The 2026 edition of the great classic organised by Circolo Vela Gargnano was presented at Bogliaco. Scheduled from 4 to 6 September, it confirms the full-lake course, the ORC system, the Cento Junior, inclusive sailing with Homerus and a rich calendar of shore-side events. New for 2026 on the course: the marks on Garda Trentino increase to two, to parade the fleet in front of Torbole before heading back south, with a rounding of the new mark on the Veneto shore in front of Fraglia Vela Malcesine, at Navene. The Time on Time handicap system may also be adopted, for a more balanced ranking that benefits medium- and small-sized boats as well.
Gargnano, 2 July 2026 – The 76th CentoMiglia del Garda was presented in the prestigious setting of Villa Bettoni in Bogliaco, a symbolic venue for both the history of the race and Circolo Vela Gargnano. Not a random choice, but one deeply tied to the memory of an event born in 1951 that grew to become one of the most iconic offshore races on the lakes.
The 2026 CentoMiglia, scheduled from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September, confirms many of the arrangements introduced in recent editions, starting with the two-day racing format and the course that embraces Garda across its three regions, passing through Lombard, Trentino and Veneto waters. A long, complex and fascinating race, in which strategy, the reading of local winds and crew management remain decisive factors.
Organised by Circolo Vela Gargnano under delegation from the Italian Sailing Federation, the event is made possible thanks to the support of the Municipality of Gargnano, its Department for Commerce, Sport and Tourism and its Department for Culture, of Pro Loco Gargnano and This is Gargnano, together with the backing of prestigious official partners. The event’s main sponsor is Fineco, one of the leading fintech banks in Europe. Alongside Fineco, the 76th CentoMiglia del Garda is supported by Heineken, which will accompany the three days of the event with beer offered to competitors, Wyler Vetta, the race’s official timekeeper, Cantieri del Pardo, Turboden and Euroimmobiliare. The presence of Consorzio Garda Lombardia strengthens the bond between the CentoMiglia and the local area, confirming the value of the race as an opportunity to promote Garda, its communities and its excellences. Further partners will be announced during the run-up to the race.
“The collaboration of the partner clubs that contribute to the technical and organisational management of the CentoMiglia along the course is also fundamental. Alongside Circolo Vela Gargnano, the event will involve Fraglia Vela Desenzano, Gruppo Nautico Dielleffe, Lega Navale Italiana – Brescia Desenzano section, Nauticlub Moniga, Consorzio Garda Trentino Vela and – as a new entry – Fraglia Vela Malcesine, in a teamwork effort that confirms the race’s ability to unite shores, territories and different skills, just as happens in the territorial work of the Committee of Zone XIV of the Italian Sailing Federation,” commented Zone President Gianpaolo Montagni. commented Zone President Gianpaolo Montagni.
In his address, the president of Circolo Vela Gargnano, Francesco Cappuccini, recalled the historic link between Villa Bettoni, the CentoMiglia and the perpetual trophy dedicated to Alessandro Bettoni, on whose boat model the names of all the race’s winners are inscribed. “Presenting the 76th CentoMiglia in the setting of Villa Bettoni is a chance to revisit the history of the perpetual trophy dedicated to Alessandro Bettoni and to remember an extraordinary sportsman and military figure,” Cappuccini underlined. “Presenting the CentoMiglia here also means ideally bringing it back to the home of Vittorio Bettoni, president of Circolo Vela Gargnano in the early 1950s, a board member of the Sailing Federation and organiser, for the sailing events, of the 1960 Rome Olympics held in Naples.” .
Villa Bettoni is indeed part of the CentoMiglia’s most authentic memory. The historic photographic archives of Circolo Vela Gargnano hold numerous images of the early editions and of the prize-givings held in the villa’s halls, testimony to the support that the Bettoni family chose to offer from the very beginning to a race destined to enter the history of Garda. On the sporting side, the CentoMiglia confirms its ongoing evolution. After the seasons of the Classe Libera (Open Class), which wrote memorable pages of the event, the race now looks with ever greater attention to the ORC handicap system, to the one-design classes, to Garda’s historic fleets and to all those boats that, with their different characteristics, can aspire to an important role in the final standings.
The Line Honour will continue to celebrate the first hull across the finish line on real time, keeping alive one of the most spectacular and immediate aspects of the race. At the same time, the corrected-time ranking will make it possible to reward a broad and technically interesting field, while the debate remains open on the peculiarities of Garda, a lake where the great variety of winds and the differences between the localities crossed can make the race particularly complex.
What’s new
Among the technical innovations of the 2026 edition is the option to adopt the ORC All Purpose Time on Time method for the corrected-time rankings, in place of the All Purpose Time on Distance coefficient. A choice designed to keep the standings open right up to the arrival of the last boats and to offer greater opportunities to medium- and small-sized boats too, in the awareness that – as always – it will be the wind and the lake conditions that shape the balance between the different types of boat.
News on the course too: On Saturday 5 September the Desenzano mark will be positioned slightly further north, coinciding with the Frecce Tricolori display scheduled in the town. On Sunday 6 September, meanwhile, the course towards the north of the lake will introduce a second mark on Garda Trentino, to “parade” the boats between Circolo Surf and Circolo Vela Torbole. On the return leg towards Bogliaco the fleet will round a mark on the Veneto shore of the lake, in front of Fraglia Vela Malcesine, at Navene. This passage represents one of the main technical innovations of the 76th edition.
The boats to watch
Among the boats that could join the fight for the podium, there is great curiosity around Code X CROZ, CRO 3001, the first pre-entry, although its participation is still to be confirmed. The project, designed by Paul Bieker for Code7 Marine and built in Croatia by Sandi Misirača, is a high-performance full-carbon racer with lateral foils and features halfway between a sportboat and a coastal racer. In 2024 it already left an important mark at the Loro Piana Giraglia, finishing first in ORC 2 in the offshore leg. The project is now led by Filip Jurišić, Croatian ILCA 7 Olympian, with the aim of campaigning it consistently on the Adriatic and international circuit. Expectation also surrounds the Cape 31s, already protagonists last year with Topas Squirt of Harald Brüning, winner of Sunday’s Trofeo Gorla and second in the ORC Overall final standings of the 75th CentoMiglia. The class could also be represented by Milkwave, the new Garda-based Cape 31 owned by Alessandro Lotto, past president of Acquafresca Sport Center, which would add further interest to a fleet that has already proved effective in the lake’s conditions. The Psaros 33s remain among the ones to watch after their great result in 2025, when Carpediem Cube of the Swiss Bordier Munier won the 75th CentoMiglia, while Evanesse of Patrik Herzig finished third overall. Their consistency across the two races and their ability to deliver high performance both on the southbound and the northbound course make them a benchmark for crews aiming at the overall standings.
“The picture of possible protagonists could widen to include Garda-based hulls and the lighter, more technical boats that already emerged last year. In 2025 Idefix, a modified Asso 99 from Circolo Vela Gargnano, finished fourth overall, ahead of Lexotan, a Melges 32 OD from Fraglia Vela Peschiera, and Essenziale, a modified Esse 990, confirming that the top of the standings is not reserved for the most fancied boats alone. Also worth following are the possible return of Wild Devil, a modified Open 7.50 already seen at the CentoMiglia, and the great comeback of Grifo, a historic hull from the Classe Libera era, now optimised to race under ORC,” explained Raffaele Valsecchi, Board member with responsibility for offshore sailing of the FIV Zone Committee.
The on-water programme
The on-water programme opens on Friday 4 September with the Homerus Regatta, a match race in the waters off Bogliaco dedicated to sailing for the blind, an experience that renews the historic relationship between Circolo Vela Gargnano and Homerus, begun in 1996. Also on Friday there is space for the Cento Junior, reserved for Under-18s and Optimists, on a course between Gargnano and Villa. A project aimed at the youngest sailors which, as president Cappuccini recalled, “seeks to cultivate in young people a love for full-lake racing, guiding them towards that CentoMiglia they will be able to experience as protagonists in the years to come.” Saturday 5 September will be the day of the Trofeo Gargnano, starting at 8:30 on a Bogliaco–Gargnano–Desenzano–Bogliaco course. At 9:30 the second day of the Cento Junior will start. Sunday 6 September, again at 8:30, it will be the turn of the Trofeo Gorla, on a Bogliaco–Limone–Torbole–Malcesine/Navene–Bogliaco course, while at 9:00 the Cento People will start, a non-competitive sail dedicated to sailing schools, charters and enthusiasts, on a Bogliaco–Brenzone–Bogliaco course.
Shore-side activities
Alongside the sporting side, the 76th CentoMiglia del Garda will offer a shore-side programme designed to make the event accessible and engaging also for those following it from Bogliaco and the localities along the course.
Friday 4 September: In the square at Bogliaco there will be a talk show at 17:30, the opening ceremony with the raising of the flags of the participating nations at 18:30 and, at 21:00, the show “Le hit che hanno fatto la storia” with Divalicious, a live-music performance featuring Mattia Raggi (Contemporary Dancer).
Saturday 5 September: The square in Bogliaco will come alive from the moment the competitors return, with entertainment, food trucks, DJ sets and moments dedicated to the prize-givings of the Cento Junior and the Homerus regatta. Among the major highlights of the shore-side programme will be a musical appearance by Omar Pedrini, singer-songwriter and historic frontman of Timoria, scheduled for mid-afternoon to accompany the competitors’ return on one of the central days of the event. Afterwards, the square will keep buzzing with DJ sets, a Golden Hour and, from 21:00, a Vasco tribute by the cover band Bollicine.
Sunday 6 September: alongside the on-water programme, shore-side activities will continue with live updates from the RIB by journalist Andrea Falcon. In the afternoon, as the boats return and the competitors’ arrival is awaited, the square will once again be the heart of the event. The final standings will be available at approximately 18:30, with the closing prize-giving bringing three days of sport, participation and celebration to a close.
How to follow the 76th CentoMiglia
Great attention will also be devoted to the digital storytelling of the event. The 2026 CentoMiglia can be followed through the social media channels of the race and of Circolo Vela Gargnano, with live coverage, updates from the key points of the course and reporting that combines technical expertise, narrative pace and attention to the audience. It will also be possible to follow the boats’ GPS tracking thanks to Kwindoo, a tracking system dedicated to sailing that will allow the fleet’s position, its progress along the course and its passages at the marks to be viewed in real time. A way to bring the race closer not only to insiders, but also to anyone who wants to follow the start, the developments and the decisive moments from land, from the lake or remotely.
See you in early September
“We have days of intense work ahead of us to meet the needs of the competitors, especially those travelling from further afield, and to give the best possible welcome to everyone who will experience the CentoMiglia,” added Francesco Cappuccini. “Our wish is that crews, enthusiasts and the public can enjoy intense and thrilling days, in the spirit of the history and the future of this race.”
The 76th CentoMiglia del Garda is thus getting ready to return with a formula that holds together tradition and renewal, racing and storytelling, competition and participation. An event that continues to speak to offshore sailing, to the Garda region and to an ever-wider audience, confirming the role of Circolo Vela Gargnano as an organisational and sporting reference point for one of the great classics of the lake.
Elena Giolai • Press Office, 76th CentoMiglia
tel. 340 1169973 – press@elenagiolai.com
