Military Sailors and Officers Form Veteran Sailing Club at Garda Lake
From air to water. Two passions shared by one side the boat owner, Aldo Calebich, and on the other a team of crew members – strictly composed of military personnel – who participated in the Centomiglia del Garda and were halted by the inclement weather in Gargnano. Between them are the Diavoli Rossi, those of the Tornado class of the 6th squadron at Ghedi Air Force Base and the former commander of the missile unit at Villafranca. Besides Black Macaco as a meeting point, they have a sailing club on the shores of Garda, in Desenzano, with an enviable park, part of an old estate donated to the Air Force, which extends directly into the lake.
Some members have loaned their 420s, the 5th Ataf of Vicenza (a NATO entity), has managed other vessels, and in the end, they formed a fleet composed of 5 laser boats, four «420s», an H-14 catamaran, an H-16 catamaran, an H-20 catamaran, some rubber boats, and two cruising boats: Black Macaco, Class E, owned by a private civilian, Aldo Calebich himself, and Matilde di Canossa, Class F, owned by the 5th Ataf di Vicenza.
Colonel Carmelo Paroli, commander of the Missile Department at Villafranca until December 1999, developed a passion for sailing less than five years ago when he met Calebich, who works as a surveyor and, as he likes to say, an officer «after getting his pilot’s license, then a diving license, my passion for everything with an engine, in homage to my Emilian roots, finally needed the surface water element».
Evidently, he was not alone, because by combining his energies with those of colleagues shortly after, he managed to establish the Diavoli Rossi nautical club, reserved for military personnel and their families, which is nonetheless under the jurisdiction of Colonel Roberto Nordio, commander of the 6th squadron at Ghedi, and presided over by Paroli himself.
Two years ago, the Diavoli Rossi club was registered with the Italian Sailing Federation, and it intensified its activities, moving from beginner courses to organizing regattas (one for Laser 16s in July and one in the cruising class as part of the Coppa d’oro circuit).
The club is military, and so is the crew, which, due to Sunday duty commitments, is not always the same. Twenty-three members have taken turns in the regattas throughout the season, and for the 50th edition of the Garda Centomiglia aboard Black Macaco, the crew included Major pilot Francesco Crocco (6th Stormo C.B. Ghedi) as helmsman, assistant Antonio Serafino (Villafranca mobile support unit) as bow/tactician, Warrant Officer Tiziano Zanola (Meteorological Service of the Air Force at Capo Mele) as helmsman/bowman, and finally Warrant Officer Francesco Aliberti (72nd I.T. group at Bovolone) as aft deck crew.
«Me? In a race? No, it’s a bit tiring but I was at the Malcesine mark,» Paroli jokes, «since I’m no longer in active service, I can be more active than before». Thus, he manages to coordinate also the free time of other volunteers, all aviators with a passion for boats.
And even if halted by bad weather in Gargnano like most of the racing sailboats, the passion remains. The Coppa d’oro, victory in the autumn championship, second place in the winter challenge, and fifth in the previous Centomiglia edition speak for themselves.