Just short of 1700

Record fleet of maxi boats due to compete in tomorrow's Barcolana

At the last count there were 1699 entrants in Barcolana 39. The Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano Secretariat will stay open till late tonight in order to enable crews reaching Trieste to register up until the last moment in the Autumn's Cup. But there's no more vacancy in Trieste tonight and even trains arriving in Trieste are crowded with sailors ready to take part in the race, without counting the many groups arriving by car from all over Italy as well as from Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro to take part in the Barcolana.

22 yachts are registered in the supermaxi class for the 39th Barcolana: a record including boat owners and skippers from all over the world.

Among the maxis, we must start with Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo 2 which aims to clinch her fourth victory and beat the race's time record (set by Skandia in 2005, with 58 minutes and 20 seconds). Mitja Kosmina's smaller Maxijena will try to compete but is looking for shifty wind conditions on the race course if they are to stand a chance

Flavio Favini's Fly-Cometa will be on the start line too, winners of the Barcolana in 2001. There will also be a big fleet of six Farr 80 Grand Mistral on the start line: Ushuaia of Paolo Sabatini, Ross I owned by the Italian Army with Cino Ricci at the helm, Banca Generali with Mauro Pelaschier at the helm, South Georgia lead by Alberto Leghissa, Idrusa Calvi of Paolo Montefusco and Orgoglio e Pregiudizio with Paolo Pinelli at the helm.

Three Volvo Ocean 60s will be on the start line as well - Murphy&Nye (ex- Yamaha of Ross Field that won in the Volvo Ocean Race in 1993-4) and has a crew with two generations of champions: young Tin and Robin (Croatian number one in FD), and their father Ferdo Matulja (two-time FD Olympic Champion); Amer Sport Too, owned by Yacht Club of Milano and Monaco, with Lorenzo Bodini at the helm, tactician Sten Mohr, reverse helmsman for BMW Oracle Racing and Marco Bodini's brother as navigator; Assa Abloy, led by Austrian Franz Egger.

Also in the supermaxi class are Maurizio Bencic's Casinò Park-Anyway True, Southern Star of Claudio De Eccher, Veliki Viharnik-Mobitel led by Dusan Puh (who hopes for strong wind again), Antonello Morina's Sei Tu 2, Cutter Serenite with helmsman Gonzalo Martinez, AAG Big One - Audi Rtl, the Volvo Ocean 60 of Croatian Marko Murtic, Carlo Franchin's Isa, Matchless, the 68 footer of Giorgio Sabbadin and Alberto Stella's Nessun Dorma. Eleuterio Shippa's Idea has also registered in the race but dismasted and will not be able to take part. The crew will race aboard the 63 footer Shaula.