Registrations continue for the regatta organized by Circolo Vela Gargnano on September 5 and 6, and names and boats tied to the event’s history keep coming in. Seventeen years after winning with Full Pelt, Olympic bronze medalist Jo Richards (Flying Dutchman, Los Angeles 1984) will once again be at the start together with Leo Larcher aboard Tigger, an RS21 modified to compete under ORC rules.
Gargnano, August 2026: With less than three weeks to go before the 76th International CentoMiglia del Garda, entries continue to arrive, adding further interest to the fleet and bringing back to Garda figures well known in the world of sailing and in the history of the race. Among them is Jo Richards, the British designer and sailor who returns to the CentoMiglia seventeen years after his overall victory in 2009 with Full Pelt, a boat deeply modified and developed by Richards himself. That was also the first victory by a British boat at the CentoMiglia. On board Full Pelt was also Leonardo “Leo” Larcher, a member of the Circolo Vela Gargnano, who in 2026 will race alongside Richards once again. This time the two will be on TIGGER, GBR 2614, an RS21 modified from its one-design configuration and set up to compete in ORC racing. A particularly interesting choice, since Richards is also among the designers of the RS21, one of today’s most fashionable one-designs. His relationship with the CentoMiglia also runs through another boat well known on Lake Garda, Stravaganza, a design characterized by its distinctive canting keel. Full Pelt, Stravaganza and now Tigger thus tell three different chapters of the bond between Richards, boat design and the CentoMiglia. The Briton’s résumé also includes the bronze medal won at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games in the Flying Dutchman class, together with Peter Allam. The return of Richards and Larcher therefore adds another point of interest to the 76th CentoMiglia fleet, while new names and new boats continue to emerge among the entries in the coming days.
The 76th International CentoMiglia del Garda will set off from Gargnano on September 5 and, over the two days, will take the fleet on a course that ideally crosses the entire lake. The first day will be geared toward the lower part of Lake Garda, along the Lombardy and Veneto shores, with the course mark positioned near Desenzano, slightly further north than originally planned to allow for the passage of the Frecce Tricolori. On September 6, the race will instead head north, reaching Garda Trentino, with two marks near Torbole, before heading back down along the Veneto shore, where the new course mark at Navene makes its debut, ahead of the return to Gargnano, in Lombardy. A course that thus takes in the whole of Lake Garda and the territories of the three regions bordering it.
Organized by the Circolo Vela Gargnano on behalf of the Italian Sailing Federation, the event is made possible thanks to the contribution of the Municipality of Gargnano, the Department for Commerce, Sport and Tourism and the Department for Culture, the Pro Loco Gargnano and This is Gargnano, together with the support of the official partners.
The main sponsor of the 76th CentoMiglia del Garda is Fineco, one of the leading fintech banks in Europe. Alongside Fineco, Cantieri del Pardo will be among the protagonists of the 76th CentoMiglia del Garda with a concrete presence on the water: one motorboat will be deployed at the starting line acting as a “rabbit” boat, with the boats required to cross the line by passing astern of it, while a second will be dedicated to hospitality and to the chance to follow the race’s most spectacular moments up close. Among the new additions for this edition is Heineken, which will accompany the event’s three days with beer offered to the racers, while Wyler Vetta will serve as the race’s official timekeeper, and the support of Hotel Eala (with a mark positioned near the hotel in Sunday’s race), Turboden, A2A Life Company and Euroimmobiliare is confirmed once again.
The presence of the Consorzio Lago di Garda Lombardia strengthens the bond between the CentoMiglia and the local area, also highlighting the race as an opportunity to promote Lake Garda, its communities and its excellences. This is also the spirit behind the contribution of Fonte Tavina and the Consorzio Valtenesi, authentic expressions of a territory that accompanies and supports one of the lake’s most representative sailing events.
Caption: Full Pelt (with Jo Richards and Leo Larcher) when she won the CentoMiglia in 2009
