October is a month that, although it decrees the disappearance of the thermal winds, gives rise to the first disturbances that can still be experienced in a mild and sunny climate; so it was for the last stage of the Italian Slalom Tour 2022 long established in Calambrone seaside resort slightly further north of Livorno, at one of the most welcoming and hospitable clubs on the national scene, the Sunset Sailing Center.
In particular, in the first weekend of the month just started the best regattas of the national slalom scene – except for those engaged in the world cup in Sylt – battled in the waters to say the least agitated of the Livorno sea.

For some time the forecasts indicated that Saturday the first of October would be a busy day for strong winds of libeccio and wave formed and so it was.
Past the hours 15 on the first day of the race the wind was not long in coming and four fin slalom boards were completed preceded by as many foils.
The dances were opened with the latter discipline, with four non-stop tests and fleet departures given the number of participants.

In this class the local Giulio Milianelli excelled, appeared in perfect shape, fast and very determined, followed by one of the strongest under 20 of the national panorama, Matthew Righetti, already highlighted at the national team of Cagliari and Carlo Lignola; the latter close on equal points winning respectively the third and second place only for the "game of the best discard".

The beauty of this regatta was the almost parity of level between the top six of the standings, it was only the nerves of the first to guarantee them a position on the podium that could have been safely panaggio of the very fast Roberto Cantarini, or the new entry Orlando Bertugelli (that with his son Leonardo, very good seventh overall, are the real new welcome presence on the regatta fields) or again by Roberto Pasquini who accomplice choices of materials not too guessed has not been able to excel as he would have deserved.

Completed the program of the day in foil and spent that minimum to allow the participants of both classes to catch their breath and arm the slalom equipment until here we start for qualifying slalom boards with lots of finals. There will be two batteries of qualifications where the first six of each go to the winning final and the others to the final "two".

Although the "winner final" seemed achievable, it was the weather and sea conditions that put a strain on the riders; between choices of materials too large or ruinous catapults for sudden gusts in one with decomposed waves typical of the current that is created with the sea wind, here the fleet was decimated and the qualifications with the passing of the hours appeared superfluous, so the race committee after two scoreboards with qualifying opted to close the day with two more free finals that partially confirmed the previous results.

In this class the top three of the ranking have shown to have a really high pace: Matteo Pisani, Alessandro Mariotti and Giulio Milianelli, very good and technically complete, they are the only ones who have reached the top in the four finals, with the first who excelled twice.

Matteo Pisani and Alessandro Mariotti, well-known names and always at the top of the charts, they are purists of the discipline since at the moment they try their hand with great success only in fin slalom regattas, who surprised was Giulio Milianelli who not happy with the record in foil managed to earn the podium even in fin.
(Click on chart to enlarge / desktop only)

Equally good were to follow Leonardo Ferri also really performing since he touched the podium by a breath, the "saetta carpigiana" as well as the first well-deserved grandmaster Stefano Valenti, the constant Matteo Righetti (also in the dominant fin of the under category 20) and Roberto Cantarini followed by the first master Max Brunetti. Great merits go to the other local Stefano Del Bono, to the Florentine Duccio Dezzi Bardeschi and to the grandmasters Marco Manzaroli who with Romeo Raggi have all shown great tenacity and constancy since they have never given up and have always given their best in every battery. Finally it was nice to see again in the water the president of the class Cristiano Siringo who after years is back to racing.

Unfortunately, the following day a gloomy and windless weather closed an intense weekend prematurely.; the regatta has also decreed the podium of the entire slalom tour 2022 which therefore sees in the fin at the third step of the podium Matteo Pisani, in second place a solid Max Brunetti and in first position Giulio Milianelli who also excels in the general foil followed by Bruno Martini and Ennio Dal Pont, the latter present only at the first event of Torbole but that thanks to a scoring criterion perhaps to be reviewed have still remained in the upper part of the general classification. Among the under20 first in the fin ranking Elia Brizio, first in the foil classification Mattia Saoncella.

The appointment for the national slalom is therefore for next year waiting to know if it will be in PWA style, therefore open with foil and fin in common batteries or still with separate regattas.