Barcolana 56, Giulia Leghissa awarded the Generali – Women in Sailing Trophy supporting mixed teams

Over 1700 boats registered, contributing once again to the show that sees Trieste under the spotlight. Furio Benussi's Arca Sgr was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 1 hour and 28 minutes, followed by Prosecco DOC Shockwave. Fiamme Gialle-Nice ranked third, whereas Generali’s Woodpecker Cube closed in fourth place.

The fourth edition of the Generali - Women in Sailing Trophy was awarded to Giulia Leghissa, as she sailed with Anywave Junior which was the first mixed team with a female leading skipper during the 56^th Barcolana Autumn Cup.

The Chairman of Generali, Andrea Sironi, said: "Every year, Barcolana renews a spectacular experience in the Gulf of Trieste through the common denominator of sailing, which combines competition, participation and fun, encouraging team spirit. For this reason, raising awareness of the value of creating mixed teams plays an important role and, with the Women in Sailing by Generali and Barcolana project, we are committed to making it grow. We are delighted today to award the Generali Women in Sailing 2024 Trophy to Giulia Leghissa, who was at the helm of a team of young sailors and will be rewarded with a coaching and leadership course customised to her needs by Generali Academy, so that the value of this recognition will be reflected in all the aspects of life."

Sailor Giulia Leghissa, 26, commented: “I am happy to have won this Trophy together with my team. I firmly believe in training and the value of mixed teams. Sailing does not require physical strength alone. You need reasoning, patience, technique. Our crew, made up of six females and three males, proved this.”

Generali promotes a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Sport is an extraordinary tool for education as well as physical and mental well-being, contributing to the development of individuals and collective growth. With this in mind, we are committed to taking concrete actions such as the Generali Women in Sailing Trophy as well as new tools to benefit sailing clubs, athletes, and coaches.

Now in its fourth edition, the Generali - Women in Sailing Trophy is a prize awarded to the first mixed team led by a female in a leadership position. This project aims to highlight the importance of all the women who participate in the event, at sea, on land and in the organization.

Friday of this year's Barcolana was above all the day of "Women in Sailing" at sea: in addition to being an opportunity to raise awareness and present some food for thought "on land", it was also a real regatta between professionals held on Friday 11 October for the project promoted by Generali for Barcolana.

The new feature of the 2024 edition of Women in Sailing is the research commissioned by Generali and Barcolana and carried out by SWG, with the aim of analyzing the advantages and limits of mixed teams in youth sailing. The survey revealed mixed teams have strong educational and skill-building potential. Despite these advantages, however, there is still no major push to create mixed teams. In fact, 2 out of 3 sailors have so far not been given the opportunity to be part of a mixed team.

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Inclusion and sharing were at the centre of the initiatives proposed in Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia by The Human Safety Net, Generali’s Foundation aiming to support vulnerable families with young children and promote the inclusion of refugees through work and entrepreneurship. The workshops were organised together with the Trieste Learning Village in collaboration with the Centre for Child Health (Centro per la Salute del Bambino/CSB) and thanks to the support of Generali people, who participated as volunteers.

Barcolana is a historic international sailing regatta held every year on the second Sunday in October in the Gulf of Trieste. Compared to other international regattas, Barcolana was created to make everyone compete: both professional and amateur sailors are side by side on the starting line.

Generali, presenting sponsor of Barcolana for over 40 years, shares with the event its commitment to promoting a culture of team sports, environmental sustainability, integration and inclusion – and especially gender equality.