A great opening day for the Global SWITCH Championships at Fraglia Vela Malcesine

It was a spectacular opening day for the SWITCH fleet, with three races completed under sunny skies and a steady 10–12 knot southerly breeze typical of Lake Garda. The sight of 60 athletes lining up at the start was impressive, delighting the many spectators gathered at Fraglia Vela Malcesine, who enjoyed the races in what is widely considered Italy’s most iconic natural sailing stadium.

On the water, the racing was tight and intense, with heart-stopping crossings and constant leaderboard shake-ups—a clear sign of the high technical level on display. Checco Bruni was immediately competitive in Race 1, but had to fend off fierce attacks from young British talent Finley Dickinson. In the end, it was Max Antoniazzi who capitalized on the duel and took the win. With two more solid performances, Antoniazzi now leads the overall standings after three races, followed by Dickinson and Julian Hoffmann.

Excellent performances also came from top sailors Jordi Xammar, Simon Hiscocks, Philipp Buhl, Matteo Celon, and Magnus Overbeck, all battling within the Top 10 and looking to climb the rankings.

In the women’s division, reigning Moth World Champion Victoria Schulteis delivered a strong and consistent performance, followed closely by her sister Antonia—who claimed a race win in Race 2—and Swedish Olympic medalist Vilma Bobeck.

Similar conditions and the same number of races are expected for Day 2, and with such a competitive fleet, further shake-ups in the standings are likely, especially once discards come into play.