Thirty-five teams are entered in the Italian Dragon Grand prix on the marvellous Garda Lake, organised superbly by the Fraglia Vela Malcesine.
Reception and launching was perfectly organized and the first day did not disappoint with champagne sailing conditions where competitors could race in tee shirts.
Race One started on time at 1 pm with the typical southern wind on this lake, the Ora, blowing from 8 to 10 knots in rather shifty conditions. It was won by Sapphire with Jan Woortman on the helm, Kleine Brise with Dr Helmut Schmidt on the helm being second, followed by the Saturn team of Peter Cunningham.
The very experienced race officer, Carlo Tosi, wisely waited for the Ora to establish itself before starting Race Two. This was sailed in beautiful conditions in 12 to 15 knots wind. The crews were very eager and after some general recalls the start got away under black flag. The Ariston team with Justus Kniffka on the helm took the bullet, in front of Kleine Brise and Easy from Michael Zankel.
Ashore a wonderful buffet was offered to the competitors, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Yanmar.
So going into Day Two Kleine Brise with Dr Helmut Schmidt, Andreas Listl, and
Stefan Hellriegel are the leaders.
Results here: https://fragliavela.sailti.com/en/default/races/race-resultsall/text/2023-dragon-italian-grand-prix-en/menuaction/race-toa
