Centomiglia Celebrates 50 Years with Route Reveal and Key Event Changes
Next Monday, at the Grand Hotel Terme di Sirmione, the route for the 50th edition of the Centomiglia will be unveiled. The organizers of the Circolo Vela Gargnano will also present a series of other initiatives to celebrate the half-century of Europe’s most important freshwater regatta and club activities. Among these is a 220-page volume that retraces “the routes” of all 50 editions of the legendary Garda sailing marathon.
New dates and events
The other major novelty is the dates, which have been moved forward by one week. The schedule will kick off on Sunday, August 27, with the 34th Trofeo Riccardo Gorla Gran Premio della Marina Militare. This will be followed from August 28 to 31 by the European Championship for the Asso 99 class.
The «Cento Week» calendar also includes the 20th Trofeo Furio Castellani on August 30, and the next day, August 31, the Trofeo Steno Marchi, both reserved for Libera, Crociera, and Monotipi classes.
The Centomiglia will, instead, start at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 2, in the lake stretch between Bogliaco di Gargnano and Castelletto di Brenzone.
Related events and initiatives
The lineup for the “Cento” celebrating its 50th also includes other events, such as a festival dedicated to “Luna Rossa” and an evening dedicated to the “Barcolana,” the famous regatta held in October in the Gulf of Trieste. In the city of Trieste, there will also be protagonists like Maxilibera, the spectacular vessels that take center stage at the Centomiglia, during the autumn stage of the international “Vela Evento” circuit.
Regarding Maxilibera, a battle to the last tack is expected between the brand-new “Principessa,” owned by Austrian entrepreneur Joschi Entner and helmed by Malcesine champion Roberto Benamati, and Raffica, managed by Brescia’s Luca Valerio.
Benamati has already won the “Cento” with both the old “Principessa” and “Raffica.” With this boat, he also won the prestigious Bol d’Or on Lake Geneva. “The Centomiglia, however, is something else,” Benamati said — “this regatta has a special charm that’s hard to resist.” Winning it then means entering into legend.