Robin Maeder Wins A-Cat Easter Regatta After Foiling Battles at Campione del Garda

Robin Maeder did more than collect an Easter regatta trophy at Campione del Garda. He used eight races across three sharply different days to show why he now sits at the top of the A-Cat pecking order.

The Swiss sailor, racing SUI 007 for CNB, won the 2026 A-Cat Easter Regatta on Sunday, April 12, with 10 net points after taking four race victories. Michal Korneszczuk of Poland finished second on 14 points, while Spain’s Toni Ballester claimed third on 17. The event, the eighth edition of the Campione regatta, drew 26 sailors from nine nations and was organized by Univela under the auspices of the Italian Sailing Federation (FIV).

The opener on Friday, April 10, already hinted that this would be a true class test rather than a simple points race. In sunny conditions and light air of about 5 to 8 knots, the first three races produced three different winners: Maeder, Ballester and Paul Sevestre. That kind of spread is usually a warning sign in A-Class racing that the fleet is still reading pressure lanes, mode shifts and boat-speed differences rather than leaning on brute consistency.

Saturday was the decisive foil day. Medium to strong breeze let the fleet lift cleanly and push hard down the reaches, with reported speeds of up to 25 knots. Maeder took both races 4 and 5, then Korneszczuk answered in race 6 to keep the title race alive. That swing mattered, because the regatta was no longer about surviving marginal air. It became a straight measure of who could keep the platform stable, carry height, and manage foiling transitions without giving away meters at each tack and gybe.

Sunday brought the fleet back into lighter conditions, but the race committee still got two more races away. Czech sailor Vladislav Ptasnik won race 7 before Maeder sealed the title in race 8. That final result mattered because it confirmed the Swiss sailor could win in both ends of the spectrum, from low-speed handling to full-foil control.

Rainer Bohrer finished fourth and Paul Sevestre fifth on the official sheet, which also noted that OCS means on course side and DNF means did not finish. Campione’s result reads like a compact form guide for the class: the sailors who adapted fastest to changing pressure and foiling load came out on top, and Maeder did it better than anyone else. With the Swiss A-Class Association already listing Campione as the season opener and major events ahead in Malcesine, Murcia and Tampa, the result sets an early benchmark for the year.