Italy's First Zonal WingFoil Regatta Tests Athletes in Shifting Ligurian Winds

When Marta Monge arrived at the Gulf of Albissola for Sunday's racing, the tramontana was already stacking up toward 30 knots and the field that had spent Saturday in a more forgiving westerly had a full day's racing in their legs. She hadn't raced on Saturday. By the time the last gun fired, she had won every one of her six starts and claimed third overall, a result that sharpened the competitive picture of what was already a landmark weekend for Italian wingfoil.

The March 28-29 event was the first zonal WingFoil regatta sanctioned by I Zona FIV, organized jointly by the Mirage Windsurfing Club and the Lega Navale Italiana di Savona at Albissola Marina in Savona province. Twelve total races were completed across two days of radically different conditions, and the scoreline reflected exactly that range.

Saturday delivered a building ponente, the classic Ligurian westerly, that started unstable before settling at 15-18 knots and allowing six clean, contested races. Sunday's tramontana was another discipline entirely: a northerly peaking near 30 knots that demanded pure power management and foil control under load. Race committee president Emanuele Berta's crew managed both days without interruption.

Leonardo Guazzini of Yacht Club Italiano ASD took the overall win, with teammate Matteo Crovetto in second. Under the event's discard rules, which allowed each competitor to drop three scores, Guazzini's consistency across both wind windows proved decisive. Monge, racing for Club del Mare ASD, made the podium despite missing the entire Saturday program. Winning all six races on the hardest-wind day of the weekend speaks directly to how well the tramontana conditions sorted the field.

Mirage Windsurfing Club sporting director Davide Fazio credited the on-water infrastructure, citing how the professionalism of the judges, mark layers, and safety teams "guaranteed the flawless execution of all the races, even in the most complex phases." The club received specific praise for excellent event management, and the organization has since been framed as a replicable model for future zonal events in the region.

That is precisely the intent. The Albissola regatta is part of a broader project developed with FIV regional technical director Marco Iazzetta to build a full zonal WingFoil calendar for Liguria in 2026, giving regional athletes a competitive circuit close to home and eliminating the cost and logistics of travelling to distant venues.

For foil surfers eyeing their first regatta entry, the Albissola blueprint is worth understanding. I Zona FIV events require current FIV membership and a valid medical certification. Equipment must meet class rules, with registered production gear required for Formula Wing-format events. Safety requirements on the water include board and wing leashes, an impact vest, and a helmet. The weekend's 15-to-30-knot spread is not a beginner's window; arriving comfortable at both ends of that range before committing to a start is a realistic minimum.

The Mirage Windsurfing Club and the Lega Navale Italiana di Savona are the organizing core for the Ligurian zonal circuit, with I Zona FIV coordinating the calendar under Iazzetta's technical direction. Albissola has set the bar for what a regional WingFoil event can look like, and given the appetite the weekend generated, it will not be the last.