A boat to fly to international competitions. Last Friday, June 14, the prototype of the Sardinian Athenaeum called Mariposa was launched at the Marina Piccola Amphitheater in Cagliari. That will soon ply the waters of Lake Garda,
,The boat was made entirely of environmentally sustainable material by a team coordinated by Flavio Stochino and consisting of 65 male and female students from the undergraduate courses in Engineering, Architecture, Economics, Law and Political Science and Humanities at the University of Cagliari. Mariposa is a Moth type boat, one of the most spectacular and innovative sailing classes, capable of ‘flying’ on the water thanks to its single hydroplane keel, which thus allows it to stay above the surface of the water while sailing.
Thanks to the UniCa Sailing Team, the Sardinian university’s sailing team, it was possible to work on a boat that could participate in the Foiling SuMoth Challenge races, an international competition reserved for prototypes made by students at universities throughout Europe. After the inaugural launch, the Cagliari sailing team is headed to Lake Garda, specifically to Malcesine, to be part of the regatta and bring Sardinia’s name around the world.
The godmother of the launch was track and field champion Dalia Kaddari, who pronounced the celebration at the inauguration, “I christen you Mariposa, good wind and little wave.” A wish that she hopes will bring the best wishes to the UniCa Sailing Team. At the opening ceremony there were the University of Cagliari director Francesco Mola, engineer and team coordinator Flavio Stochino, and boat skipper Gabriele de Marco. An inspirational speech also came from director Mola, who encouraged the young team as follows, “These boys and girls are the standard bearers of our university, because they will carry the name of the university around Italy. The launch falls in a particularly important year for the university, with the activation, for the first time in history, of the naval engineering course in Olbia next October. The best wish then to Mariposa, is that she will be propelled by the wind, by engineering and by all of us who will be there to cheer you on.”
Sponsors of the boat included Tecnolav, in a unique opportunity to support the young engineers and architects of tomorrow in an environmentally sustainable project with promising prospects.
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