by Guisela Chiarella
Interview: FVG councilor for environment, Fabio Scoccimarro; mayor of Trieste, Roberto Dipiazza
Trieste is welcoming a new chapter in its long maritime tradition with the launch of the first Italian Offshore Sailing Championship in the Orc Double Handed category. The competition, which brings together two-person crews on a fleet of about 30 boats of varying sizes, is being held under the organization of the Società Triestina della Vela, one of Italy’s oldest and most prestigious sailing clubs.
At the opening ceremony, held at the club’s headquarters along the city’s waterfront, local and regional officials emphasized the event’s significance both for the sport and for the city. Fabio Scoccimarro, the regional councillor for environment, energy, and sustainable development, described the championship as “a source of pride for Trieste and its gulf,” highlighting the city’s deep ties to the sea and to sailing. He also underscored the symbolic connection between sailing and sustainability, calling the event “a marriage between environment and sport.”
Among those in attendance were Trieste’s mayor, Roberto Dipiazza, and Marina Simoni, president of the Società Triestina della Vela, which has long been associated with international competitions and the famed Barcolana regatta.
The championship consists of two races. The first is a daylong offshore competition in the Gulf of Trieste on August 27. The second, beginning at sunset the following day in front of Piazza Unità d’Italia — the city’s monumental central square facing the sea — will see crews sail overnight to the lighthouse of San Giovanni in Pelago, on the Croatian coast, before returning to Trieste.
While similar regattas already exist at European and global levels, this is the first time Italy has established a national championship in the Orc Double Handed category. The Italian Sailing Federation awarded the inaugural edition to Trieste, reaffirming the city’s role as a hub for competitive sailing.
The opening flag-raising ceremony paid tribute to the past, featuring Nibbio, a century-old yacht that played a storied role in the history of the Barcolana and was chosen as a symbolic vessel for the launch of the new competition.
