LAKE Garda is sailing’s amphitheater, a place with a sailing culture unlike any other. Centrally located in Europe and with clinical conditions, it is also the heartbeat of international wind sports. In the cradle of the Italian Alps, it is completely normal to run across boats from Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and everywhere else. With a whistling northerly Pelér in the morning and a warm Ora southerly in the afternoon, Garda is blessed with two distinct world-class sailing conditions for much of the year. And the scenery is the most stunning of any sailing venue. All of this is to say there really is no finer place for one-design sailors, wingers, kiters and foilers to play, which is why Waszp sailors gather once a year for Foiling Week, and this year the official Waszp Games and World Championship.
While Garda is known for being a near-perfect spot and easily accessible to those in Europe, getting there from Hawaii is anything but a straight shot. But it is worth it. To get to Garda this past July, negotiate through four canceled flights, 10 days of delayed baggage, and a bunch of other annoying hiccups until finally reach my final terminal in Verona, Italy.
But this time, arrive with no bags and no gear.
No worries. I'll figure something out.
Running on four hours of sleep in 48 hours, bleary-eyed and buzzing, hitch a ride to the yacht club in Malcesine with my coach, who is here on holiday. find and set up my charter boat and accept that my bags might not show up for a long time. But need to go sailing, so plan to buy a pair of boardshorts and a life jacket using the small allowance from the airline. also plan to check out everything Foiling Week has to offer, including its extensive collection of foiling craft. There isn’t any other event know of where so many fleets and high-performance sailors, designers and fanatics come together to geek out on foiling.
This story is from the Fall 2022 edition of Sailing World.
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This story is from the Fall 2022 edition of Sailing World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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