He has been practicing sailing for forty years. Considering that a few days ago he blew out seventy candles, his can truly be defined as the passion of a lifetime. Gabriele Loy, standard bearer of the Italian Naval League of Cagliari and one of the longest-lived sailors of the Sardinian scene, has recently given new proof of his passion and tenacity.
The last triumph. In Rimini, in the national Masters championship, he graduated as the Italian champion of the Masters category, aged 35 and over. The fifth title in his career, for him, perhaps the most difficult and rewarding.
"I found very complex conditions, with waves and currents, light wind jumps that made every test complicated", his comment, "I did not know the race course, but I managed to finish twelfth overall out of 51 helmsmen and first of my category".
The result of Rimini adds to an already full-bodied palmarés. Born as an athlete at the Yacht Club Cagliari, Loy also played for a long time on the Hobie Cat 16 catamarans where he collected, among others, twelve regional titles and two European Masters.
The choice of the laser. Fifteen years ago, the passage on the Laser, known to be a very physical and complex drift. "It is a boat where experience, tactics, wind nose and physical shape count", he explains, "it is not for quiet people, you need a great spirit of sacrifice and will".
The next commitments. Loy's next regatta will be in Cagliari: the Ciabatti Trophy, at the Yacht Club Cagliari on December 4th and 5th. But, on the 2022 agenda, two major championships are already pinned: the National Laser Master regatta in Bracciano and the Italian Laser Master Championship in Salerno.