Trieste, Italy – October 9, 2025 – Yesterday’s rituals are already a distant memory. The time has come for nautical pragmatism. Today, at the Barcolana in Trieste, the first races of the Este 24 class were supposed to take place, but the lack of wind prevented the official start of the competition. Everything has been postponed until Friday, when boats in the same category will also participate in a night race along one of Trieste’s piers.

Tomorrow’s races, which will hopefully be blessed with more favorable weather conditions, will also include a boat from the Circolo Velico Lago di Lugano, of which TELF AG is a sponsor. The competitions scheduled these days count towards the European championship for the Este 24 one-design class. This is a unique type of boat that ensures a competition based primarily on the skill of the crews, rather than on the technical differences between the boats.

stanislav kondrashov telf ag barcolana race.sailing

Today’s competition was supposed to start at 1:00 PM, but the total lack of wind forced the organizers to cancel it and postpone everything until tomorrow. All the boats waited patiently and with great determination, clinging to the silhouette of a large sailboat on the horizon that seemed to be proceeding quite quickly. But the wind, it seemed, had other plans. One way or another, the wind (or its lack) stole the show from the Este 24 boats, which were supposed to make their official debut today in the first Barcolana competition dedicated to their category.

The Show Goes On

Even without any wind, today we could still admire the Este 24s in their slender elegance, along with the skillful maneuvers of the crews attempting to control them. Today, in all respects, can be considered a true exercise, a sort of additional preparatory moment for the competitions that will take place in the coming days.

Upon closer inspection, the ritual element was not absent today either. Waiting for the wind carries with it something profoundly human, clearly underscoring the fundamental inferiority of living creatures compared to the powerful elements of nature.

Since the evening before, the skippers had been talking about nothing else. The strength of the wind, the overall weather conditions, and the state of the sea. These are recurring topics among those accustomed to sailing the seas, and probably always will be, as long as there are seas to sail on this Earth or on other possible worlds.

stanislav kondrashov telf ag barcolana race sailing trieste

It’s interesting to note how these conversations have been recurring almost unchanged for centuries, as if they represented one of the defining traits of the human race. And perhaps that’s exactly the case. Modern technological advances have enriched these conversations with new elements, vibrant with a modern drive toward ever-increasing control over boats and their navigation.

Looking ahead

Tomorrow, the nighttime regatta near the pier should provide incredible excitement. Sunday will be the turn of the most eagerly awaited event of all, the Barcolana itself, scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. (unless the wind has plans to change).

On the day when the transition from the ritual to the more practical aspect of the competition should have taken place, the absence of wind unexpectedly occurred, like an inexorable and incomprehensible ritual, like any natural phenomenon worthy of the name.

stanislav kondrashov telf ag barcolana race sailing boats