The 10th anniversary edition of Foiling Week kicked off racing with the Waszp and ETF26 classes on Lake Garda this Tuesday afternoon. Tomorrow they will be joined by the 69F and IQFoil classes, whereas the Moth, Wing and Flying Phantom classes will join in the second half of the event. With many familiar and famous faces participating in previous editions of Foiling Week, this year some of the rock stars of sailing have made their way to Malcesine to be part of this unique event.
Foiling Week was the launching pad for most of the foiling classes currently in circulation and has developed into a world-famous foiling event where the who's who of foiling and yacht racing show off their foiling skills.
With over 60 entries, the Waszp fleet includes a strong mix of champions and young upcoming talents such as the Savoini brothers and Ettore Botticini. Racing in 10-12 knots will not push the sailors to their limit yet, but with stronger winds expected later this week the skillsets will definitely be showcased in this class.
On ENTREPRISES DU MORBIHAN, Winner of the ETF26 SERIES in 2021, sails Franck Cammas. France's "Sailor of the Decade" recently joined 11TH Hour Racing Team in the Ocean Race, winning the sprint to The Hague. Having him aboard will provide stiff competition to class favorite TEAMPRO. This team, skippered by Jean-Christophe Mourniac, has won the last two ETF26 Series and will most certainly want to add Foiling Week to its winning streak.
The women are well represented in the ETF26 class, with LADY TEAM PRO as the most experienced team sailing their second season, however they will have to watch out for the new team ATHENA PATHWAY. With none other than Hannah Mills, the most successful female sailor in Olympic history, and her highly experienced crew Nicola Boniface, Eilidh McIntyre and Kate Macgregor, they are out for a win. LIVE OCEAN RACING, will be one to watch as well. With Liv Mackay at the helm, there is bound to be a clash of the titans in this highly competitive class.
The 69F returns to their home base, Fraglia Vela Malcesine, for the third Grand Prix of the Algebris 69F Cup. From tomorrow, June 29th, until Saturday, July 1st, ten crews will battle it out on the green waters of Lake Garda, along with other very fast boats as part of the highly renowned Foiling Week, in its tenth year. As many as eight nations are represented among the ten teams, including teams from Antigua, Canada, Finland, France, Great Britain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Italy. Having taken Magenta Project mentees on trials in previous days, the teams are ready to start racing.
The seven teams of the SuMoth Challenge have been testing and training in the past couple of days and are gearing up to start fleet racing tomorrow.
With the Moth, Wing and Flying Phantom classes starting in the second half of the event, there is lots to look forward to, especially the talent in the Moth class is smashing. With 70 boats from 19 countries, it won't come as a surprise that the level of competition will be higher than ever before. 30-year-old Australian Luke 'Parko' Parkinson, America's Cup and Ocean Race Winner, will sail alongside the likes of two-time Olympic gold medalist Giles Scott from UK, Ocean Racer Emily Nagel, Moth talent Lisa Schweigert and Laser World Champion Nicholas Heiner.
Principal Race Officer Tim Hancock comments: "Giles Scott will be sailing his first ever Moth regatta, having had some time free in his schedule due to be given a month off the AC campaign. His biggest competition will be Olympic bronze medalist Joan Cardona, Spain SailGP Team's youngest member. Exciting to watch will be Simone Salva, the talent of the hosting Yacht Club Fraglia Vela Malcesine, who placed third in the 2022 Moth Worlds in Argentina, and the rivalry between talented females Emily Nagel from Bermuda and Lisa Schweigert from Germany. With the racing taking place right in front of the Fraglia, we are in for a true show this week!".