The ninth edition of Foiling Week took place in Malcesine on Lake Garda from 30 June to 3 July. For the first time, the organisers were forced to set a participant limit, such was the level of interest. Over 170 sailors from more than 20 nations travelled to the big air show. Sailing took place in five classes: Moth, Waszp, Onefly, ETF 26 and Wingfoil.
The Moth class, which has always been the queen of Foiling Week, recorded more than 70 entries. These included numerous Olympic champions and participants as well as many other well-known sailors from all over the world.
Dylan Fletcher secured victory with a clear lead and only results in the top three. The British Olympic champion from Tokyo won the 49er once before in 2018. Nicolai Jacobsen followed in second place ahead of none other than Mattias Coutts, the son of five-time America's Cup winner Russell Coutts. First woman was Lisa Schweigert from Wörthsee.
Olympic champion and multiple world champion Paul Goodison raved about the sailing conditions and the event: "This place is simply magical. I come to Malcesine every year, the conditions here are great. Foiling Week is a special event, so many foilers all together in one place, in one regatta, it's really priceless!"
Alongside Goodison in fourth place was another Laser world champion, Philipp Buhl. The man from Allgäu, who is passionate and ambitious on the Moth alongside the Olympic programme, finished in seventh place after ten races with a consistent series, making him the best of the eleven Germans.
The Waszp has also been part of the Foiling Week programme since 2016. Ettore Botticini from Italy sailed to victory, ahead of Charles Cullen from Ireland and Enzo Savoini, also from Italy. The most successful German participant was Lukas Hesse in 15th place, and the best German participant was Kim Fernholz from the Bavarian Yacht Club. For the Waszp sailors, the next highlight, the World Championship, is just a week away in Malcesine.
Designed for absolute speed and inspired by the multihulls of the 34th America's Cup, eight ETF-26 catamarans were on the starting line for the third time this year. The French team "Teampro" came out on top ahead of "Live Ocean Racing", founded by Peter Burling and Blair Tuke.
In addition to the races of the world's foiling elite, newcomers and less experienced sailors were once again able to make their first attempts on foils and test out the various models under supervision. Over 2,000 visitors flocked to Malcesine throughout the week in wind and sunshine.
A new addition to the supporting programme was the Foiling Film Festival, which took place over two evenings at the Palazzo dei Capitani in Malcesine. The winner of the competition and thus the best film about foiling in 2022 was "Gone with the Wing" by Andrew Englisch. All films can still be seen here for one week:
To the complete results. (Please click!)
