The curtain officially closed on the first edition of the European Dream Cup, after two intense weeks of learning, socialising and sailing for the 60 young sailors who gathered in Gargnano, on Lake Garda. They were busy learning about foiling, sustainability, inclusion and digitalisation. After a week of training, the 10 teams, representing yacht clubs from 10 different European nations, competed in their first foiling races, demonstrating
surprising skill in this new discipline. The results on the water, combined with points earned through land-based activities such as beach cleaning and quizzes following the seminars, culminated in a ranking that led to a joyous awards ceremony at the Circolo Vela Gargano, where all participants felt like winners.
participants felt like winners. After a full day of racing yesterday, with three races held for the Silver Fleet and four for the Gold Fleet, DutchSail emerged as the triumphant team, taking first place on the podium. They were followed by Austria’s UYC Wolfgangsee and Denmark’s Kongelig Dansk Yachtklub.

We are pleased to invite you on 7 July to Circolo Vela Gargnano for an extraordinary show.

Sergio Muniz and Fabrizio Ofria will enchant you in a journey that oscillates between music and words. Sergio will tell you about his inner sea, which at bottom is the inner life of us all. Creating more questions than answers, with the waves of the sea as the only common thread.

In the event of rain, the performance will be held in SALA CASTELLANI, Via Roma, 43, 25084 Gargnano BS.

At this link you can find the pdf with the text of the show: TRA LE MIE ONDE

The European Dream Cup, the event organised by Circolo Vela Gargnano to promote connection between young people through the sport of sailing, begins with the first conference held on 9 March 2023, which was attended by almost ninety schools from as many as ten European nations.

The project, strongly desired and sponsored by the European Commission and Erasmus+ Sport, aims to focus on sport and education and how these two important values can, and should, exist and evolve together. The aim, in fact, is to raise students’ awareness of sustainability, inclusion and digitalisation, through specially dedicated seminars; while the sporting part will be all about learning to sail, with boats using the latest technological and design developments in foiling sailing, the 69F.

Presenting the conference was freestyle skier Yuri Nicolussi, who since 2017 has been a member of FairPlay, a non-profit association committed to promoting the values of sport in the business world, encouraging FairPlay between brands and sporting events.

Four illustrious guests spoke live with the young people connected, trying to motivate them in the practice of sport. Among them was the 49er FX world champion, the Dutch Odile Van Aanholt, who emphasised how sailing is one of the sports with the highest degree of inclusiveness: ‘sailing is like playing chess on water. The physical part is present, but at the same time it is a mental sport and in the end what counts is that in this, regardless of gender, we all play on an equal footing’.

Hungarian Zsombor Berecz, silver medallist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, European and world champion in the Finn class, the boat of some of the most iconic sailing champions of all time, then spoke, saying how it was sailing that chose him and not the other way around. “This sport gives you there freedom to sail according to the force of nature and leads you to go beyond your limits, a fundamental lesson, an attitude to have in every situation in your life.” He continued: “Once you start, you don’t want to stop. For me, sailing has meant constantly challenging myself and winning the silver medal in Tokyo was the crowning achievement of sixteen years of hard work. I have made many mistakes along the way, but everyone makes mistakes, even champions, and it is the mistakes that teach you a lesson and allow you to grow day by day.”

One of the focal points of the project is sustainability and how it is necessary for the new generations and in this field, the American Seth Godin, author of Carbon Almanac, a real guide to climate change, and New Zealander Conrad Colman, the ocean sailor who for the first time in history completed the Vendée Globe without using fossil fuels, spoke. Both speeches made people reflect on the need to ‘veer’ towards a new way of living and in this sense the new generations are a key node, being at the helm of change: ‘choose your challenge, choose a goal and dedicate your life to it. Use this event as an opportunity to push yourself and others towards radical change. I found my life’s challenge in the craziest regatta there is, the Vendeé Globe, you find your Vendeé Globe too and pursue it for the rest of your life,’ Colman urged. Seth Goldin, on the other hand, said that we need a different system, we need young people: “You don’t have to be an expert, it’s easy, when you sail, to blame the wind and leave things as they are, but it’s not the wind that is to blame, it’s our choices and human potential.”

The European Dream Cup starts today, the challenge for the future has its minutes counted.