The Yacht Club Italiano team wins the 20th edition of Vela & Golf

The 20th edition of Vela & Golf, an annual event on the YCCS calendar since 2005, concluded today with the Yacht Club Italiano team, skippered by Alessandra Dubbini, on top of the podium. The Yacht Club de Monaco team, skippered Roberto Tamburelli and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda team, with YCCS member Germano Scarpa at the helm, respectively finished second and third overall.

The Vela & Golf event combines sailing and golf perfectly and is characterized by a friendly yet sporty atmosphere. Eight crews entered the 2026 edition, including the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda team led by club member Germano Scarpa. Teams from the Yacht Club Italiano and the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein were present at the event for the first time and completing the fleet were teams from the Yacht Club de Monaco, the Marina Militare (skipper Aurelio de Carolis), the Pevero Golf Club (skipper Tommaso Carpaneto), the Yacht Club Adriatico (skipper Alderico Paganini), and the Yacht Club Punta Ala (skipper Alessandro Masini). 

The teams met yesterday for a golf competition on the Pevero green, with the Yacht Club Italiano taking the win, followed by the home team, the Pevero Golf Club, ahead of the Yacht Club de Monaco.

This morning the fleet competed in the sailing section of this event aboard J/70 boats from the YCCS fleet. Racing took place on a course about two miles off Porto Cervo and the weather conditions, with Mistral winds ranging from 16 to 20 knots at the starting line, put the crews to the test. The windward mark, located in a more sheltered spot near the Cala Granu beach, saw winds at between 10 and 12 knots. The Norddeutscher Regatta Verein team, which competes in the Sailing Champions League circuit, had an advantage due to their familiarity with J/70s. Nevertheless, the Yacht Club Italiano and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda teams gave them a tough time, rounding the windward marks side by side and shadowing each other along the subsequent legs. While the first race was won by the German team ahead of Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, in the second race the YCCS team, helmed by event veteran Germano Scarpa, managed to cross the finish line first, leaving the NRV and the Yacht Club Italiano teams in their wake. The third and final race of the day saw the German team, helmed by Lysander Winter, seal their victory in the sailing competition with a first place finish.

The overall score of this unique event combines the results of the golf and sailing competitions: the team with the lowest numerical score wins. The Yacht Club Italiano team, helmed by 470 champion Alessandra Dubbini and competing for the first time at this event, won the 20th edition of Vela & Golf with a first place finish in golf and a third place finish in sailing. Second place went to the Yacht Club de Monaco (third in golf and fourth in sailing), and third place went to the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (sixth in golf and second in sailing).  The awards ceremony took place at the YCCS, where the winner was awarded the Challenge Cup and was also presented with an inReach Mini 2 satellite communicator from Garmin Marine, the event's Technical Partner.    
 
The next sporting event at the YCCS will be the Grand Soleil Cup, scheduled for May 21st to 23rd.