blu26 - International Class Association

20.03.-24.03.2024

This year, seven teams profit from the exclusive training under the co-management of Christian Scherrer, CEO of Swiss Sailing Team AG and Stefan Eder from Sailingcentre Tegernsee, in collaboration with the Fraglia Vela Riva sailing club in Riva del Garda on Lake Garda.

During the afternoon, all the boats from Switzerland and Germany arrive at the harbour in the sunny Riva del Garda. The event starts with the first briefing by Stefan Eder and a convivial aperitif and dinner at the beautifully situated Fraglia Vela Riva sailing club.

The north wind on Thursday morning gives us the perfect opportunity to get back on our boats after a long winter break. Training begins with line-up starting exercises, speed tests, and the fine-tuning of our set-up. We enjoy the sun and our lunch at the sailing club, followed by a detailed analysis of the photos in the club's theory room. In the evening, we dine together at the picturesque Riva del Garda.

The highlight of the event begins on Friday. With a strong northerly wind, we set off on a downwind course past the stunning scenery of Lake Garda through the gate at Malcesine to the finishing line at the charming harbour of Castelletto in Brenzone.

We enjoy a sunny lunch at Umberto's in summery conditions and then start the Umberto Cup back to Riva del Garda under spinnaker in a constant and strong south wind. The focus here is on the set-up, as well as the spinnaker handling. The route offers the perfect opportunity for the coaches to check each team individually and instruct them accordingly. During debriefing, we analyse our manoeuvres in the theory room with professional video and drone recordings.

The focus of the training on Saturday is on starting exercise and we practise line-up starts. During the debriefing, we go through the starts again using video footage and explore the subtle differences that are ultimately important for victory or defeat. We also take an intensive look at the rules of right of way in a regatta.

On the last day we race! Changing winds challenge us and set demanding conditions for our training runs. Team Giachen Duos wins this year's training regattas, followed by Team Hazel and Team BluStar. At the debriefing, we analyse the drone footage of the training races. It is an overwhelmingly positive experience to watch your own regatta from a drone perspective and benefit from Christian Scherrer's professional advice.

The blu26 class looks back on a wonderful training session on Lake Garda at the start of the season. The north wind in the morning and south wind in the afternoon makes Lake Garda, with its alternating light and very strong winds, the perfect training ground and sailing paradise. Many thanks to our professional coaches Christian Scherer and Stefan Eder for this exciting, intensive, and challenging training from which we all benefited greatly. We would also like to thank the beautifully situated Fraglia Vela Riva sailing club for their hospitality.