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The Barcolana is the most crowded mass start regatta in the world, an appointment which attracts professional sailors, huge yachts (Australia's Skandia has already been tipped as the winner) and many sailing enthusiasts coming from Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia and Montenegro. Trieste has already enforced the hospitality plan: by Sunday more than 250 thousand people will be in town to participate in the race or to follow it from land.

Skandia The Favourite
Australia's maxi Yacht Skandia - chartered for the event by a group of Triestine sailors, at the helm the winner of the Copa Del Rey last edition and IMS world champion Lorenzo BRESSANI. For the Barcolana the yacht's name is 'Trieste Provincia di...' - and it is the favourite. The main opponents are Maxi Jena, 84ft Slovenian yacht, with Mitja KOSMINA at the helm, Italy's Ourdream (winner of this year's Giraglia and Trofeo dei Due Golfi).

But the most awaited is actually the yacht on display on land: it is the new 44ft prototype signed by Russell Coutts: the boat is shown for the first time in the world in Trieste. Rc 44 was built with the aim to organize a circuit with 44 ft monotype boats; the first prototype produced is on display from today until Sunday in Trieste.

The shape of the Barcolana race course is a triangle (two buoys in Italian waters, one in Slovenian waters) about 16 miles long: its peculiarity and success are linked to the fact that competitors, divided into categories according to the boat's length, start altogether. Victory of the last two editions was clinched by Neville CRICHTON with Alfa Romeo.