Ferragosto Paragliding Event at Garda Ends in Water Landings
Anything imaginable was seen on Ferragosto: kilometer-long queues, crowded beaches filled with umbrellas and sunbeds, people coming from all over — even from the sky — to swim in Garda waters. Some even took to the skies with their paragliders from the Baldo peaks (Spino section) to land in the water. The «Parasplash», an event organized by Paragliding Malcesine, took place this year precisely on Ferragosto; unfortunately, on July 26 in Sant’Anna, paragliders could not fly due to the strong wind. «Usually, this event», explains Claudio Benedetti (Bomba), an enthusiast of the sport and member of the Paragliding Malcesine club, «takes place on Sant’Anna day; but this year, the wind was blowing too strongly — 50 km/h at takeoff and landing — so we postponed». The «Parasplash» consists of a dive into the void from the Spino section to then land in the waters off Malcesine’s port, attempting to hit a small plastic pool placed outside the pier. Since its first edition in 1991, this event has enjoyed considerable success; the combination of free flight and water landing seems to appeal and excite audiences, which grow larger each year.
Weather Conditions and Event Outcomes
The square and dock of Malcesine were indeed crowded with spectators eagerly awaiting the acrobatic feats and landings of daring pilots. «The weather conditions», explains Claudio, «were ideal for flying — exactly the right ones. The wind at takeoff blew at 15 km/h, while there was no wind during landing, and the water was warm». Twenty pilots took off at eight in the evening from the wide meadow offered by Monte Baldo to helicopter enthusiasts. Most of the pilots were members of the Malcesine club. However, none succeeded in hitting the target, amusing guests and tourists: one after another, all of them ended up in the water.
Conclusions and Future Perspectives
«Landing on the raft was challenging», concludes Claudio, «because with no wind (in these atmospheric conditions, the flight is called ‘gliding’) you land faster. There was no updraft — no thermal or dynamic current — that kept us flying or allowed us to steer toward the target.» This sport is not dangerous if proper safety systems are used and if flying conditions are suitable. To recover the paragliders, two boats from Fraglia Vela and three other vessels contacted by the organizers were on standby. There was no prize, only the desire to fly, which increasingly attracts tourists and residents alike.
On September 10, the pilots from Malcesine will face tourists from Limone, with a planned flight crossing of the lake, again departing from the Spino section. The well-known event called «Nafta Wacht», which attracts around 200 pilots from around the world and usually takes place in early October, might not be held this year due to organizational issues.