The Settimana Velica Internazionale, masterfully organized by the Yacht Club Adriaco, wraps up with a bang and the Italia Yachts burgee flies proudly at the top. It’s a double strike: 1st Roberto Distefano on Take Five IY 9.98 and 2nd Corrado Annis on Lady Day IY 9.98. Two sisterships, two different ways of reading the breeze, one shared outcome: total domination.
Annis shoots out of the gate, leaving everyone in his wake during the long offshore race sailed in a breeze so lazy that the race committee had to shorten the course for part of the fleet. With an impressive 1.2 points on the scoreboard, Lady Day steals the spotlight and seems poised to seal the deal. Distefano, however, refuses to give in: third in the offshore with 3.6 points, he regroups and focuses on the windward leeward races, where the breeze picks up and the waves start slapping the deck.
And that’s when Roberto plays his winning hand with three consecutive bullets, a clear verdict. All this despite a plot twist worthy of a movie: I broke the tiller extension and had to steer on my knees on the non skid, he confesses with a grin.
In the end, two Italia Yachts burgees fly once again on the podium, confirming a shipyard that keeps delivering boats built to win. And a grand finale with a prize giving ceremony staged in true style by the Yacht Club Adriaco, because at its heart, sailing is also about class, sweat and a healthy dose of irreverent stubbornness.
