A Report from Garda!

MarkSetBot has recently made its way to Lake Garda, and has been used extensively by Circolo Surf Torbole and the Windsurfer Class! The fleet of bots on Garda, maintained by Alessandro Giovanelli, is in action: the Italian team at Circolo Surf Torbole (CST) has been instrumental in helping us to update and publicize the bot, and have been enjoying the Bots themselves! Armando Bronzetti, president of Circolo Surf Torbole, explains that “The first test went well…” and that MarkSetBot is “…innovative and different in many aspects, especially in being able to easily and quickly reposition the buoys to shift the racecourse”.

Representatives from CST also add that Garda, a notoriously deep-water venue, suffers environmental consequences from abandoned anchors and lines from other marks being left in the lake. With depth reaching over 1100 feet (335m), Local clubs often set marks by tying low diameter line (such as fishing line) to concrete blocks, and dropping these blocks to the bottom of the lake. The consequence of this is that, quite often, the lines and concrete blocks are abandoned. Nylon lines of about 300m in length clog the bottom of the lake and have proven to be a hazard to boats, other anchors, and ecosystems alike.

As such, various clubs around Garda are embracing MarkSetBot for its ability to set a course without an anchor benefits not only race organizers, but also the environment. The Bots will be used more in the future for not only windsurfing events, but also sailing.

MarkSetBot would like to extend its thanks to Edo Thermes and the Windsurfer Class for their eagerness to test MarkSetBot and help to move sailing technology forward!

To learn more, visit our website or reach out to our team at marksetbot@marksetbot.com!