Gargnano on Lake Garda in Italy will forever be remembered as the venue for the first edition of the 69F Women’s Foil Gold Cup. This women’s-only event was a cherished wish of some of the best athletes in the sailing industry. Ten teams from nine nations and three continents took part, including some of the biggest names in the industry. The fleet includes 15 Olympians and five Olympic medalists, including Jo Aleh, who won a gold medal in the challenging 470 class at the London 2012 Olympics. These remarkable sailors have gathered on Lake Garda from today, August 31st, through Sunday, September 3rd, to compete against each other in the uniquely designed crew monohull known as the 69F.
The participating teams are the following:
- VMG RACING (NZL): Jo Aleh, Molly Meech, and Erica Dawson
- EQUIPO AC FEMENINO DE ALEMANIA (GER): Luise Wanser, Franziska Mäge, Sophie Steinlein, Carolina Werner, Alica Stuhlemmer, Tina Lutz
- CANADA (CANADA) WOMEN’S AMERICA’S CUP TEAM – Tate Howell, Isabella Bertold, Maura Dewey, Grace Poole
- BARCOLA AND GRIGNANO SAILING COMPANY (ITA) – Maria Vittoria Marchesini, Alice Linussi, Giovanna Micol
- TEAM CHALLENGE AUSTRALIA (CYCA): Olivia Price, Natasha Bryant, Lisa Darmanin, Lucy Copeland, and Zoe Thomson
- EQUIPO JAJO-DUTCHSAIL (ENG): Maxime Jonker, Mirthe Akkerman, Arianne van de loosdrecht, and Ismene Usman
- AMERICAN MAGIC 1 (US): CJ Perez, Anna Weis, and Pearl Lattanzi
- AMERICAN MAGIC 2 (US): Erika Reineke, Sara Stone, Cam Farrah, and Stephanie Roble
- ORIENT EXPRESS (FRA) RACE TEAM: Audrey Ogereau, Lara Granier, Alose Retornaz, Paola Amar
- EQUIPO PROFAND ESPAA (ESP): Patricia Suarez, Francesca Bergamo, Teresa Romairone, and Clelia Sessa
Most of the teams are from America’s campaign, using the event as a training and selection platform for the youth and women’s Copa America, which will be held in Barcelona in 2024. Some are simply sailors looking to improve their foiling skills. For many of them, today was their first opportunity to compete in a monohull foiling fleet. They expressed their happiness, and for eight races, the judges gave no points as the teams showed fairness in the water by playing by the rules.
Eight races were completed on the first day, mostly held in foiling conditions with wind speeds between 8 and 11 knots. From noon to four o’clock in the afternoon, there was a breeze from the south. The first flight has ended, and the second is already underway. The plan is to complete five flights by Saturday and then continue on Sunday morning with a Gold Fleet series featuring the top six teams. The highlight of the event is a best-of-three race between the two leading teams in the early afternoon.
Currently, American Magic 1 leads the overall standings with a slightly uneven number of races completed, followed by Team Jajo-DutchSail and Società Velica Barcola e Grignano. However, just three points separate third and seventh places, suggesting the competition remains open over the next two days at Gargnano.
