The Barcolana, the biggest regatta in the world. To think that only 51 boats participated in the first edition in 1969 while today it is the regatta with the largest number of participants in the world with over 2,000 sailboats! Each year around 400,000 people among crews, staff, sponsors, fans and onlookers come to Trieste to experience the unique spirit and atmosphere of the Barcolana.
The record was made in 2018, with 2689 boats and since then the Barcolana has entered the Guinness Book of World Records as ‘The Largest Sailing Race’.
Here is the course of the Barcolana55 presented by Generali, confirmed from the previous edition. It is a quadrilateral with fixed vertices positioned in the Gulf of Trieste, with a total length of 13 nautical miles.
The start is set at 10:30 a.m. and the line is positioned between Barcola and Miramare; it proceeds for 210 degrees, for 4.3 nautical miles, until reaching the first buoy, then follows a 0.90-mile disengagement, for 332 degrees. From Buoy 2 to Buoy 3, off Miramare Castle, sail 4 miles, then back toward Barcola, along the coast, for 2.3 miles. Off the Victory Lighthouse begins the final phase of the race, which leads the crews to the finish: they sail 160 degrees until they reach, after a mile and a half, the Old Port Dam, where, in front of the Piazza dell’Unità, the finish of the race is positioned.