More than 100 boats on the water on a hot day marked by light winds and constant shifts in direction. QFX takes Line Honours after a long battle with Grifo, while on corrected time the Ultimate 30 Bandalarga finishes ahead of Fremito d’Arja and Lulù. On Sunday the Trofeo Gorla, with a northerly wind expected to be stronger in the first part of the race.
On Sunday the Trofeo Gorla heading north, crossing Lake Garda through Lombardy, Trentino and Veneto
Gargnano, 5 September 2026 – The Trofeo Gargnano has come to an end, the first day of the 76th CentoMiglia del Garda organised by Circolo Vela Gargnano on behalf of the Italian Sailing Federation, with more than 100 boats taking part in a long day marked by heat, light winds and numerous shifts in direction and pressure.
The show began right at the start line, at 8:30, with the crossing of the rabbit boat, the Cantieri del Pardo motorboat officially opening the line. The boats set off in a very light northerly wind which, shortly after rounding the clearing mark off Gargnano, shifted to the south. A situation that lasted only briefly, before the north returned once again, this time with more pressure, allowing the fleet to spread out and offer one of the finest moments of the day, with spinnakers and gennakers full on the long run down towards Desenzano. The CentoMiglia’s passage at the mark in the lower lake, made up of the Fraglia Vela Desenzano boat, coincided with the Air Show, drawing a great many spectator boats onto the water and offering a particularly striking sight in the stretch of water off Desenzano. Helicopters, planes and fighter jets preceded the most eagerly awaited display, that of the Frecce Tricolori, while the CentoMiglia boats rounded the mark/boat one after another before heading back to Bogliaco.
From the very first miles the battle for the head of the fleet was mainly between Thomas Jundt’s QFX and Luca Perini’s Grifo. The two boats took turns in the lead in a long match race that continued for almost the entire race. Shortly before the first boats arrived, the wind returned from the south. QFX was the first to reach the finish at Bogliaco at 13:28:45, taking the Trofeo Gargnano Line Honours. Grifo finished a few minutes later, at 13:32:58, while Bandalarga completed the real-time podium at 13:43:43. However, a technical breakage reported by Grifo after the race casts serious doubt on the boat’s ability to be back on the start line on Sunday for the Trofeo Gorla.
For the rest of the fleet the return towards Gargnano continued in a southerly wind, still in a breeze regime and with alternating phases of greater and lesser pressure. A day, therefore, that was anything but straightforward, in which the ability to read every small change carried decisive weight. On ORC corrected time the picture changes completely. Leading the standings after the Trofeo Gargnano is Bandalarga, Piero Refraschini’s Ultimate 30, already third on real time. Second place goes to Fremito d’Arja, Dario Levi’s Melges 32, third to Lulù, Tea Faoro’s Ufo 22. Rounding out the top five are Proteina, Carlo Caldogno’s Picco 25, and Pirillina, Stefano Fasoli’s Platu 25.
Bandalarga also brings to Gargnano an interesting meeting between generations. Among the crew, largely made up of young sailors, is Stefano Beltrando, from Piedmont, a composite materials specialist and currently Quality Control Manager of Luna Rossa. His experience includes numerous America’s Cup campaigns, with Luna Rossa, Alinghi, Artemis Racing, and consultancy work for various teams. Among the special standings, in the Double Handed Tea Faoro’s Lulù leads Stefano Fasoli’s Pirillina and Dusano Sailing Team, Ufo 22. In the ORC Classic first place goes to Alisea 2.0, Daniele Balzanelli’s Meteor, ahead of Giorgio Castellani’s Airone Blu and Omoo. In the one-design classes, among the Asso 99 the day’s first place goes to Assterisco of Pierluigi Omboni of Circolo Vela Gargnano, ahead of Leonasso of Wolfgang Palm and the German Royal Rolly of Prince Heinrich von Bayern. In the Protagonist class the win goes to Aquilotto of Paolo Di Lecce of Fraglia Vela Desenzano, ahead of Gattone of Massimiliano Docali of Circolo Nautico Brenzone and Avec Plaisir of Pietro G.M. Bembo and Giovanni Pola of Fraglia Vela Riva
The start also saw several OCS, with the resulting application of the prescribed penalties. In the large Dolphin 81 fleet, which with 23 boats confirms itself as the most represented one-design class at the CentoMiglia, first place in the Trofeo Gargnano goes to Joker, of owner and skipper Umberto Grumelli of Fraglia Vela Desenzano. Second is Whisper, of owner and skipper Andrea Taddei of Società Canottieri Garda Salò, while completing the podium is Baraimbo, of owner Razzi-Imperadori, with Fabio Larcher at the helm, of Fraglia Vela Desenzano. The first day of racing also confirmed the commitment of the Circolo Vela Gargnano organisational machine, supported by the work of members and volunteers engaged ashore and on the water, together with the clubs and organisations involved along the course. Work that had already begun in the preceding days and which on Friday evening had found one of its central moments in the talk show dedicated to sailing, with guests of national and international standing and the presence of the vice-president of the Italian Sailing Federation Giuseppe D’Amico. On Sunday 6 September the 76th CentoMiglia will enter its decisive day with the Trofeo Gorla. After Saturday’s long race to the south, the fleet will return onto Lake Garda with a weather scenario that promises to be very different, with a northerly wind expected to be stronger especially in the first part of the race. The course features a mark at Limone at the Hotel Eyala, then continues further north into Garda Trentino before returning to Bogliaco after rounding the mark at Navene.
The 76th CentoMiglia Internazionale del Garda is organised by Circolo Vela Gargnano, with the Italian Sailing Federation and with the support of Fineco, Cantieri del Pardo, Lago di Garda Lombardia, Acqua Tavina, Consorzio Valtènesi, Heineken and Wyler Vetta.
Interviews with the protagonists on the YouTube channel:
Banda Larga: Banda Larga: https://youtu.be/MM-GYg0Rh8Q
Fremito d’Aria: https://youtu.be/04oa1X3qNTg
Grifo: https://youtu.be/
Photo gallery DAY 1 Trofeo Gargnano: https://photos.app.
Photo gallery CentoJunior/TalkShow/apertura: https://photos.app.goo.gl/
