After the success in 2009, the interest for the Alpen Cup -  the circuit on the Alpine Lakes of Austria, Switzerland and Italy -  is growing and it’s attracting more and more Platu 25 crews. 

 

This year, the four legs of Alpen Cup Circuit were placed in the Alpine lakes of Ebensee and Traunsee in Austria, Luzern lake in Switzerland and in the East side of Como lake. From May to September, it involved around 20 boats of Austrian, German, Swiss and Italian Nationality.

 

The Alpine area is becoming a strategic area for sail, not just because Switzerland is the Country of Alinghi, the defender of the America’s Cup, but even because the atmosphere on the Austrian, Swiss and Italian Lakes is getting more and more International.

 

The Alpine area is going to become a nerve centre in the next months, thanks to the new Alpen Cup edition, that is gathering crews from 4 different nationalities. Last but not least, the 2011 Platu 25 World Championship will be competed in Austria. So, that’s enough to understand how the centre of gravity is moving to the heart of Europe. The central and strategic position of this area will guarantee also a big participation of Platu 25 crews from all over Europe.

 

As the Italian and International President of Platu 25 Edoardo Barni confirmed: “Our fleets are more and more involved in International regattas and our presence in the Alpen Cup is growing. For the next year, the Italian crews will be even more numerous because competition  with International adversaries is a big occasion for everybody”. 

 

The fourth edition will have 4 legs, as the previous ones. The first appointment with the Alpen Cup will be on the Attersee Lake, Austria, on the 8^th and 9^th of May. After that, just a few days later, there will be the second leg in Traunsee, during the prestigious Traunsee week (13-16 May) with tens of crews of different classes. Then Brunnen, on the Luzern Lake, Switzerland (17-28 August) and the last leg in Bellano, on the Lake of Como (4-5 September).

 

Two Swiss brothers, Markus e Martin Sigrist on board of SUI 493 won the 2009 Alpen Cup: they were dominant in Ebensee in the middle of May and they were the first at home, in Luzern, at the end of August. The Italian “Pirrilina” of Claudio and Mauro Fasoli conquered the second place in the general ranking list. And the third place was for Damaris” of Günther Prummer, the President of the Austrian class

 

For Alpen Cup 2010 more and more crews are expected. As Günther Prummer remarked: “The Alpen Cup for Platu25 was founded in 2006 during a class meeting along the Traunseeweek. The main goal is to unite the fleets of the alpine region as Switzerland, Southern Germany, northern Italy and Austria. This is the reason because we decided to start an Austrian – Swiss – Italian ranking. Altogether every year there are four races arranged for the Alpen Cup in Austria, Italy and Switzerland”. So, the goal was fully realised and the next Alpen Cup is going to attract an increasing number of boats.

 

 

 

 

 

Claudio Fasoli (Lake of Como) claudio_fasoli@msn.com
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