Rabicano wins 5.5 Metres Enoshima Trophy in La Spezia

Rabicano (Arancia Malaspina) has won the 2025 Enoshima Trophy for 5.5 Metres in La Spezia, Italy, after the final day of racing on Sunday. Manuela V (Guido Tommasi) is second with Grifone (Benedetta Di Salle) third. The final two races were both dramatically won by Rabicano.

The third and final day of racing on the Gulf of La Spezia was always forecast to be the lightest day and so it turned out. It was also the warmest day of the event and the competition on the water was red hot.

Rabicano started on the back foot again in race 5, while Manuela V started well, but Kukururu was first to the right and rounded ahead and again held the lead until the second top mark. On the second upwind Rabicano made a good call to head right into the veering breeze and passed Manuela V who had gone left. The final run was crucial. Rabicano gybed first while the others carried on and took the lead to win their third race of the event. Manuela V crossed second with Kukururu in third.

All week, the two varnished boats, Volpina III and Twins X had been battling each together, and this continued into the final day, trading places around the race course.

Designed by Henri Copponex, Switzerland and built by Louis Plojoux at Corsier-Port in Geneva, Twins X is a carvel planked mahogany hull completed in 1960 and originates from Brebbia, on Lake Maggiore. ITA 32 was launched as Max Oberti’s Twins X in 1962-3 but renamed Paff, and owned by Renato Zevi, who had bought it to be used by his son Filippo before being sold to the Bassani family (of Wally Yachts fame), who kept her for many years.

Back at the front, it was still all on in the final race between Rabicano and Manuela V. The breeze had now steadied to 7-8 knots with a mark change to the new wind.

Rabicano started near the pin and Manuela V near the boat and looked good until the first shift which Rabicano got first and the long haul to the right started. Then a rare mistake by Manuela V, tacking inside Rabicano at the mark, left them doing a penalty turn and the race was effectively over. Rabicano sailed away for a huge win, while Manuela V recovered from fifth back to second with Kukururu getting third place, his third in a row.

With four first places, Rabicano’s scoreline looks dominant but doesn’t tell the true story of a fiercely competitive event and some great sailors battling round in some beautiful classic 5.5 Metres, which are the true stars of this story, the oldest being a young 73 years old.

In third place, and actually originating from La Spezia, owned by the host club, Sezione Velica M.M. della Spezia, Grifone is another Einar Ohlson design and built by Gustav Karlsson, of Bröderna Karlsson & Söner, in Sweden, in carvel planked mahogany in 1963. She took fourth place at the 1964 Olympic Games sailed by the famous Italian sailor Agostino Straulino and won the 1965 World Championship.

The Italian fleet have two weeks off now before returning to La Spezia for the Italian Championship where Guido Tommasi and Manuela V will defend the title they won here last year.

Results after 6 races
1 Rabicano ITA 55 Arancia Malaspina 4,429.0
2 Manuela V ITA 36 Guido Tommasi 3,827.0
3 Grifone ITA 42 Benedetta Di Salle 2,271.0
4 Kukururu ITA 6 Giuseppe Matildi 2,095.0
5 Volpina III ITA 44 Stefano Cesari 1,095.0
6 Twins X ITA 32 Guido Fumagalli 852.0
7 Violetta IV ITA 21 Francesco Stefanon 842.0

Full results here: https://www.sailwave.com/results/Henoshima_Trophy_2025.htm

Gallery from Day 3 here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fivepointfivemetre/albums/72177720326032837