75th CentoMiglia del Garda Overall - The Psaros 33 Carpediem3 of the Swiss crew Bordier-Munier wins
by Elena Giolai 8 Sep 12:15 BST
6-7 September 2025
The QFX Foil of Thomas Jundt took the Trofeo Gargnano (Saturday's race), while the Trofeo Gorla (Sunday's race) went to the Cape 31 Topas Squirt (Giorgio Tortarolo and German skipper Harald Brüning)
There could have been no better way to celebrate the 75th edition of the Centomiglia, Italy's longest-running regatta, organized by Circolo Vela Gargnano with the support of the Italian Sailing Federation and this year also UVAI - Unione Vela d'Altura Italiana. A key novelty this year was the overall victory assigned exclusively under the ORC system, with the final results based on corrected times summing the two races on Saturday and Sunday. Eight nations were represented among more than 100 participants.
The event was made possible thanks to the contribution of Regione Lombardia, the Municipality of Gargnano (Departments of Trade, Sport and Tourism, and Culture), Pro Loco Gargnano - This is Gargnano, as well as prestigious official partners. Main sponsor of the event was Fineco, one of the leading fintech banks in Europe, alongside Euroimmobiliare, Cantiere del Pardo, Consorzio del Valtenesi, Acqua Tavina, Hotel Eala My Lakeside Dream, Easysea, Apropos, Gruppo Bossoni and Carolina Zani Melanoma Foundation, companies that share the values of excellence, innovation and strong local ties promoted by the Centomiglia.
Two spectacular days offered ideal sailing and technical conditions. The Piazza of Bogliaco hosted a large crowd of spectators, where journalist Andrea Falcon provided live commentary on the tracking and engaged with historic voices of the Centomiglia. The sight of boats leaving the harbor, cheered on by spectators as they braved the waves to reach the starting line, was one of the most evocative images of the weekend.
Saturday - Trofeo Gargnano
The first race, on the southern course of the lake, saw the start postponed by four hours due to strong northerly winds and heavy waves. This decision, made for safety reasons, allowed for an exhilarating race with a start towards the windward buoy and a high-speed run downwind through the waves to Moniga instead of Desenzano, with a shortened course as announced prior to the start. Spectacular planing, colorful spinnakers and the unique scenery of Lake Garda framed a regatta with strong winds lasting well into the afternoon. Remarkably, the top five in real time were also the top five on corrected time.
Victory went to QFX Foil SUI 001 of Swiss owner Thomas Jundt, with Antoine Ravonel at the helm, who crossed the finish line at 15:58:21, winning in monohull real time, overall and corrected time after 3 hours 28 minutes and 21 seconds of racing. Behind him were Carpediem Cube SUI 300 of Luc Munier, Evanesse SUI 600 of Patrik Herzig, the Cape 31 Topas Squirt GER 3156 of Harald Brüning, and the Melges 32 Exotan of Giovanni and Zeno Montresor.
Sunday - Trofeo Gorla
The second race covered the full length of Lake Garda, with the course heading north and rounding marks off Limone, Garda Trentino and Brenzone before returning to Bogliaco, uniting Lombardy, Trentino and Veneto in one regatta. The race started on time at 8:30 with a fresh 18-20 knots that built to 25 knots in the first part of the beat northwards. Several high-profile retirements occurred: QFX, winner of Saturday's Trofeo Gargnano, broke its rudder just before the start; one of the German 45-footers withdrew to avoid damage as the wind increased; and the ICE 33 Black Arrows of Michele Caldonazzi (Trentino), a regular on Lake Garda, was forced to retire after breaking a shroud and risking dismasting.
There was a great show from the Swiss Psaros 33s and the German Cape 31, with Tortarolo on board, who won Sunday's race and the Trofeo Gorla. However, his fourth place on Saturday prevented him from claiming the overall Centomiglia - Trofeo Bettoni title, which went to Carpediem Cube SUI 300 of Bordier Munier, consistent with two second places. The podium was completed by another Psaros 33, Evanesse SUI 600 of Patrik Herzig, third overall with scores of 3-6.
Among the multihulls, victory went to the M32 Bestia Blu, while in the smaller classes the Dutch Kenbees Sailcenter.comwon in the Formula 18. In the one-design divisions, victories went to Speedy (Michele and Marco Schirato, Circolo Vela Gargnano) in the Ufo 22, El Moro (Luca Pavini, SCN Garda Salò) in the Protagonist 750, Assterisco (Pierluigi Omboni and Piergiorgio Zamboni, CV Gargnano) in the Asso 99, and S&You (Paolo Masserdotti and Renato Vallivero, FV Desenzano) in the Dolphin 81 fleet, which had 22 entries. In the Double Handed category, victory went to Roberto Benamati on his Star, who spent 7 to 9 hours racing each day.
An edition to remember
The 75th Centomiglia proved a complete success, with exciting racing on the water, popular shore events and a renewed format that showed how the fastest boats can also win on corrected time, while giving smaller boats a chance to compete for strong positions they would not otherwise reach in real time.
Dockside talk was plentiful, but the enthusiasm and satisfaction of rediscovering the authentic spirit of the Centomiglia prevailed. A regatta that carries the scent of history and strong winds, on a Lake Garda that never ceases to amaze with its beauty and its natural vocation for sailing.
"This 75th Centomiglia has been a true celebration of sailing" commented Francesco Capuccini, President of Circolo Vela Gargnano. "The weather conditions gave us two challenging and spectacular days, bringing back the authentic spirit of this regatta. We want to thank our members, volunteers, institutions, sponsors and all the crews. Without them this achievement would not have been possible."
"For us it was the first time on Lake Garda, and we never expected to race with such strong and steady winds" said Luc Bordier Munier, owner of Carpediem Cube SUI 300. "It was an unforgettable experience. The lake is one of the most beautiful and technical race courses we have ever sailed. To return home with victory in this special edition is truly a dream."
All information at www.centomiglia.it