The Foiling Weeks 2016
by Foiling Week 26 Sep 2016 15:52 UTC
26 September 2016
The year 2016 has seen two Foiling Weeks, the first in Malcesine on Lake Garda, Italy, the second in Newport, Rhode Island (USA). Lake Garda was host to Foiling Week third edition with a participation increase that confirms the growing interest foiling has sparked in sailing enthusiasts around the globe. The attention of the public is no longer limited to the competitive sailing community since the market is offering more and more options for recreational and cruising vessels. Newport is the first overseas edition of the Foiling Week: the genuine passion shown by the participants reminds of the first ever edition in 2014 on Lake Garda. Foiling week also embraces environmental sustainability and has adopted the Sailors For The Sea protocol for the organization of "clean" regattas, this has also been supported by Lega Ambiente in Italy.
The Gurit Forums offer a unique possibility to juxtapose of professionals in modern sailing, engineers, yacht builders and sailors can directly share ideas and feedback on their own experiences, both practical and theoretical. The Gurit Forums make Foiling Week an opportunity for advancement, not just a competition or a boat show, but a time for ideas to bloom, projects to advance. The Gurit Forums are truly what sets apart the Foiling Week from any other boating event. On Lake Garda, Persico Marine, the Italian shipyard involved in the construction of America 's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race boats, and Gurit partnered with the Forum by bringing contents and testimonials that have enhanced the conceptual terms with the industrial vision required for foiling to expand on larger scale.
In the past three years foiling has experienced a consolidation of already existing classes, the conception of new boats with better accessibility, both economically and in terms of on the shore and sailing handling. Boats such as Waszp, Ufo and Voilavion represent a new access point to the world of foiling. The costs are now equal to those of traditional dinghies and handling is now suitable for the average recreational sailors. Innovation is also present also in cruising-racing with the Stiletto FX and the TF10 presented at the Foiling Week Forum, introducing new-classes of foiling cruise-racing day-sailer.
As evidence of the market growth, Peter Melvin,in his presentation at the Gurit Forum Newport, mentioned that the value of currently produced foiling boats total 25 million $.
In Malcesine the wide attendance of boats and audience has created a spectacular experience within the event. Over 100 flying boats, from the old Hobie Trifoiler, to the new GC32s, enthusiasts and supporters mixed among Olympic and America's cup crews, busy and actively racing within the 8 boat classes present. The cluster of Gurit Forums was in the mornings, where the audience witnessed presentations, round tables and participated in question and answer sessions. Attendance was also high at the photo exhibition proposed by AcomeA SGR and to the social events promoted by Land Rover, all happening while boats where flying endlessly in all racing courses.
Newport, Yachting capital of the American tradition, played host for the first time in the US to an event dedicated to the most advanced mode of sailing. While the traditional Gaff Cutters and the 12 meters sailed in the remarkable Narragansett bay, fast flying boats shoot by, writing the new page in the history book of yachting. The Foiling week Newport followed the same format of the Garda editions with Forums in the mornings and regattas in the afternoon: A-class catamarans, Moths, Phantoms, S9, Nacra 20 FCS, Ufo, Wazp and various prototypes swarmed the waters of Newport in a series of one design regattas and a long distance race, that became a wonderful display of fair play and performance. Every afternoon Mighty Squirrel Beer offered refreshments and all crew members and participants came together to mingle with the Forum speakers, relax and share experiences and ideas.
2016 will see another Foiling Week event: on October 24th, the AcomeA hall of the Franco Parenti theater in Milan, will host the first edition of the Foiling Week Awards that will be nominated and voted by the foiling community to recognize the year best performance in the different categories:
- Foiling project: Projects still in design phase but not yet in production
- Foiling production boat: For foiling craft already in production and being sailed
- Foiling prototype designed by an amateur/non professional: For foiling craft not intended for commercial production
- Foiling innovation: For foiling design solutions specifically applied to flight control / design / construction of parts but excluding hull construction
- Foiling sailor: For best foiling achievement of the year
- Foiling Green Award: For foiling innovations, any ideas or inventions that will have a beneficial impact on environment
To be part of the foiling community and make nominations and voting visit
www.foilingweek.com/pages/vote-for-foiling-week-awards-2016