In 1913 George Cockshott, a passionate and brilliant English designer born in 1875, won a tender for the design of a small sailing dinghy capable of navigating by rowing and sailing no longer than 12 feet. In 1919 it was granted International Class status by the IYRU to become the first 'One design' in history in the 1920 and 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. The Dinghy 12 remained International Class until 1964, but with an extremely long-lasting career that leads it to be, over a century after its birth, a sailboat as popular among sailors as it is technical and extremely competitive. Perhaps thanks to the inspiration of Cockshott, a passionate sailor – he loved cruising more than regattas – the Dinghy 12 has always remained a magnificent interpreter of the purest Corinthian spirit.
Today the Italian Dinghy Class 12 Association is in Italy second only to the Optimist Class for number of members (almost three hundred) and organizes a competitive season full of over 100 regattas every year.
In the Gulf of Tigullio, everything is ready for the 22nd edition of the now legendary SIAD-Bombola d'Oro Trophy. Organized by the Italian Yacht Club with the collaboration of the 12' Dinghy Class Italian Association, the Santa Margherita Ligure Sailing Club and the Rapallo Nautical Club. The trophy begins today, Friday 18 May, in the waters of Portofino and with a considerable number of members who are cheerfully heading towards the 100 mark.
Among the members, the leading crews of the 12' Dinghy Class, including five already Italian Champions, namely Paul Viacava with mail, which with its palmares of 11 titles has an unthinkable record to surpass. The others are Dani Colapietro De Maria with Abracadavra II Time, Henry Negri with I like it, Victor of Albertas with Lazy Behemothee Federico Pilo Pais, with Amnesia Blue, returning after a long absence from the class. It therefore promises to be a great battle between them, but also with other noble helmsmen such as the Adriatic Massimo Schiavon with Out of Blue, Philip Ianello with CICC, Andrea Falciola with Superfoo, Vince
There was also a large presence of Dinghy 12' Classici competing for the Silver bottle for which a battle between the Adriatics is announced Stephen Puzzarini with Maxima e Fabio Mangione, responsible for Classics Section of the Class, with nashira, Tony Anghileri of Rowing Society of Lecco with Absolutely Free and the Ligurian Albert Patrone with lady. The 22nd Siad Gold Bomb Trophy is valid as an Italian proof of Cockshott Trophy, the only international circuit of the 12' Dinghy that takes place on trials organized in Italy, Austria, France and Germany. And just from France and Germany come competitors who are particularly fond of this great classic of the Dinghy 12', valid as the second round of the Italian Cup of the Class.
Three female crews in the race: Elena Balestrieri of the Circolo Vela Chioggia, the German Anna Meisterand the Class Secretary Francesca Lodigiani, who holds the Italian women's title. The SIAD Gold Bomb Trophy is organized by the Italian Yacht Club with the partnership of the SIAD Group, active in the industrial gases, engineering, healthcare, services and industrial goods sectors and with the collaboration of the Santa Margherita Ligure Sailing Club and the Rapallo Nautical Club. The regatta takes place under the patronage of the Municipalities of Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure and Rapallo.
The Dinghy Class
The Italian 12' Dinghy Class Association, founded in 1969 and recognized by the Italian Sailing Federation, has 299 registered members and over 600 sailing boats including wooden hulls, fiberglass and wood hulls and fiberglass hulls, recently built and vintage . The great attraction of this boat is given by the fact that wooden and fiberglass boats can race together: the recently launched wooden dinghies even have the same performance as a fiberglass hull. The ranking list of the class has almost 250 helmsmen. The Dinghy is a boat of great charm, technical and elegant, capable of evolving while always remaining itself.
