PICTURES: Italian crew claims Loch Ness crossing record on sailboats reaching Lochend in just under 5 hours
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AN Italian team smashed their target time crossing the length of Loch Ness on three one-man lightweight sailboats in four hours and 59 minutes.
The crew formed by experienced sailors Manuel Vlacich, Franco Deganutti and Daniele Barzanelli took off from Fort Augustus on Monday morning in stormy conditions and arrived at Lochend after being forced to a couple of stops to adapt their vessels to the weather conditions.
They said this is the first time the feat has been attempted on this type of vessel, and an official confirmation from Guinness World Record should arrive in 12 weeks.
It wasn't an easy crossing for the team, who was testing the waters of Loch Ness for the first time. They said they were pleased to cross the finish line much earlier then expected, their initial target being just under eight hours.
"It was much harder than expected," said sailor Manuel Vlacich.
"We are incredibly pleased with the result and being able to reach or target in less time than we expected, although weather conditions were quite tough to withstand on our boats. The wind was quite strong and in the first hours it got up to around 20 knots (around 23 mph).
"The boats capsized six times over the crossing, however we managed to deal with this quickly. The water was quite cold, not ideal for a swim!"
Hailing from Monfalcone – in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia-Giulia, south of Venice – the sailing team is on a mission to sail three special lakes over 2023 using the same boats, three one-man inflatable Tiwal sailboats.
The portability of the sailboats will allow them to take on the next steps of their "Grand Tour 2023", which will see the group sailing on Lake Titicaca and then in Israel on the Dead Sea in a bid to raise awareness on the impact of climate change and pollution from human activity on lakes around the world.
Mr Vlacich added: "What we are more happy about was to have the chance to visit this amazing place. We always heard stories from people who visited and it was fascinating for us.
"The colours of the landscape and the whiteness of the sky was a stark contrast with the dark waters of the loch. Everyone we met was kind and very supportive.
"Many approached us at Fort Augustus asking what a group of Italians was doing there with the boats. It was great to tell them about our initiative."
