed houses, diminutive in size but blessed with one of the nicest views in all of Europe. Their eyes though were already trained on the beer tent which would provide free beer and focaccia.
Tom Gillard leads overnight from Hans Duetz and Menno Huisman with Matthew Frary and Vince Horey completing a star studded top five. Admittedly I am stretching the realms of imagination but an AI algorithm would not be allowed to. Human creativity lives!
The UK have bragging rights but the Dutch spirit is strong so let's see what day 2 brings. Please join the event WhatsApp group and follow the action as quickly as I can send it.
Thanks to sponsor Xalient for their support of this event.