Barcolana54: SVBG office opens for gadget and sail number collection

The time has finally come for us to reunite and revive one of the most traditional customs of the Barcolana, celebrating registration together. This morning the office of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano (Barcola and Grignano Sailing Society) has officially re-opened its doors for participants to collect their bags, complete registration to the race and celebrate with the traditional ringing of the bell the arrival of the Old Sailors, the boat owners who have been taking part in the regatta for 20, 30, 40 or 50 years, and who will be given a new customised celebration plate they can affix on their boats.

"This is a recognition we truly value: the crowd of boat owners who have made the history of the Barcolana is growing more and more and we want to thank them with a wonderful memento; upon their arrival we will celebrate by ringing the bell, which kicks off registration every year," said SVBG's President Mitja Gialuz.

REGISTERED CONTESTANTS - At 12.00 p.m. today, the number of registered contestants in the Barcolana amounted to 993. Among them is a challenger for Arca Fondi SGR, the American boat Deep Blue, due to arrive in Trieste any day now. Launched in Valencia in February 2020, it is an 85-foot racer built by Botìn Partners and equipped by American entrepreneur and philanthropist Wendy Schmidt – a great sailing enthusiast and founder of the "11th Hour Project", which works to raise awareness on the issues of global warming and climate change. Deep Blue has participated in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Sardinia over the last few weeks and will be in Trieste on 30 September. It will take part in the Barcolana Maxi Trofeo Portopiccolo (Barcolana Maxi Portopiccolo Cup) and in the Barcolana. It will dock at Marina San Giusto, together with another one of the team's boats, a magnificent 170-footer that will serve as a support boat and that is arriving at the dock today.

"For the Barcolana," said SVBG's President Mitja Gialuz, "it is great to have a new challenger for the line honours and to have an American boat taking part in the regatta. We want to welcome the crew and the owner. The audience will be fascinated with this wonderful racing boat making its Barcolana debut."

RACE INSTRUCTIONS - Starting today, along with the gadgets and the sail number, participants can also collect the race instructions, namely the detailed document that regulates the participation in the Barcolana54 presented by Generali, which features some important changes.

The first innovation concerns the starting line, which has been moved "forward," closer to the center of the Gulf of Trieste, by about two hundred meters for safety purposes. This significantly increases the amount of space available to the boats before they begin the race. Moving the starting line causes the entire quadrilateral route and therefore all the buoy coordinates to translate, while the shape and length of the route remain unaltered.

Further changes concern the stricter control that will be enforced over engine use during the regatta. Judges will perform at-sea checks on all boats, and those that have applied to keep the engine running in order to run the hydraulic system might be required to provide video evidence that they never engaged the gear and therefore never used propulsion during the race.

TELEGRAM CHANNEL - To improve communication with participants, this year the Barcolana is creating, starting today, a Telegram channel aimed at providing technical information pertaining to the regatta, spacing from the weather and route changes to all information that may be useful to racers on the days of the event and particularly during the regatta.

To join the channel, participants need to download the Telegram messaging app on the smartphone they will use during the Barcolana and search for the "BARCOLANA54 Presented by GENERALI" channel. Starting from the days leading up to the event, the Race Committee will provide technical information about the event and weather forecasts. "We have created this Telegram channel," explained SVBG's Offshore Sports Director Dean Bassi, "at the suggestion of the Port Authority and inspired by other regattas for professionals in which it is used to keep participants updated. We believe it can be really helpful to increase communication and reduce the margin of uncertainty."

BRIEFING - The briefing for the Barcolana will be held in person after two online editions due to the pandemic. As is customary, it will take place at Salone degli Incanti on the eve of the Barcolana, Saturday, 8 October at 6.30 p.m. "It is important to take part in the briefing," Dean Bassi explained, "because it is a moment of exchange with the Race Committee, the Jury, the Port Authority and the weather forecasters. Safety is paramount to us and this is therefore an important moment to communicate with all members of the crew."

WHAT'S IN THE BAG – Just like every year, predictions on the contents of the bag have started today. This year the beautiful (gray) M&N bag that is given to each boat owner contains a voucher to collect the official polo shirt, part of the Barcolana M&N collection, this year's poster and race instructions, as well as discount vouchers for Calligaris, Marina Frapa, Nutribullet, Fondazione Aquileia and many gadgets provided by Coop Italia, Lexus, illy, Tosolini, Prosecco DOC, BIC, Coca Cola, Estenergy, Dolomia and Glo.

REGISTRATION OFFICE OPENING HOURS AND INFORMATION – Starting today, the SVBG office is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, you can call us at +39 040 9897474 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. or visit our website www.barcolana.it.