[Source: D-ONE Gold Cup] Adrenaline pumping finale for the 2012 D-One Gold Cup on Sunday in Alassio. A great showdown was expected, with 4 helmsmen that could still win the title, and a big show took place in West Ligurian waters. A bright sun, warm temperatures and a northerly breeze from 10 to 12 knots were the perfect scenario for the 38 d-oners from 9 countries fighting for the final double point no discardable race. The 2012 D-One Gold ended in the hands of czech Martin Trcka but lot of surprises came in during the race. Young check Viktor Teply controlled all the race from the start but capsized at the last gennaker hoisting. At that point Trcka had a fast run to the finish but the real fight were behind him, where come-from-behind argentinian Agustin Zabalua, a former D-One Gold Cup winner, recovered 10 boats in the second beat to fight for his chance. If Zabalua should finalize in second place the last race, the Gold Cup would take a Valencian route. With a third, czech Trcka would have the Gold Cup in his hands. Italian Andrea Casale broke Zabalua’s dream fighting hard in the last run. On the finish line, after Zabalua’s last jibe, only half a meter separated the two d-oners, but the italian bowsprit was ahead.

So the winner of the 2012 D-One Gold Cup is Martin Trcka, a former olympian for his country in the Laser class. Zabalua enden in second with a one point gap. Third was italian Pietro Sibello, winner of two races in this Championship. 21 years old Teply finalized in fourth. Fifth was Andrea Casale and sixth consistent italian Michele Mennuti, that took the corinthian title. The Master title went to another czech, Marek Bachtick.

Martin Trcka about his Gold Cup: “Viktor has the final race in his hand all the time, but unfortunately for him and fortunately for me he capsized on the second hoist and that was it. Looking on the duel between Casale and Zabalua I was a little bit nervous but it ended well. About the D-One she is an awesome dinghy. It’s quite intensive actually and you have tough and intensive sailing. You got the speed and the pleasure of sailing as well. Thanks to Luca Devoti for made such a great boat”.

The 2013 edition of the D-One Gold Cup will be sailed on Attersee, Austria, in late September.

Tom Slingsby, world Laser champion from Australia, wins Sunday’s double-point medal race with a formidable lead and claims overall victory in the second edition of the D-One Gold Cup in Fraglia Vela Riva del Garda. Second and third places go to two British skippers, Nick Thompson and Giles Scott, respectively. Andrea Casale finishes fourth overall and first among the Italian sailors while Fabbio Toccoli, ninth overall, is the best non-professional skipper.

Riva del Garda, July 31st: Tom Slingsby turned the closing race of the 2011 D-One Gold Cup into his own personal parade on the waters off Fraglia Vela Riva del Garda. Going into the medal race that carried double points with no possibility of being discarded the overall score table was still wide open and a few duels were expected within the fleet for the individual podium spots. The first attempt at running a race was short lived and had to be canceled towards the end of the first run when the early-morning northerly (Peler) died down. The intense duel between Thompson and Glinsby would have to be repeated. After a half-an-hour wait, the “Ora” (the southerly breeze on Lake Garda) kicked in earlier than expected and gave the race committee the opportunity to give a second start at 11am.

That race proved to be a non-event, even with a light breeze between 6 and 8 knots. The Australian had a conservative start but thanks to his boat speed and excellent helming, he managed to build a lead of more than 100 meters at the first weather mark over second-placed Giles Scott. Slingsby then extended the lead to over 200 meters at the finish line. A finish in ninth place for Andrea Casale meant Scott was victorious in his duel third podium spot as the Italian finished ninth in the medal race. Argentina’s Agustín Zabalua, winner of the 2010 Gold Cup, scored an excellent third place and finished eleventh overall.

Tom Slingsby, winner of the 2011 D-One Gold Cup. Fraglia Vela Del Riva, 31 July 2011. Photo copyright François Richard

As a result, Tom Slingsby wins the second edition of the D-One Gold Cup and proves that the dinghy designed by Luca Devoti, when helmed by Olympic champions, can reach excellent speed and provide an impressive show on water. It is important pointing out that the top five skippers in the overall leaderboard weighed between 80kg and 98kg in a windy venue like Riva del Garda, a very wide range for dinghies.

Slingsby dominates the leaderboard with 8 points (3-1-1-2-1-1-1), followed by Thompson (1-2-2-1-2-2-4) and Scott (2-4-4-3-5-5-2). Andrea Casale wraps up the Gold cup with a brilliant fourth place (4-3-3-4-3-4-9), showing that he still has all it takes to be competitive on a dinghy. Giorgio Poggi is eighth while Fabio Toccoli, with a ninth place is also the winner in the Corinthian division. Riccardo Pontremoli from Genoa closes the top ten. Nathalie Testa wins the title in the women’s division while German Eberhard Bieberitz is the best-performing Master.

“It’s been a real pleasure racing on the D-One here,” stated a clearly jubilant Tom Slingsby (three-time world Laser champion). “It’s a great boat, great people and great class. Having 36 yachts from 11 nations in the second edition of the D-One Gold Cup is a good result. I decided to come here and race because I was definitively intrigued by the potential of this dinghy. The D-One can have a great future and grow very fast. I will certainly train again and race on a D-One, this time bringing many of my friends, to whom I definitely suggest they tried it.”

The next edition of the D-One Gold Cup will take place in Tuscany, near the end of next year’s summer. The 2011 Volvo Cup D-One, after the events in Alassio, Bracciano, Cattolica and Riva del Garda, will proceed to Marina di Scarlino in conjunction with the National Championship (16-18 September) and the Barcolina of Trieste (1-2 October).

Riva del Garda, July 30th: Tom Slingsby lived up to his fame and won both of today’s races. The first one was truly a walk in the park for the current world Laser champion as he led from start to finish. In the second race he managed to stage a great recovery after an average start, showing a couple of amazing speed peaks upwind. It was another beautiful day on Lake Garda, with the local “Ora” blowing 16 knots in the first race and 13-14 in the second one.

The spectacular show of 36 D-One’s sailing upwind close to the west banks of the lake and downwind under their colorful spinnakers and with speeds reaching 16 knots was exciting. The D-One is a dinghy that, when put on the expert hands of Laser and Finn Olympic champions, shows that competitive yacht racing can also provide truly astonishing levels of show. Watching Tom Slingsby screaming ahead upwind (with amazing speed bursts in the first beat of the second race when he passed a couple of competitors with a speed at least 1 knot greater) is similar to reading a manual of competitive racing. The 27-year old Australian champion decided to take part in this Gold Cup after having heard about the potential of the D-One, a dinghy that combines skills and technicality upwind with pure fun downwind.

The day’s first race saw the absolute domination by Slingsby from the onset. Slingsby crossed the finish line more than 200 meters ahead of second-placed Nick Thompson. Andrea Casale had a fantastic race again and was third, ahead of Gaspic and Giles Scott. Among the Italians, Uberto Crivelli Visconti was eighth and Fabio Toccoli ninth.

The second race was marked by an exceptional recovery by Slingsby after an average start. At the first weather mark Slingsby was already leading, followed by, who else, Nick Thompson. Croatia’s Ivan Gaspic (current European Finn champion) was third, Andrea Casale fourth and Giorgio Poggi eighth. Nathalie Testa, the only woman racing in the regatta, had a remarkable performance and finished first among the fleet with the smaller 9.5 rig.

After 6 races with one discard, Tom Slingsby (3-1-1-2-1-1) is leading the Gold Cup, two points clear of Nick Thompson (1-2-2-1-2-2). Andrea Casale is now third (4-3-3-4-3-4), two points ahead of Giles Scott (2-4-4-3-5-5). Another British skipper, Charlie Cumbley is fifth. Among the Italians, Fabio Toccoli is eighth (10-8-12-8-9-14), Giorgio Poggi ninth (DNF-7-19-7-10-8). Riccardo Pontremoli from Genoa is eleventh (8-11-22-14-18-13). Reigning champion, Agustín Zabalua from Argentina, and light-wind specialist is currently 16th, penalized by his weight of just 72kg.

“It is a great regatta,” stated Luca Devoti, freshly arrived from Cascais, where he’s been busy as sailing manager of America’s Cup challenger Green Comm Racing. “Watching Tom Slingsby sailing is an exceptional opportunity. The fine-tuning of the D-One dinghy is continuous and now even heavyweight Finn sailors can be competitive. Riva del Garda is a notoriously windy place and maybe that scared the lighter skippers a little bit but being able to witness such a high level of racing with those guys makes it a unique spot for the sport of sailing. Next year’s Gold Cup will be in Tuscany and everybody will have their chance as well.”

The event’s last race is scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday) morning at 8:45am and will take place with a northerly breeze (Pelèr). The medal race carries double points and cannot be discarded, leaving the final result wide open. Two battles are expected, the first one between Slingsby and Thompson for the title and the other one between Casale and Scott for third place. Among the skippers racing with the smaller 9.5 rig, Spaniard Alvaro Maestro Garcia is holding the lead but Nathalie Testa still has some chances.

The Volvo Cup D-One, after the events in Alassio, Bracciano, Cattolica and Riva del Garda, will proceed to Marina di Scarlino in conjunction with the National Championship (16-18 September) and the Barcolina of Trieste (1-2 October).

The second day of the 2011 D-One Gold Cup in Fraglia Vela Riva del Garda had in store yet another thrilling duel between Australian Tom Slingsby and Great Britain’s Nick Thompson. “Ora”, the local southerly breeze, started at 16 knots and dropped to 12 in the second race. Slingsby scored an incredible come-from-behind win in the first race after recovering from a capsize in the first run. Thompson took the second race and claimed overall leadership after 4 races. It was another excellent day for Abdrea Casale (3-4, fourth overall) while Fabio Toccoli was 8th overall and second among the Italian fleet.

Riva del Garda, July 29th: Spectators on the Garda lake on Friday afternoon were treated with an exceptional performance by Tom Slingsby. In the day’s first race (third in the 2011 D-One Gold Cup) and with the southerly breeze blowing 16 knots, the Australian, current world Laser champion, was able to recover from a capsize in the first run, while he was in the lead. His exceptional speed in the second beat and his perfect tactics in the final run allowed him to recover three spots and win the race. This was another proof of this top-notch sailor’s skills. When Slingsby capsized, Andrea Casale from Genoa took the leadership, only to be overtaken at the second weather mark. “These guys sail like crazy,” said Casale, “I gave my best but I have to admit that sailing against them is indeed a pleasure!” Casale finally was third, behind Slingsby and Thompson. Among the remaining Italian skippers, Giuseppe Pontremoli finished seventh.

In the second race, the “Ora” had dropped to 12 knots but this didn’t take away the excitement from the fight between Thompson and Slingsby. This time it was the British sailor that got the upper hand after he passed the Australian in the second beat. Third was another British, Giles Scott, current European Finn champion. Fourth place went to Andrea Casale and Croatia’s Ivan Gaspic finished fifth. Among the other Italian skippers, Giorgio Poggi and Fabio Tocolli were, respectively, seventh and eighth while ninth place went to Uberto Crivelli Visconti.

After four races with one discard, Nick Thompson is sitting at the top of the overall leaderboard (1-2-2-1) with 4 points, tied with Tom Slingsby (3-1-1-2). Giles Scott is third (2-4-4-3), Andrea Casale fourth (4-3-3-4) while fifth place goes to another British skipper, Charlie Cumbley. Among the Italians, Fabio Toccoli is eighth (10-8-12-8), Giorgio Poggi ninth (DNF-7-19-7) and Riccardo Pontremoli is tenth (8-11-22-14).

“It’s been a really tough day,” admitted Tom Slingsby, “I capsized halfway down the first run in a gybe close to the rocks. I was then able to recover thanks to my speed upwind with a strong breeze that today was clearly notable. It’s a pure pleasure racing on this dinghy that blends the abilities of a hiking boat upwind with the speed and fun downwind.”

The Volvo Cup D-One, after the events in Alassio, Bracciano, Cattolica and Riva del Garda, will proceed to Marina di Scarlino in conjunction with the National Championship (16-18 September) and the Barcolina of Trieste (1-2 October).

The world Laser and Finn champions put on a true show today in Fraglia Vela Riva. Great Britain’s Nick Thompson and Tom Slingsby from Australia scored one bullet each in the day’s two races and demonstrated their exceptional technical level while Giles Scott stands third. It was a great day as well for Italian Andrea Casale (4-3). Among the rest of the Italian fleet, Fabio Toccoli and Riccardo Pontremoli showed a promising performance. “Ora” (the local southern breeze) blew through the afternoon, starting at 16 knots and slightly dropping to 12 in the second race

Riva del Garda, July 28th: It was a pure show of technical and sports prowess, watching the world’s best Laser sailors, Australian Tom Slingsby (current world champion) and Great Britain’s Nick Thompson (currently ranked 3rd), race on the D-Ones during the opening day of the Gold Cup, fourth stage of the 2011 Volvo Cup. The Laser duo was incredibly fast upwind, dynamic downwind, athletic and fit, perfectly at ease on this yacht designed by Luca Devoti.

Tom Slingsby, current world Laser champion, leads the D-One Gold cup on its opening day. Fraglia Vela Riva, 28 July 2011. Photo copyright François Richard

A total of 36 skippers from 10 countries were on the starting line at Fraglia Vela Riva. Among them were Great Britain’s Giles Scott, current European Finn champion, and Italian Andrea Casale, former Italian Laser and world J24 champion that chose to make his comeback “for pure pleasure” but already feeling comfortable with an excellent 4-3 score in today’s two races.

Racing took place with the “Ora”, the typical afternoon southerly of the Garda lake, blowing 16 knots in the first race and then dropping to 12 in the second one. Nick Thompson took the first race, followed by Giles Scott and Tom Slingsby that capsized in the second run. Andrea Casale was fourth, Riccardo Pontremoli eighth and Fabio Toccoli tenth.

The second race of the day went to Tom Slingsby who finished ahead of Nick Thompson and Andrea Casale after a thrilling tacking duel in the second beat. Fabio Toccoli finished eighth while further down the score table was the reigning champion Agustín Zabalua (14-15). The best performance among the smaller 9.5 rig boats was of Andrea Magni, twenty-first (21-21), while Nathalie Testa claimed the top spot among the women skippers. Two more races are scheduled on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday will see he closing race of the event.

Nick Thompson, currently 3rd ranked Laser sailors, stands second in the D-One Gold cup on its opening day. Fraglia Vela Riva, 28 July 2011. Photo copyright François Richard

“It’s really fun”, stated a jubilant Tom Slingsby. “I dueled with Nick during one entire beat, having fun like crazy and laughing at each cross. The D-One is the best way to have fun sailing but also race at a high level.”

“I haven’t raced in a dinghy since fifteen years now,” said Andrea Casale, “and I have to admit I had tremendous fun. Initially I thought of this regatta as a game but now that I’m racing against these extremely well prepared guys I’m giving my best because there is always a lot to learn when one goes back to sailing basics and the sheer pleasure of sailing on a yacht.”

The Volvo Cup D-One, after the events in Alassio, Bracciano, Cattolica and Riva del Garda, will proceed to Marina di Scarlino in conjunction with the National Championship (16-18 September) and the Barcolina of Trieste (1-2 October).

A fleet of 40 plus boats is expected to compete in the famous Ora wind in Northern Garda. Big names from the Finn Olympic class will also race the event joining the full European amateurs fleet. Other professional sailors have already chartered their D-One, ready to enjoy the fun of this high-performance dinghy that has already sold 110+ boats in only two years of worldwide explosion. The general goal is to attack Agustin Zabalua’s dominance in the 2010 season. Argentinian Zabalua won the first Gold Cup in Valencia and will be ready to defend his title in the strong summer breeze of Lake Garda. Will you be fit enough? Will you be prepared enough? Surely you will all have fun like never before in a race. The D-One way of life means easy sailing, friendship and strong competition.

The D-One is not only for the big guys. Thanks to the new 9.5 rig, ladies and light weights can now easily sail the boat. Riva del Garda and Murcia will be a s pectacular show of what we like to do, sailing our boat and enjoying every single second in it. We deserve this.

Devoti Sailing is offering brand new D-Ones for charter both in Garda and Murcia. The special charter price for these ev ents is 700 euros, transport included with a complete boat ready to race. You will have only to bring your wetsuit and enjoy your time. We will take care of everything else…..

For further information please send an email to info@devoti-one.com

Cattolica, 12 June 2011: The Volvo Cup D-One continues under the clear domination of Agustín Zabalua. The Argentinean skipper, winner of the first Gold Cup edition in Valencia, scored yet another two bullets on Sunday, after Saturday’s first place. This triple bullet performance put Zabalua comfortably in command of the overall score table of this great event, hosted by the Yacht Club Marina of Cattolica. Second and third places went to Italians Alessandro Novi (2,5,2) and Paolo Rossi (3,3,5). Andrea Magni (9,4,3 and winner in the Masters division) and Nicolò Saidelli (10,6,6), with an excellent performance in Sunday’s two races, close the top five spots. Sunday’s two races were held under a gentle northerly breeze between 6 and 9 knots. On Saturday only one race took place, again with a northerly that started at 10 knots and gradually slowed to 5 knots.

Among the 21 skippers, no less than 5 raced with the smaller 9.5m rig specifically destined for lightweights. Nathalie Testa, from Albenga, was victorious in Cattolica as well, finishing ahead of Francesca Cinque, from Rome, and Valentina Venturi.

The 21-strong D-One fleet. Cattolica, 12 June 2011. Photo copyright Andrea Carloni

The overall level of the fleet is constantly growing, in view of the Gold Cup, scheduled to take place from the 28^th to the 31^st of July in Riva del Garda. “There will be many Finn Olympic sailors,” said Agustin Zabalua, “Andrea Casale, Giorgio Poggi and many non-Italians. The level will be high and conditions demanding, with the usual summer breeze of Garda that tops 20 knots. We will have to prepare well to take advantage of our chances. The level of the class is constantly growing.”

Nicollò Saidelli from Genoa, fifth overall in Cattolica, said: “In the D-One class it’s the friendly ambience and fun that matter most. We have lots of fun, still, with a technical boat that requires training and sharp skills to set up. We like that the class is so, we are all friends and we enjoy it very much.”

The Volvo Cup D-One, after its three initial stages in Alassio, Bracciano and Cattolica will now move to Riva del Garda (27-29 July), then at the Marina di Scarlino for the Italian National Championship (16-18 September) and finally the Barcolina of Trieste (1-2 October).

Agustín Zabalua, overall event winner. Cattolica, 12 June 2011. Photo copyright Andrea Carloni

Francesca Cinque, second-placed among the small-rigged fleet. Cattolica, 12 June 2011. Photo copyright Andrea Carloni

Just one single race was disputed due to the unfavorable weather conditions at Sailing Team in Bracciano, Italy. A total of 26 sailors raced, including three women with the smaller 9.5 rig. The next leg of the Volvo Cup D-One will be in Cattolica in June 11-12, followed by the most anticipated event, the Gold Cup in Riva del Garda at the end of July.

The second leg of the Volvo Cup D-One, organized by Sailing Team Bracciano, ended with just one valid race that took place on Saturday with a westerly wind of 10 knots. On Sunday, the breeze did not come to the lake on the outskirts of Rome and at around 4:30pm the last slim hopes of having a race faded away under the storm. This event, with only a single valid race, will therefore not count towards the 2011 Volvo Cup. What remains valid however is the important victory by local skipper Alberto Ferrari, ahead of Argentina’s Agustin Zabalua, reigning Gold Cup D-One champion, and Alessandro Novi from Genova.

The D-One fleet. Bracciano, 21 May 2011.

The race within the race of the five yachts equipped with the smaller 9.5 rigs was particularly hard fought and fun thanks to the balance between light weights, wings. Among them there were three brave and beautiful girls, with Nathalie Testa finishing ahead of Francesca Venturi and Valentina Cinque. In the Masters division victory went to Giovanni Tricarico, followed by Andrea Magni and Guido Falciola. The Immersion watch for the fastest skipper to the first windward mark (Immersion Speed ​​Contest) went to the Roman Stefano Caruso.

What were not absent from the event was the fun, thanks to the D-One spirit, and the opportunity for the skippers to deepen their knowledge with this innovative dinghy with mainsail and spinnaker, thanks to Luca Devoti and Agustin Zabalua, who imparted valuable advice to competitors, especially for the development of the new North mainsails.

This is how the winner of the race, Alberto Ferrari, described it: “Zabalua and I had an amazing duel and I eventually managed to stay ahead. Imagine, I hit the starting line at the last possible second… I was also lucky to find myself immediately on the right side. Now, together with the large D-One fleet in Rome, we will train hard for the Gold Cup in Riva del Garda, where conditions are very demanding but definitely very exciting.”

The Volvo Cup D-One, after the onset of Alassio and Bracciano, will proceed to Cattolica (10-12 June), Riva del Garda (27-29 July), Marina di Scarlino in conjunction with the Italian National Championship (16-18 September) and the Barcolina of Trieste (1-2 October).

The D-One fleet. Bracciano, 21 May 2011.

Alberto Ferrari, winner of the event. Bracciano, 21 May 2011.

Francesca Cinque, one of the regatta's three women skippers. Bracciano, 21 May 2011.