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| Hobie Way Of Life |
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T he “Hobie Way of Life” is a different way to experience sailing in an easy and fun way that stimulates adrenaline and favours speed. It is a different approach appreciated by both young and less fans of the catamaran Hobie Cat. Garda Style meets Vittorio Bissaro, 21, and Lamberto Cesari, 20. These two young Veronese have been competing on Hoby Cat 16 for four years and, recently, on Formula 18. They train in Alto Garda (they are members of La Fraglia di Malcesine) which is the perfect training ground for those who participate in sailing raises all over the world. 2007 has been their golden year, thanks to the victories achieved in Italy and to the end of the world … Fiji Island!
 Garda Style: Let’s start with a predictable but mandatory question: what do you think of the Lake? Vittorio e Lamberto: We love it! It is the place where we learnt how to sail. We like it the best for its steady winds and unique waves. We raced all over in Italy and abroad, but for sure Alto Garda is the best location for sailing. GS: Why did you choose the catamaran? V & L: Well, it was by accident. Lamberto had raced in Otimist, but he didn’t know which class he should move on; when two friends of ours – who are experienced hobiecatters – let us try Hobie Cat 16, it was love at first sight. GS: What makes Hobie Cat 16 different from the other boats? V & L: Hobie Cat 16 is a catamaran, and therefore develops higher speed compared to single-hull boats. Besides, the double harness increases adrenaline rush and allows more acrobatics. It is also easy to equip and transport: for this reason it is the most popular catamaran so far, even though it was designed in the sixties. GS: Your best experience with Hobie Cat? V & L: Maybe the World Championship at Fiji Islands last October. Hobie Cat 16 World Championship is a very special event. It is held every two years in fantastic locations (New Caledonia, Guadalupe, Mexico, and South Africa); the boats are provided by the organization and are swapped in order to guarantee absolute fairness. Emotionally, it is a very exciting event, the competitive as well as the professional level are very high; at shore, a festive atmosphere animates the whole winter season. We came back home reasonably satisfied (5th place at the Junior World Championship).
GS: Which was the greatest achievement of your career? V & L: To place 5th at the Hobie Tiger European Championship. It was only our second race in that class, not to mention that we raced with a very old rented boat; it was put together with scotch tape, so to speak! Another great achievement was our first home victory at the Cat Ora Cup in 2007. We kept the lead for two days and wan opponents who were a lot more experienced, like our teachers from Garda. GS: Your plans for the future? V & L: Right now we just want to grow and have fun by taking part in boat races with Formula 18. If, as we hope, catamaran is reintroduced in the 2016 Olympics (it has been barred from London 2012), we make a point to be well trained. The Olympics are always the dream of any athlete! GS: Thank you guys, to conclude: can you tell me your best memory with regard to Lake Garda? V & L: By all means when in the summer we used to sleep on the catamaran’s tie log and would wake up at 6 AM to practice with Pelèr (a warm wind that blows at dawn in the summer – Editor’s note). We were the only ones on the Lake …. It was fantastic. |