Fondazione Centro Velico Caprera ETS
Centro Velico Caprera is one of the most renowned sailing schools in the Mediterranean and has been based since 1967 on the island of Caprera in the La Maddalena archipelago in Sardinia. The foundation trains sailors in dinghy and cabin-yacht courses and operates bases between Punta Coda and the Gulf of Porto Palma. More than 2000 active volunteers and over 4500 trained volunteer instructors sustain the teaching model; around 150000 students have been trained since founding. The programme ranges from Under-14 courses through Deriva and Cabinato levels to special courses such as Wing Foil, Skipper and J/80 weekends. Environmental education, safety at sea and a frugal lifestyle on base shape its reputation as a school of the sea and of life.
History
Centro Velico Caprera was founded in 1967 from the vision of Vittorio di Sambuy, Marco Notarbartolo di Sciara and Guido Colnaghi to create a sailing school rooted in the values and traditions of Italian seafaring. It was realised thanks to Touring Club Italiano and Lega Navale Italiana, Milan section; under the patronage of the Italian Navy, the founders received from Admiral Alessandro Michelagnoli the concession for military land and buildings in south-western Caprera between Punta Coda and the Gulf of Porto Palma. In 1969 instructors and students founded the Associazione Allievi Centro Velico Caprera, which joined as third partner alongside TCI and LNI in 1972 and was renamed AIVA-CVC in 2014. Over more than fifty years the institution grew into Italy's largest sailing education body and an international reference model. Capacity exceeds 3000 students per season; environmental measures such as solar thermal systems, elimination of single-use plastics and Project M.A.R.E. (citizen science with One Ocean Foundation from 2021) plus Project VITA complement the educational offer. Today it operates as Fondazione Centro Velico Caprera ETS and sees itself as a school of the sea and of life.
Information
Facilities
Bases on Caprera (Punta Coda and Precrociera) with board and lodging, two shops with sailing gear, transfer from La Maddalena to Caprera, shop for course equipment
Activities
Dinghy courses Deriva D1–D5, cabin courses Cabinato C1–C5, Under-14, weekend and holiday courses, CVC Academy, Wing Foil, Foil Master, Skipper, Yacht Beginner (English), Project M.A.R.E. and Project VITA
Youth section
Under-14 dinghy courses (D1J, D2J, D1D2J) for ages 12–14, June–July
Parking
No, cars must stay outside the gate