From the 14 - 16 June 2019 Noah Shirley, KYC/MBSC attended the 45 ° Trofeo Optimist d’Argento (Optimist Silver Trophy) organised by the Circolo Vela Torbole (Torbole Sailing Club).
This regatta is considered one of the classic Lake Garda regattas and has a long history with this being the 45th consecutive annual edition.
There were over 350 sailors competing with approximately 220 in the open fleet.
There were sailors from over 10 nations competing including the full worlds teams from Italy, Hungary and Croatia together with strong sailors from France and Slovenia. The current world champion Marco Gradoni and current European champion Alex Demurtas were both competing.
Unfortunately we didn’t experience the typical Garda afternoon breeze with every day being lighter than normal. It took some time to adjust to the sweltering dry heat heat with the temperature was consistently in the mid 30s.
Marco Gradoni won the regatta (Results here) after being challenged early on by Alex Demurtas and the top sailor from Hungary.
Noah had a great cultural experience enjoying the natural environments and the local cuisine. It was also a fantastic spectacle for Noah’s support crew with spectacular panoramic views available by trekking/cycling into the surrounding cliffs.
Well done Noah and good luck to you and the rest of the NZIODA Euros Team for the upcoming European Championships June 22 -29
