ON OCTOBER 12‐15 THE VIAREGGIO GATHERING OF HISTORIC SAILBOATS RETURNS TO TUSCANY IN ALL OF ITS FASCINATING GLORY
Participating in the regatta is the newly restored Kipawa (1938) and the Zaca,
Hollywood actor Errol Flynn’s famous schooner. Also for viewing is a collection of vintage automobiles.
On October 12‐15, for the 13th year in a row, the Tuscan city of Viareggio will be the official host for the closing ceremonies of the 2017 season devoted to historic and classic sailboats. Among the participants are the recently restored, many times award‐winner Kipawa (1938), and the Zaca (1929) and Orion (1910)
schooners– all maritime giants. Vintage automobiles will be matched with historic boats and compete for the Prize for Elegance.
2017 END OF SEASON GATHERING OF HISTORIC SAILBOATS
On October 12‐15, for the 13th year in a row, the Tuscan city of Viareggio will be the official host for the closing ceremonies of the 2017 season devoted to historic and classic sailboats. The gathering is being held in collaboration with
the Versilia Nautical Club and under the patronage of AIVE (Associazione Italiana Vele d’Epoca/Italian Vintage Sailboat Association). It is the last regatta chance for these Ladies of Sea before the end of 2017 season. Three regattas, one a day from Friday October 13 to Sunday October 15, will be held off the shores of Viareggio in the Tuscan area of Versilia with a background of the Apuane Alps. The regattas are in real time and are open to Vintage, Classic, Metric Classifications,
Spirit of Tradition, IOR –International Offshore Rule historic sailboats in groups based on each vessel’s potential speed and prevailing weather conditions. Main sponsors are Bisonte, the historic Florentine leather goods company, Leopolda
Manifatture Artigiane, renowned for its cashmere and fine yarn apparel, and Mediterranean Yacht Maintenance, which participated in rigging the Barbara, a historic Marconi yawl launched in 1923 by the British Camper & Nicholson shipyard.
The Del Carlo Shipyard is currently completing the restoration of the Barbara. 95 years after its launching in the British waters of the Solent Strait, the Barbara’s official re‐launching from the docks of Viareggio is planned for May 2018. The
Gathering’s annual watercolor by Genoese painter Emanuela Tenti is dedicated to the Barbara.
REGISTERED VESSELS
Among the many registered vessels is the Kipawa, a 16.40 meter Marconi sloop, 10 meter International Tonnage Cruiser Racer launched in Norway in 1938 and designed by Christian Jensen. One of only 6 ever made, the Kipawa was recently
purchased by a new ship owner and is safely returning to sailing thanks to a recent complete restoration by the Tecnomar Shipyard of Fiumicino. Also participating are the schooners Orion (1910) and Hollywood film star Errol Flynn’s Zaca (1929), hosted at the mooring of Perini Navi, the Patience (1931), a Marconi cutter built by Camper & Nicholson and winner of the 1931 Fastnet; the Bufeo Blanco (1963); the Margarethe (1938); the Ilda (1946) owned by Gianni Fernandes, president of Viareggio Historic Sailboats; the Ardi (1968) a training boat belonging to the Nautical Club of Versilia; Commodore VSV Enrico Zaccagni’s Oenone (1935) and the Endeavour sloop (1937) being sailed by a Swiss family that has participated in gatherings of historic sailboats in the Mediterranean since 2014. Vessels launched by the Ligurian Sangermani Shipyard will compete for the prestigious Sangermani Trophy. The Admiral Cerri Challenge Trophy, dedicated to Admiral Florindo Cerri, will be awarded to the first boat to sail around the first regatta buoy. There are also regatta competitions for handicap racing for IOR vessels and CIM –Comitato Internazionale del Mediterraneo (International Mediterranean
Committee) tonnage registered boats with classification verified by the AIVE at www.aive‐yachts.org. Boats that do not have tonnage measurement certificates can request certification by contacting Pier Maria Giuteschi Conti, tel.
+393483148532.
