Registration are open for Barcolana55 presented by Generali

Registration for the Barcolana55 presented by Generali opened today at 12 noon, with the traditional ringing of the bell at the headquarters of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano. The world's largest regatta is scheduled to take place in Trieste on 8 October and will be preceded, starting on 30 September, by a calendar of events on land and at sea.

The 55th edition is entitled 'Barcolana Crew': 'At the heart of the event,' explained the president of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano, Mitja Gialuz, 'for 55 years there have been people. Barcolana is one big crew: thousands and thousands of enthusiasts who every year on land and at sea, each in their own way, participate in the event. Barcolana is a formidable container of sea and sailing stories, and this year, starting from the over a thousand portraits by Carlo Borlenghi taken in 2022 on the quay, we want to put them in the spotlight".

From the story of Vento Fresco, which marks 50 years since its victory at the Barcolana and 30 since the shipwreck, to that of the Jancris, which arrives in Trieste 38 years after the epic adventure that took it to Australia with Francesco Battiston, to the search for the roots of a Sardinian delegation of Giuliano-Dalmatian Istrians, who will arrive at the Barcolana after a journey along the Italian coasts; again, 50 years of history of the Grand Soleil brand, up to the memory of David Brunskill, the first English judge in Barcolana, who left us a few days ago. These, among many great and smaller stories of the sea, will be told in sailing clubs, in squares, in cafés: stories where Barcolana is, in its own right, the centre of gravity. "These will be some of the protagonists of the 55th edition, a round number to celebrate sailing," explains Mitja Gialuz, "because this 'pop' sailing that has its roots in the Adriatic is at the heart of the history, culture, and even the blue economy of our land, and Barcolana is a lighthouse that illuminates, a mirror that reflects, a loudspeaker that amplifies the voices of sailors and the sea."

REGISTRATION AND THE LOTTERY IS BACK - With the ringing of the bell in the Pino Prinz hall of the SVBG, registration for the regatta opened: online procedure, unchanged rates, and the Early Booking discount (from 10 to 15% depending on the category) in force until 31 July is confirmed. For those registering for the regatta, a super raffle is coming this year: the luckiest participating skipper will win a Lexus UX hybrid. "It is an exceptional prize reserved for those who register for the regatta," commented Gialuz, "a way of giving value to participation; thanks to Lexus that has embraced this idea: on Saturday evening, the eve of Barcolana, we will organise a big party in Piazza dell'Unità for the draw."
"Lexus confirms itself as the Official Car of the 55th edition of the Barcolana and we are more than enthusiastic about it" says Paolo Moroni, newly appointed Director of Lexus Italia. "To be a partner of a real institution like the Barcolana is for the company not only an honour, but also a way to express such a tangible closeness with the world of sailing, a discipline that shares with us many aspects of values. This marvellous event in Trieste will be the perfect opportunity to showcase the Lexus Electrified range and the Lexus driving experience to all enthusiasts, with test drives under the banner of sustainability and our 'human-centred' vision that gives those who sit in the driver's seat the same sense of freedom that sailing also brings. But it doesn't end there, we are extremely happy that Barcolana has chosen one of our flagship models, a UX hybrid, to be raffled off among those registered for this year's regatta, to give away our exclusive Lexus driving experience".

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION - Barcolana's commitment to the significant project created with the presenting partner Generali continues, and this year it is also supported by World Sailing and the Italian Sailing Federation, which aims to make Barcolana a great moment of reflection on the theme of inclusiveness. There are three active threads: the third edition of 'Women in Sailing by Generali', which has been broadened from the land to the sea, a series of activities dedicated to Para Sailing, sailing for people with disabilities, and the Barcolana Sea Summit that will continue to bring attention to the health of the sea.

'WOMEN IN SAILING BY GENERALI' - This year's major project with presenting partner Generali includes numerous activities with the aim of making the leadership role of women in the sailing world increasingly visible. 'Women in Sailing by Generali' becomes the final stage in World Sailing's worldwide activities for women's sailing, the 'Steering the Course' programme. 'Women in Sailing by Generali' will also be enriched by an event at sea and the participation of the #WomenInSailing team, made up of SVBG athletes, in a series of regattas throughout the season.

The Chairman of Generali, Andrea Sironi, said: "Through participation in sporting events, Generali promotes the culture of sport and a healthy lifestyle. For many years it has also done so in collaboration with Barcolana, a sailing event with a long tradition but capable of innovating, attentive to environmental sustainability and the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion. This is why we are historically close to it, helping it to grow internationally and promoting her activities, with the 'Woman in Sailing by Generali' project and also through our The Human Safety Net Foundation, so that this event will be, for the community of Trieste and for all those who participate coming from all over Europe and beyond, an opportunity for sport, entertainment and growth".

PARASAILING: BARCOLANA PER IL SOCIALE - The 2023 edition aims, also thanks to World Sailing, to grow consistently the Barcolana per il Sociale programme, which has been in existence for over twenty years. In this edition, Barcolana will focus its Attention On Sailing Dedicated to people with physical and mental disabilities, aiming in two directions: developing events for the competitive world of Para Sailing and aspiring to bring new enthusiasts closer to sailing, thanks to the collaboration of the yacht clubs most active in the disability sector in Trieste.

THANK YOU, WENDY! - Wendy Schmidt's victory in the 2022 edition, celebrated by the American yachtswoman by donating $100,000 to the Miramare Marine Reserve, made it possible to launch a project to raise awareness among young athletes involving 13 sailing clubs, the WWF Area Marina Protetta di Miramare and Barcolana. During the summer, sailing schools in the area will carry out marine environment education activities with WWF. Coordinated by WWF, Barcolana and the XIII FIV Zone, the project will end during Barcolana Young. Each yacht club will have among its members its own 'environmental ambassador' who will take part in the regatta with a special decorated sail that will draw attention to the marine species that make the Gulf of Trieste a sea of high biodiversity, to be known and protected.

THE OFFICIAL POLO AND THE COLLECTION - During the press conference, Barcolana unveiled the official polo shirt and the collection created by the Clothing Partner Murphy&Nye that will be available in selected shops and on the website www.murphynye.com. The official polo is navy blue with orange piping, two of the recurring colours of this edition, present in the poster and in the coordinated image. Renewed design for the owner's bag, destined to become one of the season's top sellers. This year there will be many advantages for each shipowner/skipper who registers for the 55th edition: they will be able to take advantage of a double special promotion, consisting of a 15% discount on the Barcolana collection to be purchased online and a fidelity card with a 30% discount on all Murphy&Nye items, until 31 December 2023.

THE EVENTS CALENDAR - A great project for Piazza Unità and the Rive, with events on land generated also thanks to "Candida il tuo evento" - an initiative running from today until 30 July at this link and that allows associations of the territory to propose exhibitions, entertainment opportunities, meetings with non-commercial purposes to be included in the Barcolana calendar - the third edition of the Barcolana Sea Summit, the wonderful Barcolana Sea Chef that brings starred chefs to the city, up to the regatta calendar: it will be a 55th edition full of opportunities for fun, under the banner of conviviality and punctuated by many novelties created to involve and celebrate, making them protagonists, the crews.

HOSPITALITY AND BARCOLANA EXPERIENCE - From the new partnership dedicated to incoming tourism with the travel agency Viaggi Italia, to the collaboration with the Burin Boats brand with Highfield and Honda Motors, up to the courses of the Barcolana Sea and Sailing Academy for approaching or perfecting sailing, Barcolana offers many activities for those who want to experience the event from the sea and ashore, through the Experience formula.
Barcolana welcomes Viaggi Italia, a new partner that will take care of the Experiences, the tourist packages that the organisation makes available to its audience.
In addition, for the first time at Barcolana a fleet of 18 RIBs will be available to better manage the hospitality and organisation of the regattas, as happens in the world's major sailing events. The project also includes the possibility for companies and individuals to purchase the dinghies at a discounted price.

CHARITY - After the success of the 2022 edition, Barcolana renews its commitment to solidarity and confirms its partnership with Rete del Dono as far as solidarity activities are concerned: non-profit organisations in the territory will be able to join the programme by opening a fundraising page linked to Barcolana within the platform, and each crew will be able to donate by making their own cause among those activated. Last year, more than 130,000 euro were collected to benefit numerous social causes.