Eight Bells: Giorgio Brezich

Giorgio Brezich passed away today in Trieste.

Giorgio needs no introduction. He dedicated a large part of his life to sailing and the Snipe Class, with passion and competence.

Personally I was very close to Giorgio and therefore it is difficult for me, in this moment, to find words that describe his life and his personality.

Giorgio Brezich was born in Trieste in 1940 and he started sailing Snipes when he was 6 years old, just after the finish of WWII, at his club Triestina della Vela.

He won a total of 3 Junior Italian Nationals and 9 Italian Nationals. He also held the role of Italian National Secretary from 1988 to 1995 and spent many years on the Board of Governors for SCIRA International, and one term as SCIRA Commodore in 1996. He was Chairman of the Rules Committee from 1997 to 2012 and helped clarify and unify the Measurement Rules. He was inducted into the SCIRA Hall of Fame in 2020.

Giorgio was certainly one of the most important person for the Snipe Class in its history, leaving an indelible memory among the Snipe sailors in his city Trieste, in Italy and in the world.

He was a reference for many sailors for many years in Trieste. His opinion was requested and listened to by everyone. We will miss him.

Rest In Peace, Giorgio.

Read also these articles written by Giorgio or about Giorgio’s sailing career:

How We Traveled in the Old Days

The Race Organization in the Old Days

1957 & 1959 Italian Junior Nationals

Barbanera II, Barbanera III, Barbanera IV

Barbanera I

Grignano, Early 1960s

Giorgio had a wide archive of Snipe photos, documents and other souvenirs.

He taught me a lot about Snipe sailing and helped me later when I became member of the Board with advice and suggestions. In his honor I proudly sail on all my boats with sail number 15790, the same number as his famous Barbanera IV.

There are two people who were so important for me and for our Class: Gonzalo “Old Man” Diaz and Giorgio Brezich. Both gave our class a lot. They passed away in early March after two years from each other. We all have to be deeply grateful to both of them.