After 10 hard-fought races, the XLI J/24 Italian Championship ended off Porto Ercole Cala Galera, Italy for the fleet of 20 J/24s. The setting for the race course was spectacular, bordered by the Tombolo della Feniglia peninsual (6 km long) on one side, the cliffs of Forte Filippo, Forte Stella and Torre dell’Avoltore on the other (Porto Ercole side) and the Torre S. Pancrazio and Torre San Biagio on the Ansedonia side. In between were the beautiful small islands of Isolotto d’Ercole and Formiche di Burano. The venue made for shifty, streaky winds, challenging the tacticians to sail somewhat conservatively. The title went again to Ignazio Bonanno’s LA SUPERBA team with crew of Alfredo Branciforte, Francesco Picaro, Simone Scontrino and Vincenzo Vano. This was the fifth consecutive time the team has won the regatta. “We returned to Cala Galera after 2015, finding very different weather conditions,” explained the helmsman Bonanno. “We are happy with the result, also because we have maintained an excellent scoreline, never leaving third place until the eighth round where we had a collision that forced the retirement. Apart from this episode, the Championship ended well, meeting our expectations.” On the podium with LA SUPERBA was the silver medal-winning team led by Marco Frulio, skipper of ARIA, with his team of Gianvito Distefano on the sheets, Roberto Carzedda on tactics, Grazia Savona on the mast and Antonello Zucca on the bow. Rounding out the podium and awarded the bronze was Pietro Diamanti’s JAMAICA team of tactician Antonio Lupo, bowman Fabrizio Ginesi, spinnaker trimmer Matteo Tronfi and Paolo Governato on the genoa. “It was a very intense Championship where we always raced among the top boats,” commented Frulio. “It was the consistency of the placings and two first races of the day that allowed us to win the fight head-to-head with Diamanti. We congratulate JAMAICA for the splendid Championship they sailed and, obviously, to the Bonanno’s Italian Navy team on LA SUPERBA for yet another victory.” “I am happy with the result of JAMAICA. But, above all, with the balance of this successful 2022 Italian Championship. They were four days of magnificent sailing thanks to the perfect organization and hospitality of the Circolo Nautico and the Vela Argentario,” commented JAMAICA’s skipper Diamanti. “I would also like to thank the Jury, the Technical Committee, Fleet Captain Massimo Mariotti and all those who have worked for the success of this 2022 edition. In particular, I thank the Captain of the Navy- Giuseppe Cannatà- Director of Marivela- who honored us with his presence at the award ceremony.” “It was a truly exciting and fun Italian Championship, thanks to CN Argentario that offered us four wonderful days, allowing us to regularly play all 10 scheduled races,” concluded Alberto Morici. “We are also satisfied because we are fond of this beautiful Class that we hope to be able to host on other occasions as well. A Class that always leaves everyone satisfied, because the crews are all nice and close-knit. We would like to thank the J/24 Class President Sr. Diamanti and all the participants, and we look forward to seeing you in Argentario for the next few years.” For more Italian J/24 Class information, visit https://www.j24.it/.
International Class Association
