Venue Guide – Riva Del Garda
2014 RS400 Eurocup 28 July - 1 August
Fraglia vela Riva is situated in beautiful and historic Riva Del Garda, in the North West corner of Lake Garda in Northern Italy. Wonderful sailing, sunshine, pasta and friends! The town of Riva is particularly attractive and has a wide range of shops, bars and restaurants.
For non-sailing friends, or those extending their trip, there’s lots to do including mountain biking, windsurfing, hill climbing, canyoning, beach activities, canoeing etc. The majority of these are available within a short walk of the town centre. So if you have friends or relatives interested in sharing your holiday – bring them along – the more the merrier!
Racing
Garda is well known for being a sailing and windsurfing mecca, largely due to the thermally generated ‘Ora’ wind that kicks in from the south usually around 1200hrs, and builds regularly up to a F4 and occasionally up to a F6-F7. Occasionally you get thunderstorms rolling around the mountains and the clouds and drop in temperature can prevent the “Ora” from kicking in and if the light northerly or ‘Peler’ is in place racing does sometimes take place in the ‘wrong direction’ that emphasises a range of different skill sets.
The club has been in existence for over 80 years, and has a deserved reputation for hosting events to World Championship level. You can be sure that the race management will be spot on and the support staff are used to dealing with foreign competitors.
Launching
There are 2 launching areas – off the main slipway (see below), or via a small slipway into the marina. Launching, especially from the main slipway, is quite tricky given the narrowness of the ramp and the prevailing wind direction which is onshore when the Ora kicks in. Communal trolleys will be used, so make sure yours is in good repair. Patience and helpfulness are essential for efficient launching and recovery, so come in the right spirit!
SOCIAL LIFE
The social side of Garda is part of the charm of the regatta – with the Ora turning up at lunchtime, there’s no need to get to the dinghy park until 10:30, so this helps to encourage later nights. Evening entertainment usually consists of finding a lovely restaurant, then decamping to a bar to discuss the days racing. If you’re on holiday with your partner there are some lovely romantic venues.
The club will host a dinner with a DJ on one night, and there will be other socials arranged. The club will serve pasta after racing each day except party night. This is all included in your entry fee.
Club Amenities
The club amenities are very good with a nice bar and lounge area. There’s an upper level sundeck and a smaller one for a post race beer in front of the club. Water, Coffee, and rolls are all available from the bar in the morning, and usually after racing there’s free pasta for all competitors.
CHANDLERY
A couple of the RS Sailing lads will be there with a wide range of spares and fittings. For more general stuff there’s a windsurfing shop in local Torbole which has a range of ropes, blocks etc but no specialist parts.
Useful Information
- Water Bottles – you’ll need at least 2 litres a day out on the water – potentially more if you’re working hard and it’s really hot.
- Boat Preparation is key – anything that can break will break due to the wind, short chop and the potential for capsizing. Make sure you’ve checked the boat over carefully before going out there and replace any ropes that look dodgy – especially halyards and the entire spinnaker related ropes. You might well not have time to get back to the club between races if there is a problem.
- It can get really hot, so take suntan lotion out in the boat and top up between races. Also think about a baseball cap or sunhat and sunglasses, although these can get quite wet if the wind is “on form”
The other thing you must bring is a copy of the boat insurance certificate. You may be asked to produce them when you register.
TRAVEL
Get your boat delivered
The best way to go if you are time poor. Either arrange for a friend to take the boat out on a double trailer and offer to share costs. Sailboat Deliveries, http://www.sailboatdeliveries.co.uk/
Flying
If you get your boat delivered then you need to arrange to fly out. Airports to head for are either Verona Brescia or Milan Bergamo, both of which can be reached from a number of the cheaper airlines. Venice (Marco Polo), Verona, or Milan (Linate and Malpensa) are also quite near. On arrival at the airport the next issue is transport to/from Riva.
Options include
hiring a car for the week (get a route from the airport from www.theaa.com before you leave home),
taxi or trains to Sirmione (bottom of the lake) and then ferry all the way to Riva (pretty but time consuming)
train to Rotoverto and bus to Riva (every hour)
bus down the East Coast of the lake to Verona and then taxi (slow!)
from Verona airport: A.P.T.V. connecting bus service every 20 minutes to Verona train and bus stations (travel time 15 minutes). From there you can catch an A.P.T.V. bus to Riva (two hours) or take a train
to Rovereto (50 minutes) and then an Atesina bus to Riva (45 minutes).
Cheap taxi transfer - http://transfer.limtours.it
Driving
Depending on your car/speed/trailer/route/traffic/pit stop strategy the journey can be done in about 14 hours from Calais. There is any number of possible routes, but the two main ways are –
Switzerland – Aim for Basel and then head south through Switzerland through the St. Gotthard Tunnel. Drop down to Milan and pick up the A4 heading east signposted Verona or Venice. Go along past the bottom of the lake and pick up the A22 North signposted Brennero, and exit at the Roteverto Sud exit (toll fee payable). Follow signs to Torbole and then Riva. After the tunnel from Torbole you will enter Riva itself, continue on the main road until you get to a roundabout, turn left here and the sailing club is at the end of this road.
Austria – Head into Germany and go south aiming for Munich. Follow the A8 to Salzburg, but turn off onto the A93 (South) which becomes the A12, following signs to Innsbruck.
It is well worth getting a route plan from www.theaa.com before you leave, and buying a decent road map.
Ferry Travel Try Alternative Promotions for cheap ferry deals. 01934 824138, [email protected], www.altprom.com
Carnets & Tolls Travelling through France and Italy you will have to pay road tolls on the Motorways, with barriers every now and again. In Switzerland / Austria its slightly different, as you stop at the border and buy a ‘carnet’ that covers you to drive on their motorways. Details of these tolls are available on the AA website – http://www.theaa.com’allaboutcars/overseas/european_tolls_select.jsp
Other Driving Tips
- Is the car up to it? It’s a 2000-mile round trip or thereabouts.
- Trailer Bearings – get them checked.
- Spare Wheel, and check you have a spanner that works on these wheel nuts.
- Lighting board in good working order.
- Emergency Kit – warning triangle, first aid kit, headlamp deflectors – all legal requirements in certain countries you might pass through.
- Insurance & Recovery – Get a green card.
- You cannot overtake during daylight hours on many of Germany’s roads – look out for the signs.
ON ARRIVAL
Finding the Club
On arrival in Riva, the club (Fraglia vela Riva) is quite well signposted. The address is Via Giancarlo Maroni 2, 38066 Riva del Garda
Boat/Trailer Parking
At the club, you will be instructed to park the boat in the appropriate spot depending on your launching option. All road trailers need to be moved immediately to a nearby trailer park.
Accommodation
There is an accommodation list on the club website - www.fragliavelariva.com - which provides extensive details of the accommodation that’s available. It is also worth looking at www.rivadelgarda.com. If you are interested in camping, Monte Brione can be booked in advance and also has chalets for hire, but is a short walk from the lake and sailing club. Camping al Lago and Camping Bavaria are directly on the lake. Neither can be booked, operating on a first come, first served basis. These are more cramped and lively than Monte Brione.
