The Sailing Village
Lake Garda, a destination for 20 million tourists every year and an iconic spot for sailing and water sports enthusiasts, will host for two weeks a proper ‘village’ open to the public.
The Sailing Village will be set up in Gargnano, a prestigious location known throughout Europe as one of the iconic destinations for inland waterway sailing.
The village will be a real hub, open to athletes, fans, residents and tourists, for two weeks of training, meetings and experiences dedicated to the key themes of the project:
The 'Square' of Vela
A space where to discover the benefits of sport and a healthier lifestyle. The opportunity to feel the thrill of sailing, to see and get to know the different types of boats and to follow the speeches and adventures of the greatest skippers who will be speaking as ‘special guests’.
The 'Square' of Sustainability
The event will be zero waste and workshops and awareness-raising actions will be proposed in this square thanks to the support of local realities active in the area such as the “Festival della Sostenibilità del Garda“, Legambiente e Sea Shepherd. A lake bottom cleaning day and a beach cleaning day are planned.
The 'Square' of Technology
Sailing is a sport where innovation runs fast, and foiling is its most advanced frontier. In the Sailing Village, the latest innovations in new technologies applied to the sport will be presented. It will be possible, for example, to see and touch the elements from which boats and sails are built and discover useful applications to support athletes’ training.
The ‘Square’ of Inclusion
The village will open up to the theme of psychophysical wellbeing, sharing experiences related to the application of ‘velatherapy‘. Experts such as psychologists and social workers will be invited to speak at two conferences, and to present books and good practices.
WHYSAILING?
Sailing is beneficial for human physical and mental health and for the environment as well.
In terms of physical benefits, sailing guarantees a perfect shape and a complete preparation: your muscles will be strengthened (particularly back and abdominal muscles); agility, endurance, coordination, and balance will be improved.
Regarding mental and emotional skills, sailing develops your self-esteem, team-work abilities, fast thinking and decision-making, bravery, and adventurousness.
Having wind as engine allows sailing to be a “clean sport”, that directly connects you to the natural elements and teaches you to respect and love them.
THE TOP 10 SAILING SPOTS
IN EUROPE
- Ionian Coast, Greece
- Dalmatian Coast, Croatia
- Balearic Islands, Spain
- Azores Islands, Portugal
- Balaton Lake, Hungary
- Bornholm Island, Denmark
- Corsica, France
- Frisian Islands, Netherlands
- Turkish Coast, Turkey
- Lake Garda, Italy of course!
If you’re not completely satisfied and you want to complete the list with your favorite sailing spot, please contact us!
THE PERFECT SAILING OUTFIT
If you’re thinking to start your first sailing course, this is your checklist of must-haves in your sports bag! Even if you’re sailing in summer, never forget garments to hedge against bad weather, it may suddenly change.
- Sailing gloves: they’re necessary to work safely and perform well on the sail maneuvers
- Long and short trousers, they must be sporty and practical
- T-shirt/undershirt
- Long-sleeves t-shirt (possibly turtleneck) to protect from the sun
- Lightweight sweatshirt
- Hat to cover from the sun
- Sailing shoes or white rubber-soled shoes
- Spare bathing suits
- Beach towel (to sunbathe and dry off)
- Raincoat/light windbreaker jacket
- Oilcloth
SAILING:TRUE OR FALSE?
IS SAILING A SPORT FOR WEALTHY PEOPLE?
A base sailing course costs on average around 200-300 euros, but Federazione and various Sailing Clubs are activating many projects to foster kids and youngsters to join sailing, with more and more accessible prices.
IS SAILING A NICHE SPORT?
Only considering Italy, Federvela research data show that more than 2,800 regattas/sport events are planned, 100 of which are on international base.
The public directly involved counts almost 400,000 people. These numbers strongly grow if the trainees of the 600 sailing schools ca. in Italy are included.
IS SAILING AN INCLUSIVE SPORT?
Professional sailing is one of the few sports in which men and women compete together, with a constant increasing number of female Skippers. Moreover, sailing was the first Olympic sport to join UN Women Sport for Generation Equality Declaration, that aims at the elimination of gender discrimination in sport.
RECORDREGATTAS
The most extreme
VENDÉE GLOBE
Vendée Globe is the longest, hardest, and “craziest” race in the world! It is a solo complete circumnavigation, with no docking spots or external assistance (in case of non-compliance, the penalty is the exclusion). Conrad Colman, testimonial of EDC2023 was the first sailor to complete without relying on the use of fossil fuel.
The most famous
AMERICA’S CUP
America’s Cup is the most renowned and it is the most ancient sport prize in the world (1851!). Also known as “the race with no second place”, it represents one of the toughest sport challenges. Up to now, only teams from USA, Switzerland and New Zealand managed to win the Cup.
The longest in inland waters
CENTOMIGLIA
Centomiglia takes place every year in Garda Lake and it’s the longest regatta in Europe performed in inland waters. It also is the longest-living sailing race in Italy: on September 2nd and 3rd 2023 in Gargnano, Centomiglia will reach its 73rd edition!