The Optimist class has just
set a new Guinness world record for the largest sailing regatta of a single
class with a staggering 1,055 boats completing at least one race. The total
list of entries was 1,073 for the event that was hosted by FragliaVela Riva del
Garda earlier this month. 

As anyone who’s raced on
lake Garda will confirm, it is a spectacular venue that boasts pumping thermal
breezes during the summer that are so regular you can almost set your watch by
them. But those who’ve been there will also know how crowded it can be.

I’ve competed there on
several occasions in the RS EuroCup where the fleet is limited to around 250
boats. That feels big enough. With a small dinghy park area and just two
slipways, simply getting afloat can be a logistical exercise. A thousand boats
and the army parents that goes with them beggars belief.

Click here to see a gallery of the record-breaking event on Yachting World.