Double Mixed Offshore World Championship set to get underway in Taranto

The event – organised by Difesa Servizi S.p.A. and SSi Events in collaboration with the Marina Militare, with the support of the Municipality of Taranto and under the aegis of World Sailing – will see each of the 10 mixed pairs race their Beneteau Figaro 3s along the 350-mile route that begins and ends in Taranto, thanks to support from the Lega Navale Italiana and Molo Sant’Eligio. 

The teams are: 

Team Argentina (Florencia Lazzari, Juan Martin Queirel)
Team Germany (Melanie Aalburg, Fabian Kennis)
Team Great Britain (Ellie Driver, George Kennedy)
Team Italy (Cecilia Zorzi, Matteo Sericano)
Team Norway (Maren Book, Karl Book)
Team Poland (Lioran Hunter, Artur Skrzyszowski)
Team Scotland (Maggie Adamson, Calanach Finalyson)
Team Spain (Helena Alegre, Nacho Orti)
Team South Africa (Michaela Robinson, Ryan Robinson)
Team Sweden (Lena Having, Eivind Boymo-Malm) 

Team Germany, Team Italy and Team Scotland – as the pairs with the most experience of success – are tipped as those expected to do best in boats which will be allocated by drawing lots. Teams will have their first opportunity to familarise themselves with their allocated boats in Tuesday’s trial regatta on a much shorter 30-mile course.  

The route will be decided in the hours before the start based on the expected weather.

Tommaso Paleari, Event Manager of SSi Events, said, “In the planning phase, we have designed three different routes, intended to make the most of the dominant weather conditions in the stretch of sea involved in the Double Mixed Offshore World Championship.” 

You can follow the race here.