The Circolo della Vela Sicilia

 

At the inaugural regatta of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, a few months after its founding, Alfonso XIII, King of Spain, participated with his 8-meter International Tonnage "Hispania VII," and many were the illustrious personalities of Europe who were and still are frequent patrons of its seductive and elegant headquarters in Mondello, just a few kilometers from the center of Palermo.

Over the years, members who have distinguished themselves for their sporting achievements in the various classes include Mario and Enrico Ducrot, Luigi Airoldi, Giuseppe Tasca d'Almerita, Alessandro La Lomia and Agostino Randazzo, the current president.

Throughout its long history, the Club has hosted several prestigious national and international regattas, including the European Championships of the Star and J24 classes, the Absolute Italian Championships of the Olympic classes and, since 2005, the offshore regatta "Palermo - Montecarlo," which has become a "classic" of the Mediterranean summer.

In 2011, Patrizio Bertelli chose CVS as the challenging yacht club of Luna Rossa Challenge for the 34th America's Cup, marking the entry of the Palermo-based club into the elite of world sailing. In 2021, the Circolo della Vela Sicilia joined Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli for the 36th America's Cup - presented by PRADA, a memorable edition for the team that, after winning the Challenger Selection Series (PRADA Cup), competed in the final match against the Defender, earning the best score ever for an Italian challenger.

The Circolo della Vela Sicilia burgee will fly for the third consecutive time aboard Luna Rossa during the upcoming 37th America's Cup in Barcelona.

Agostino Randazzo, president of Circolo della Vela Sicilia, said: «After San Francisco and Auckland, Patrizio Bertelli has once again chosen Circolo della Vela Sicilia as Luna Rossa's challenging yacht club for the 37th America's Cup, an edition that will certainly leave its mark on the 100-year history of the trophy: Barcelona is a beautiful city that will attract enthusiasts from all over the world, the upgrade of the AC75 Class-with only eight sailors on board-will provide even more exciting and hard-fought racing, and the opening to youth and women's classes is an important innovation that will contribute to the success of the event.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli is a team of excellence, led by the vision of Patrizio Bertelli and a great professional like Max Sirena and is composed of the top talents of Italian sailing. We are very proud that once again our burgee will fly next to the tricolor and support the team in this new adventure».