Riva actually begins when you leave the highway between Milan and Venice and continue along the western shore, the Gardesana Occidentale. The latter is a masterpiece of road construction, about 100 years old. On one side are the many galleries opening onto Lake Garda, on the other steep walls and picturesque lemon plantations in the villages. Riva is
located at the upper end of the lake, ideally situated and dominating the view. Once there, the first stop is the sailing club, the Fraglia Vela. The atmosphere at the crane is already great, with a warm welcome and professional launching, everyone helping everyone else.
The next day, the two-day training session with Mark Schuurman begins. His training places a lot of emphasis on boat trim. In the afternoon, we went out on the water to sail and trim. The wind was force 4 on the Beaufort scale, which increased slightly each day. As always, the lake was very busy with everything you could sit or stand on.
The three-day Springtime Regatta was won by the Dutch team led by Maarten Jamin, ahead of Gert Roukema’s team, also from Holland. The Swiss team Bazynga, with Dutch skipper Reinier de Kler, took an excellent third place.
Special mention must also go to the German youth team with skipper Charlotte Töpfer, who finished 10th on Lake Garda being first time on Lake Garda.
The Ynglings and their crews performed well with great enthusiasm. Not only I, but also many others were tired after five days of sailing, but very satisfied.
Eva Baumgartner, SUI 472
