Italian team kicks off sailing challenge from Loch Ness
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AN Italian sailing team has travelled to Loch Ness to attempt breaking the crossing record and raise awareness of the impact of the climate crisis on lakes around the world.
The team, composed of sailors Franco Deganutti, Manuel Vlacich and Daniele Barzanelli – who will take on the challenge – as well as Simone Vlacich, for onshore support, reached Inverness on Sunday to start the first part of their “Grand Tour 2023”, a sailing adventure which will also take them to Lake Titicaca and the Dead Sea later this year.
Taking to the waters of Loch Ness with three high-performance inflatable sailboats, the team is also trying to educate the publica about the dramatic situation faced by waters in the world, with forecasts that the Dead Sea could dry completely by 2050. Lake Titicaca in the Andes is endangered by pollution and rising temperatures that have affected water levels on Loch Ness, which earlier this month recorded their lowest levels since1990.
Talking about the challenge, Mr Vlacich said: “We are really happy to be here, we had an incredible welcome and everyone has been very helpful.
“It’s great to see so many people loving water sports around here, and as athletes this is definitely part of our message: promoting water sports and the positive benefits it can bring.
“It’s a wonderful place and some of the scenery, the trees and the water remind us of the region where we come from.”
The group hails from Monfalcone, in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia-Giulia.
This year’s Grand Tour expedition follows a successful inaugural edition which saw the team competing in the most popular boat races in Europe and for which they were awarded a Guinness World Record.
In 2023, their goal is to follow the same format – “three stages, in the same year, with the same boat” – adding a note on sustainability and showing environmental challenges impacting the lakes.
“We did not chose these three locations randomly,” said Mr Vlacich. “This year, we’d like to raise awareness among the people that follow us.
“The Dead Sea is losing one metre of depth each year due to sea salinity and the artificial closing of its tributary rivers. There we’ll aim to sail for six hours, which is the time it will take for water levels to decrease by 1mm.
“Titicaca has also been heavily impacted by human activity, with gold extraction at the north of the lake causing contamination from mercury and other heavy metals.
“Even Loch Ness has raised concerns over its water levels. Driving here, we were surprised to see signs of low water levels on the rocks around the loch.”
The team will aim to take over the length of Loch Ness this week – starting from Fort Augustus and aiming to reach Lochend in less than eight hours.
