Venice Hospitality Challenge
SINA Centurion Palace led by skipper Milos Radonjic won the ninth edition of the Venice Hospitality Challenge, repeating last year’s success. The regatta, which saw sixteen Maxi Yachts on the starting line, took place as always entirely on the city path of the Serenissima: there were many boats in the lagoon and tens of thousands of spectators and enthusiasts crowded the shores of San Marco and Punta of the Customs office in order not to miss the rare opportunity to witness the maneuvers of the crews up close. The president of the Italian Sailing Federation Francesco Ettorre and the Councilor for Tourism of Venice Simone Venturini attended the competition.
A start with wind between six and eight knots from East-South East saw from the very beginning Maxi Jena – SINA Centurion Palace largely take the lead of the classification keeping it up to the finish line. However, emotions were not lacking along the entire route, with Way of Life – The Gritti Palace and Portopiccolo Prosecco DOC battling for second and third place until the Slovenian boat fell victim to a shoal along the canal of the Giudecca thus bringing Arca SGR to the podium. A drop in wind in the final part favored the lighter boats. Positive result also for Il Moro di Venezia, who with Tommaso Chieffi at the helm wins the Cruise class and thus celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of his victory in the Louis Vuitton Cup in the best possible way.
Venice Hospitality Challenge 2022 – Final Ranking
Class 1 Skipper
1 Maxi Jena – SINA Centurion Palace Milos Radonjic
2 Portopiccolo – Hotel Excelsior Mitja Kosmina
3 Arca SGR – Ca’ Sagredo Hotel Furio Benussi
Class 2 Race
1 Adriatic Europa – Hotel Danieli Dusan Puh
2 Clean Sport One – Violino d’Oro Jure Orel
3 Anywave Safilens – The St. Regis Mauro Pelaschier
Class 3 Cruise
1 Il Moro di Venezia – Venezia/Salone Nautico Tommaso Chieffi
2 Anemos Alllianz – JW Marriott Gughi Danelon
3 Kiwi – Ca’ di Dio/LILT Paolo Pesaresi
Alfredo Ricci, International Race Officer, chaired the Race Committee assisted by national judge Gianfranco Frizzarin, Emilia Barbieri and Alina Dix.
Mirko Sguario, president of the Yacht Club Venezia and organizer of the regatta, presented the prizes, proudly stating: “This regatta, thanks to its unique course in the world, has once again brought to the heart of Venice a great show that confirms the vitality of the Venetian seafaring spirit and its renowned hospitality. I am happy to have the president of FIV Francesco Ettorre by my side, his presence attests to the competitive value and importance of this event for Italian sailing and for this I am honored to appoint him as our Ambassador. I thank the Chief Operating Officer of Vela Spa and Director of the Venice Boat Show Fabrizio D’Oria for his important contribution that has allowed Venice to become a prominent sporting event of the Serenissima. I am also very pleased to have contributed to the constant work of the Italian League for the fight against cancer with the participation of the maxi yacht Kiwi as its spokesperson and I thank dr. Carlo Pianon and the President of the Municipal Council Ermelinda Damiano for their commitment that allowed the presence of the Vaporetto Rosa in the lagoon.”
The president of the Italian Sailing Federation Francesco Ettorre congratulated Mirko Sguario for having conceived an event that allows the sport of sailing to be closely visible even from large audiences, a real spot for Italian sailing.
Sponsored by the Municipality of Venice and the Port Authority, the Venice Hospitality Challenge 2022 benefited from the support of the partners Vela S.p.A. and Salone Nautico, of the main sponsors Generali Italia and VISA and of the sponsors Bisol1542, CAM Glassware, Dolomia Water, MureaDritta
