South Eurpean Championship – Alpen Grand Prix

South European Championship – Sergio Michel Memorial Trophy

Snipe Alpen Grand Prix

Mattsee, Austria, June 3-4, 2017. Final results after 3 races (no discard)

1. ITA Pietro Fantoni & Marinella Gorgatto, 3

2. ITA Fabio Rochelli & Daniela Semec, 7

3. ITA Lapo Savorani & Federico Milone, 8

4. ITA Alessandro Bari & Leonardo Franzini, 13

5. BEL Patrick Laumans & Marc Cornelius, 16

Report by Pietro Fantoni

For the second time, Austria hosted the Snipes for the Alpen Grand Prix, this year also serving as the European South Championship – Sergio Michel Memorial Trophy.

This regatta is also part of the Alpe Adria Region Snipe Series (Franz Joseph Cup and Sissi Cup) together with the Moschenicka Draga race (already sailed the previous weekend) and the German Open of Caldonazzo (next wekend).

Twenty-two Snipes from Austria, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Croatia and Italy gathered at the small lake of Mattsee. This is a picturesque area of Austria, with gentle hills, woods, green meadows, farms, small villages and numerous lakes around the city of Mozart, Salzburg. In the background were the mountains of the High Tauern, the Salzburg Alps, and the Bavarian Alpen foothills.

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Saturday a warm and sunny day welcomed sailors. The wind unfortunately missed … However, the fun wasn’t missed for sailors. At Obertrum Am See, after a visit to the Trumer brewery, thirsty sailors could drink from a fountain from which the tasty beer flowed directly. Then a typical Austrian cuisine was served, followed by a tasting of special beers with the explanations of a sommelier.

At the end of the evening, DB Marine, to celebrate its ten years of activity as Snipe builder, organized a raffle with very welcome prizes for the competitors.

The weather was totally different on Sunday: overcast sky and some rain showers, very gusty wind from the West. After a first attempt to race with 15-knot of average wind strength, but with 28-knot on the puffs, the Race Committee raised the AP flag over H, waiting for less severe conditions for midday.

Unfortunately, many sailors, discouraged by the bad weather, preferred to load their boats on the trailers and go back home.

At the end, the perseverance of those who waited was rewarded. Three races were held in very shifty winds from 8 to 18 knots. The races were well fought, counting more tactics and strategy than speed. It was like playing a Mozart’s minuet: a rhythmic sequence of puffs and lulls, right shifts and left shifts, rain and sun, with some interesting variations on the theme. Catching the puffs, playing the shifts and doing good maneuvers were decisive factors.

Pietro Fantoni and Marinella Gorgatto won the regatta with 3 first places in the 3 races sailed on Sunday. But each race wasn’t over until the finish line. The battle for the second place was won by Fabio Rochelli and Daniela Semec with a one point margin over Lapo Savorani and Federico Milone.

Thanks to Ezio Prataviera, SCIRA Austria National Secretary, for the tireless work of organization. Thanks also to Andreas Listl, PRO, and Segel Club Mattsee for their warm hospitality.

See you next year!

More photos

 

 

By Enrico Michel

A great participation of Snipes (22 boats from 5 nations) and Dinghy 12′ (17 boats from 3 nations) in this regatta which put together two of the sailing classes most loved by my father, Sergio Michel.

As I did already during the dinner generously offered by the hosting club, I want to thank everybody for participating and above all those who came from far away.

Thanks to those who have been working hard for months for the good result of this event in this beautiful location and I’m referring to Ezio Prataviera (Snipe and Dinghy 12′ Austrian secretary) and to the hosting club, the Mattsee Segel Club.

Thanks to Pietro Fantoni who, as vice commodore of the International Snipe Class, gave all his help and assistance as SCIRA .

Further more we, as DB Marine, took the opportunity of this event to commemorate our first 10 years of activity and to thank our customers for keeping on choosing us.

 

(Photos courtesy of Ezio Prataviera, Joanna Nowak, Segelclub Mattsee)

Final Results