Venice Hospitality Challenge, the Serenissima regatta at the Venice Boat Show
by Alessandro Bagno 1 Jun 05:58 NZST
18 October 2025
Venice Hospitality Challenge 2024 © Giorgio Mostarda and Marco Contessa
Today at the Venice Boat Show the XII Venice Hospitality Challenge was presented, a regatta conceived and directed by Mirko Sguario, president of the Yacht Club Venezia. The only sailing competition in the world that takes place entirely in the internal waters of a city, the Venice Hospitality Challenge perfectly summarizes the image of the Serenissima's excellent hospitality and its seafaring vocation that has been handed down for over a thousand years.
The start will be announced by the water jets of the Panfido tugs on Saturday 18 October at 1:30 p.m. A double start is planned with the participants divided by the Race Committee into two categories that, based on the characteristics of each boat, will start two minutes apart.
As always, the public will be able to watch the entire regatta from the banks of the San Marco basin, from Punta della Dogana to the Zattere and admire up close the boats moored at the floating dock located in the Giudecca Canal thanks to the collaboration of the Port Authority, the Harbour Master's Office and the VAC Foundation.
The Venice Hospitality Challenge 2025, which has seen the support and participation of the five-star Venetian hotel industry since its inception, will see internationally renowned skippers compete for the coveted Doge's hat, made this year by the historic Murano glassworks Simone Cenedese.
As official event of the Venetian Autumn, the "Hotel Regatta" has grown in prestige and popularity over time and this year it will become part of the program of ICOMIA 2025 (International Council of Marine Industry Associations), the world meeting of tourist ports that will be held in Venice (Isola della Certosa) from 15 to 17 October. The congress, which will see the participation of hundreds of operators in the sector, will be the ideal stage for visibility aimed at international markets and elite tourism.
Sponsored by the Municipality of Venice, the Veneto Region and the Northern Adriatic Sea Port System Authority, the Venice Hospitality Challenge is supported by partners Vela Spa, Salone Nautico Venezia, Marina Militare, Venezia Le Città in Festa, Harbour Master's Office, Coast Guard, Military Corps of the Order of Malta and the Italian Sailing Federation.