Barcolana
One start line. Two thousand boats. The largest sailing race on earth.
There is no qualification, no seeding and no second start. Everything from a six-metre daysailer to a maxi crosses the same line at the same moment, in front of a city that stops to watch. If you sail one regatta in your life, this is a strong candidate.
What the race actually is
Barcolana is a single race over a fixed quadrilateral course in the Gulf of Trieste — 13 nautical miles, start at 10:30, monohulls only, split into thirteen length-based groups. The line runs between the Barcola clubhouse and Miramare Castle; the finish is off Piazza Unità d'Italia, the largest sea-facing square in Europe. It is over in a few hours.
Why it is unlike any other race
It holds the Guinness World Record for the largest sailing race: 2,689 boats on the start line on 14 October 2018. The 2025 edition drew around 2,000 boats from 29 nations, roughly 15% of them foreign, watched by some 483,000 people. It began in 1969 with 51 boats.
The week around it
The race is the last day of a ten-day festival that takes over Trieste — a fleet parked bow-to along the waterfront, talks, concerts, and a harbour full of crews who have sailed in from across the Adriatic. Half the point of coming is the week, not just the Sunday.
The race at a glance
- Route
- Gulf of Trieste — start between Barcola and Miramare Castle, finish off Piazza Unità d'Italia
- Distance
- 13 nautical miles
- Format
- One race, mass start, monohulls, 13 length-based groups
- Typically held
- The second Sunday of October, after a ten-day festival
- Next edition
- Barcolana 59 — 8–10 October 2027 · crew places open
- Fleet
- 1,858 boats from 23 nations (2026), 1,138 classified within the time limit
- Our boat
- Elan E6 Performance
- Experience needed
- None — this one genuinely is open to first-timers
Dates move from year to year and are set by the organiser. The notice of race, the entry list and the current dates are published on the official race site, barcolana.it. Ask us for the dates of the current season.
Where the race goes
Green is the start line, between Barcola and Miramare. Red is the finish, off the old port in front of Piazza Unità. Mark positions are reconstructed from the organiser’s published course and are for orientation only — sail to the notice of race and the sailing instructions.
Barcolana 58 – race recording
Barcolana on video
Michal has been on the Barcolana start line three times — in 2013 as main trimmer, in 2025 as skipper of ODIN (403rd overall, 42nd in Category 0) and in 2026 as skipper of LOKI (325th overall of 1,858 boats, 45th in Category 0).
You will not forget this one. In a fleet this big, boats pass close enough to stop your heart — again and again.
Every position counts
Sailing is a team sport, and a crew is only as strong as its weakest link. Every crew member is active and in the middle of the action — on the helm, on a winch, or hiking on the rail as live ballast, which is anything but passive and often decides the result. Nobody spends the race wondering what is going on.
Coached, not just chartered
There is a training session before the race where you try the different positions on board and learn how to trim properly, and at least three experienced sailors are always in the crew. Michal has sailed 30,000 nautical miles and raced at world-championship level, and he explains calmly what needs to happen and why, before and during the race. Nobody gets shouted at on this boat.
The paperwork is ours
Entry, rating, berth, briefings and the logistics around the event are organised for you. You arrive, you train, you sail and you go to the prizegiving — gaining experience and enjoying every mile of it.
You sleep in a shared cabin, so if you are coming with a friend, bring them along. Price and exactly what is included depend on the season and the boat. Tell us which race you are interested in and we will send the current details.
Ask about Barcolana
Barcolana 59 · 8–10 October 2027 — crew places are open. Make the most of one week: add the Trieste – Venezia race and the Veleziana in Venice — three regattas in ten days, 8–17 October 2027.
Places are limited and go early. Send us a line and we will come back with dates, price and what is on the boat.
Questions we get asked
Do I need racing experience?
No. Barcolana is a single short race with a mass start, and a large part of the fleet is there for the occasion rather than the result. We brief the crew before the start and give everyone a clear job on board.
How crowded is the start really?
Very. Several hundred boats converge on the same line within a few minutes. It is the most memorable part of the day, and it is also the reason we run a proper pre-start briefing and keep the crew small enough that everyone knows their role.
How long does the race take?
The fastest boats finish in around an hour; most of the fleet takes two to four hours depending on wind. The rest of the day belongs to Trieste.
Where can I find the official race information?
The organiser publishes the notice of race, the entry list and the current dates on the official site of the event: barcolana.it. We take care of the entry, the rating certificate and the berth for our own crew.