Allianz Sailing World Championships 2023: Ones to Watch in Nacra 17

Up until the start of this year, ask anyone who was the form team in the Nacra 17 fleet and the only definite answer would have been Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti (ITA).

Since sweeping to Olympic gold in Tokyo, the Italians were first to master the new full-foiling setup of the 17ft catamaran, capable of making their boat fly upwind in conditions where others were struggling to find their equilibrium.

They dominated last year’s Worlds in Canada but, since the start of the 2023 season, the Olympic champions have lost their edge and frequently find themselves in tight battles with other teams, not least their own teammates in an incredibly strong Italian squad.

Part of the challenge is Tita is an integral part of the Luna Rossa America’s Cup team which has been training hard in Sardinia and has now moved across to Barcelona as preparations ramp up for the cup in autumn 2024, not many weeks after the Olympic Games.

With attention and time divided between two campaigns, this has opened the door for the younger Italians – Gigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei (ITA) – to make their mark on the front of the Nacra fleet. A gold medal at the Paris 2024 Test Event for Ugolini and Giubilei will give the Italian selectors a headache about who to send to Marseille next year.

Another team which has been training with the Italian squad in the off-season are Great Britain’s John Gimson and Anna Burnet (GBR). Silver medallists at Tokyo 2020 and regular podium finishers, the British crew (now engaged to be married) took bronze at the Paris 2024 Test Event behind Finland’s Sinem Kurtbay and Akseli Keskinen who appear to have found a new burst of speed.

Others making a regular appearance at the front include the Tokyo 2020 bronze medallists from Germany, Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer (GER) and New Zealand’s Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson (NZL).