The 2021 Hempel Mixed Two Person Offshore World Championship got underway today on the Adriatic Sea as the fleet set out from Brindisi, Italy.
There are ten teams from eight nations competing in the in the two-person mixed competition in one-design Figaro 3 keelboats. Part of the 2021 Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour which has already seen the Figaro 3 fleet navigate the western seaboard of Italy, the 2021 Hempel Mixed Two Person Offshore World Championship is an 816nm race that will be played out across three stunning stages along the Adriatic coast:
Leg 1: Brindisi to Bari
Leg 2: Bari to Marina di Ravenna
Leg 3: Marina di Ravenna to Venice
There are teams representing Italy, Belgium, USA, South Africa, Great Britain, Spain, Sweden and Poland.
Team ENIT (Alberto Bona and Cecilia Zorzi) raced their boat to a home waters victory in the Double Mixed Offshore European Championship which has just concluded. However, Bona and Zorzi have stepped off the boat to make way for another Italian duo, so it’s hard to say who’s going to be favourite for the Worlds. Finishing runner-up to Team Enit was Team Belgium (Gerckens-Faguet) with Italian team Marina Militare (Pendibene-Valsecchi) coming third.
The fleet set sail this evening from Brindisi on Leg 1, an approximately 300nm route which takes the fleet north towards two Croatian islands – Galijula and Palagruza. After rounding the islands to port, it’s back down to Bari, leaving a mark to port then down the Italian coast to the small seaside resort of Torre Canne. Once around that turning mark, it’s one final dash north back up the coast to the finish at Bari.
The event concludes at the end of Leg 3 in Venice on 24 September, when the first ever winners of the 2021 Hempel Mixed Two Person Offshore World Championship will stand on the podium in one of Italy’s most beautiful cities.
You can follow the racing here:
