Barcolana

What it is

The Barcolana gathers boats that would normally never race against each other. Entries are sorted into divisions by overall length, so a small family cruiser and a large racing yacht can share the same starting line and the same course. Crews range from seasoned professionals to people who sail for pleasure. Because so many boats take part, the event is often called the most crowded regatta in the world. In February 2019 Guinness World Records recognised it as "the greatest sailing race", counting 2,689 boats and more than 16,000 sailors at the start.

How it began

The race began in 1969, on the initiative of Trieste's Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano. The club wanted a fixture to close its sailing season, which is why the full title is the Barcolana Autumn Cup Regatta. Only 51 boats entered that first time, all from clubs in Trieste. From those small beginnings the event grew into one of the city's most important dates, drawing entrants and visitors from elsewhere. Its Slovene name is Barkovljanka. Today it is open to amateurs as well as experienced crews, unlike regattas kept for professional teams.

The course

The boats sail a loop of four sides marked by fixed buoys. The starting line runs between Miramare Castle and the club's base, and since 2014 the finish has been set in the water off Piazza Unità d'Italia, Trieste's main square. The route has been altered several times over the years, and for a long stretch one of its marks lay in Slovenian waters. Published lengths for the course differ: the race has been described as 15 miles long, and as 13 nautical miles in the event's own figures.

The city joins in

The regatta is only the centre of a longer festival. For about ten days the city hosts a programme of races and shore events. Barcolana Young is for young sailors in Optimist dinghies, aged eight to fifteen. Barcolana Classic is for older and classic boats. Barcolana by Night sends one-design boats out after dark just off Piazza Unità d'Italia, and Barcolana FUN brings kitesurfers and windsurfers to the Bacino San Giusto. Along the Rive, the seafront, stands sell food and wine and show off equipment, and concerts run on the nights before the main race.

Spectators and prizes

Roughly 25,000 sailors take part each year, and more than 250,000 people watch from the Rive and from the Karst plateau above the city. The shape of the coastline gives onlookers many vantage points, and the gulf is sometimes likened to a natural sailing stadium. Prizes are handed out at a ceremony that normally falls at the end of November. The main trophies go to the overall winner, and others reward cruisers, class winners, the leading Austrian boat, the first boat from Trieste province, and acts of fair play at sea.

How Barcolana is kept

Entrants register and their boats are placed in divisions according to length. On the morning of the second Sunday in October the fleet gathers in the Gulf of Trieste, and boats of every size cross the same starting line between Miramare Castle and the club's base. They then sail the same four-sided course around fixed marks, with the finish set off Piazza Unità d'Italia. Expert crews and amateurs race alongside each other. Afterwards results are counted, and the prizes are given out at a ceremony in late November. Spectators line the seafront and the surrounding hills throughout.

When and where

The Barcolana falls on the second Sunday of October. That date was chosen when the race began, so that it would close the sailing season of the organising club. One recent running was sailed on 8 October 2017.

The race is sailed in the Gulf of Trieste, off the city of Trieste in north-eastern Italy. Its strongest following is local: the whole city takes part, from the Rive seafront to the Karst highland above it. The organising club is based at Barcola, and the boats start near Miramare Castle.

What Barcolana means

For people in Trieste the race marks the end of the sailing season and a day when the city turns out to watch. Many of the awards are meant to carry more than a sporting result: there is a prize for fair play that is said to express the seafaring spirit of the event, another for the first woman at the helm of a mixed crew, and one for a boatowner who has taken part at least twenty times.

Questions people ask about Barcolana

See also

Greasy poleA slippery pole climbed, walked or crossed to win a prize at the top or the far endCombat de ReinesAn annual Swiss pushing contest where Hérens cows compete for herd dominanceCalcio storico fiorentinoA fierce Renaissance ball game played on sand between four Florentine districtsBravio delle bottiAn annual uphill wine barrel race between the eight historic districts of Montepulciano

Good reading and sources

• Barcolana on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-11.