In the heart of Etruscan Tuscany, surrounded by wild pinewoods and miles of unspoilt coastline, the new harbour of Cecina, Italy is a gem in the Mediterranean.
Once a small basin on the side of the estuary of the river Cecina, now has become an impressive 800 berths modern marina. The work is still in progress and it will take another three years before all the cobbled paths will have been laid, but the air is crisp, the breeze a perfect 15-20 knots every day and the islands of Elba and Capraia are stone throw away, with Corsice in sight on a clear day. Where best then could we choose to setup our new venture, an Italian center for offshore sailing and training, in short CIVA from acronym of its italian name: "Centro Italiano Vela d'Altura". TheCIVA center is coordinated by Marco Nannini who campained his Class40 Financial Crisis during the Global Ocean Race (GOR) 2011/2012 finishing 2nd overall.
A project as ambitious as its name, the CIVA center aims to become a point of reference for offshore sailors in the mediterannean and beyond, at par with existing training centres such as the "Centre Entreinment Mediterranee" a La Grande Motte e Lorient Grand Large in bretagna. The fleet of boats available for training and racing includes Class40s, Classe 950s, Mini 6.50s and as a recent addition a Figaro. Unlike our french counterparts however, the training center is open to anyone, not only to boat owners or charterers training on their boats. This opens the opportunity to extend your sailing season past your club's laying up supper. You can find cheap flights to Pisa International Airport from all over Europe and you can chose between weekend or week long activities, in the summer or in winter, to train or race on one of our boats.
With average temperatures in January as high as 10-12C combined with below average rainfall, the new center will be open all year round. The proximity of the narrow channel between the Italian coast and the isle of Elba funnels the wind to create ideal sailing conditions with a variety of options for short to long distance sailing.
Our calendar will be kept up to date with all our initiatives, weekend training, racing, intensive training, boat charter, individual training and more - the Italian center for offshore sailing and training awaits you.
For more information visit www.centroitalianoveladaltura.it, or call +39 3204093306