A champion's
history
World, European, and national titles won on dinghies born from the experience, research, and competitive passion of Cantiere Navale Faccenda.
was founded
Vaurien World Titles
on Faccenda boats
World Titles
The dinghy where it all began
The Vaurien represents the shipyard's sporting and constructive heart. It's the boat with which Marco Faccenda reached the world's summit and on which generations of Italian and international crews have grown.
Eight-time Vaurien World Champion
From his first success in Überlingen in 1989 to his victory in Vigo in 2022, Marco Faccenda has won eight overall World Championships with four different foredeck crew members.
A sporting arc of thirty-three years that demonstrates continuity, technical skill, and an unparalleled knowledge of the class.
| Year | Location | Helmsperson | Crew | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Überlingen, Germany | Marco Faccenda | Marco Cerri | Italy |
| 1990 | Nettuno, Italy | Marco Faccenda | Marco Cerri | Italy |
| 1991 | Laredo, Spain | Marco Faccenda | Marco Cerri | Italy |
| 1992 | Piriac-sur-Mer, France | Marco Faccenda | Giovanni Ruberti | Italy |
| 1998 | Radolfzell, Germany | Marco Faccenda | Marco Cerri | Italy |
| 2008 | Matosinhos, Portugal | Marco Faccenda | Giovanni Galassini | Italy |
| 2009 | Bizerte, Tunisia | Marco Faccenda | Giovanni Galassini | Italy |
| 2022 | Vigo, Spain | Marco Faccenda | Marcello Miliardi | 8th title |
The overall results are reconstructed through the International Vaurien Class Association Hall of Fame. In 2022, Marco Faccenda won his eighth title in Vigo with Marcello Miliardi, aboard the Vaurien “Rio delle Acacie,” built by the shipyard.
28 World victories on Faccenda Vauriens
The shipyard's track record does not only consist of its founder's personal victories. Considering the overall rankings and the categories recognized by the Vaurien World Championship, Faccenda boats have achieved 28 world titles.
Francesco Zampacavallo
Three overall world titles: in 2013 and 2018 with Carlos Francés Armengot and in 2023 with Carlos Francés.
Niccolò Bertola
World Champion in 2015 with Giulia Izzola and in 2019 and 2025 with Giacomo Saggio.
Olmo Cerri and Gioia Bertolani
Winners of the Travemünde World Championship on a Vaurien built by Cantiere Faccenda.
The total of 28 includes titles won in the different categories provided by the Vaurien World Championship, including overall, junior, women's, mixed, and masters. The overall Hall of Fame alone therefore does not represent the entire sporting track record of Faccenda hulls.
Olmo Cerri and Gioia Bertolani on top of the world
During the 64th edition of the Vaurien World Championship, held as part of the historic Travemünder Woche, Olmo Cerri and Gioia Bertolani won the world title aboard a Faccenda Vaurien.
- 59 international crews
- 10 races sailed
- 7 race wins
- First place overall
- Faccenda Shipyard hull
- Italian crew
Two consecutive World Championships in 2025 and 2026
For two consecutive seasons, the individual Optimist world title was won on a hull built by Cantiere Faccenda: a significant achievement in the most widespread and competitive youth class in international sailing.
| Year | Venue | Champion | Nation | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Portorož, Slovenia | Nikolaos Pappas | Greece | World Champion |
| 2026 | Tangier, Morocco | Manuel Bragança | Brazil | World Champion |
European Champion in 2026
The individual Optimist European Championship was won on a hull built by Cantiere Faccenda.
| Year | Venue | Champion | Nation | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Gdynia, Poland | Nikolaos Pappas | Greece | European Champion |
Manuel Bragança takes the Faccenda Optimist to the top of the world
Brazilian Manuel Bragança won the 2026 Optimist World Championship in Tangier, Morocco, aboard a hull built by Cantiere Navale Faccenda.
After twelve races sailed in the Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Emerald fleets, Bragança finished ahead of Swiss Elliot Novara and Maltese Andrei Zhakov, prevailing over an international fleet of 293 young sailors.
The success completes a historic double for the shipyard: the 2025 Optimist World Championship was also won on a Faccenda hull, by Greek Nikolaos Pappas.
- 293 participating sailors
- 12 races sailed
- First place overall
- Second consecutive World Championship
- Faccenda Shipyard hull
- Brazilian Champion
The Optimist World Championship podium
Manuel Bragança
Brazil · World Champion
Elliot Novara
Switzerland · Silver Medalist
Andrei Zhakov
Malta · Bronze Medalist
Olha Lubianska
The Ukrainian sailor takes first place in the women's ranking of the 2025 Optimist World Championship.
Margaux Nguyen-Minh
The Hong Kong sailor wins women's silver and finishes fourteenth in the overall ranking of the Tangier World Championship.
In 2026, the women's title was won by Puerto Rican Ines Mendez-Larminaux, sixth overall. Margaux Nguyen-Minh took second place in the women's category, while Spanish Mara Peñalver completed the podium.
Results also in 420, 470, and Flying Junior classes
The experience gained with Vaurien and Optimist has been transferred over the years to other single and double dinghies, including preparatory and Olympic classes.
Training and competition
Double dinghy dedicated to young people who continue their competitive journey after the Optimist.
- Two Italian titles attributed to Faccenda hulls
- Third place in a World Championship
- First Italian mixed crew in 2019
- Development of the hull through fluid dynamic studies
The Olympic challenge
The 470 Faccenda project was born in 2004 and has been progressively refined with the collaboration of experienced and emerging crews.
- Two Italian class titles
- One success at CICO
- High-rigidity composite construction
- Continuous mold and fitting development
Competitive from the debut
The first Faccenda Flying Juniors, ITA 8 and ITA 22, were launched in 2019 and immediately stood out.
- ITA 8: two daily first places at the World Championship
- ITA 8: third place at the Italian Championship
- ITA 22: one daily third place at the World Championship
- ITA 22: second place at the Italian Championship
- ITA 22: first place in the national Ranking List
Marta 5.10
Designed by Marco Faccenda and dedicated to his daughter Marta, it is a collective boat designed for sailing schools and to introduce new crews to sailing.
- Original shipyard project
- Collective use and sailing school
- Stability and ease of handling
- Handcrafted production in Rosignano Solvay
A history built in racing
- 1989 — The first World Championship Marco Faccenda and Marco Cerri win the Vaurien World Championship in Überlingen, Germany.
- 1990 — Cantiere Navale Faccenda is born Marco Faccenda starts his independent activity and transforms his experience as a shipwright and racer into a production project.
- 1991 — Third consecutive World Championship After Überlingen and Nettuno, Faccenda and Cerri complete an extraordinary world championship hat-trick in Laredo.
- 2008–2009 — Two new consecutive titles Marco Faccenda and Giovanni Galassini win in Matosinhos and Bizerte.
- 2019 — The Faccenda Flying Junior debuts ITA 8 and ITA 22 immediately achieve race victories at the World Championship and podium finishes at the national level.
- 2022 — Marco Faccenda's eighth title In Vigo, together with Marcello Miliardi, the founder wins his eighth overall World Championship.
- 2025 — The first Optimist World Championship Nikolaos Pappas brings a Faccenda hull to the individual world title in Portorož.
- 2026 — A historic season Manuel Bragança wins the Optimist World Championship in Tangier; a few weeks later Olmo Cerri and Gioia Bertolani win the Vaurien World Championship in Travemünde. And finally, Nicolas Pappas becomes European Champion in Gdynia.
Sources and criteria for the track record
- Hall of Fame and World Championship archive of the International Vaurien Class Association.
- Official results and communications from national and international class associations.
- Historical archive and technical data sheets of Cantiere Navale Faccenda.
- Rankings of the Optimist World Championships 2025 and 2026.
The total number of Vaurien titles on Faccenda boats includes the different categories awarded within the World Championships and should not be interpreted as the number of only overall open titles. The results are updated based on available rankings and verifications carried out by the shipyard.