ITAS 69F YFGC Act 4: Luna Rossa Swordfish emerges as top qualifier

It took five days and 48 races of intense sailing at the ITAS 69F Youth Foiling Gold Cup Act 4 in Torbole, Lake Garda, to determine the top six out of 16 teams that will advance to the Gold Fleet tomorrow. These six teams now have a chance to claim the two available tickets to the 69F YFGC Grand Final in Barcelona, from November 2nd to the 5th.

North Lake Garda has consistently provided excellent conditions. From Monday to Friday, the 16 teams seamlessly transitioned between races on the six 69Fs, aided by the south wind blowing between 8 to 16 knots, allowing for foiling in nearly every race. Some teams experienced foiling for the first time, while others had never sailed together as a team before. Nonetheless, the skill level of this under 25 fleet has significantly improved, and the Race Committee managed the 48 races smoothly.

The standout of the week was Luna Rossa Swordfish, securing their place in the Gold Fleet with a comfortable margin. Unfortunately, the points accumulated up to this point will be reset, and the six teams in the Gold Fleet will start anew as they vie for the top spot. Simultaneously, teams ranked seventh to twelfth will compete against each other in the Silver Fleet, while the bottom four teams will be spectators from the island boat. However, they will have another opportunity to earn a spot for the Grand Final in the postponed Act 3 of the YFGC 2023 season, scheduled in Barcelona from October 23rd to the 29th—just a week before the circuit's closing event.

The following six finalists will make the Gold Fleet tomorrow:

LUNA ROSSA SWORDFISH (ITA, Guido Gallinaro, Alessandra Dubbini, Leonardo Chisté)
ANTIGUA RUM RUNNERS (ANT, Rocco Falcone, Alice Cialfi, Filippo Amonti)
TEAM ARGENTINA (ARG, Dante Cittadini, Teresa Romairone, Ivan Aranguren)
OCEANA VIVO (GBR, Zac Blomeley, Sophie Otter, Hebe Hemming, Scipio Houtman)
CLEAN SAILORS YOUTH RACING TEAM (SUI, CJ Perez, Lukas Hesse, Jann Shoupbach)
GROUPE ATLANTIC SAILING TEAM (FRA, Clement Cron, Jessica Berthoud, Louis Chambet)

Commenting on their achievement, Guido Gallinaro, helmsman of Luna Rossa Swordfish, remarked, "This was our first time as a team. A few training days helped us gel, making it feel like we had always sailed together. This was the key to our success so far. We sailed well, leveraging our familiarity with this lake. We focused on smooth maneuvers and keeping things simple. We aim to learn from our past errors and give our best over the next two days, starting fresh. It's crucial for us to reach Barcelona. We have love sailing this fast and exhilarating boat. Plus, we'll sail on the Youth America's Cup racecourse, affording us the chance to test those waters."

As the ITAS 69F YFGC Act 4 in Torbole enters its final stages, temperatures rise – not only meteorologically – for the six teams in the Gold Fleet. They will embark on their challenge tomorrow, Saturday August 26th, following the 10am daily briefing.