Unione Velica Maccagno. The story begins in 1977, when a group of young and enthusiastic sailors, driven by shared motivations, decided to “create” a new sailing club to be established in the Maccagno area. They debated passionately about everything—the name, the statutes, the club colors, the logo—and in the end, the Unione Velica Maccagno was founded.
A bare warehouse near the lake was rented. The members were only a few dozen, but everyone had a strong desire to “get things done.” Some worked on fixing the beach and cementing the slipway, others built internal walls for the warehouse facilities, others restored the old wooden gozzo to be used as a committee boat—and some even managed to go sailing and race on boats with names that today may already sound ancient: Vaurien, FJ, Alpa Esse, Strale, Snipe, 470, Meteor.
In just a few years things changed: membership grew, reaching a peak of three hundred people. Some conveniences were gained—a proper headquarters, an office, a fenced boat area with covered space for support boats. Unfortunately, some inconveniences also arrived, increasingly frequent, such as flooding, always faced and resolved successfully thanks to the commitment and hard work of the members.
The orographic features of Lake Verbano in the area between Maccagno and Cannobio favor, throughout the year, the formation of strong winds or steady breezes. These winds—known locally as inverna, tramontana, montiva, cannobina, and marenca—ensure excellent sailing conditions for leisure and, at the same time, allow the organization of splendid regattas with strong technical content.
Over the years, European, Italian, Regional, and Club-level regattas have been organized; their total number now exceeds three hundred, with more than ten thousand participants. This has allowed our club to stand proudly alongside far older and more renowned associations. Among all events, special mention goes to the classic “Regata del Canalone,” which reached its 55th edition in 2020. Held every year on August 15th, it has attracted more than a hundred boats of all classes and sizes—a true celebration of sailing!
The competitive activity of UVM members—this is how we affectionately call our club—has also recorded numerous victories in various European, Italian, and Class championships, as well as important placements in World, European, and Italian-level events. The driving forces behind this sporting activity have been the sailing schools and training sessions, organized every year, even in winter, with the collaboration of the FIV XV Zone.
Throughout this period, UVM’s activity has integrated harmoniously with the local community. In particular, close cooperation with the Municipal Administration of Maccagno continued over the years, making it possible to build the new club headquarters, operational since 2012. Much of the credit for this successful integration must be attributed to the Presidents who have “steered” UVM over the years, even for multiple mandates: Luigi Pazzaglia, the first, followed by Giovanni La Perna, Italo Simone, Umberto Vivi, Piero Candiani, Patrizia Cavalleri, Aldo Ferrario, Stefano Banfi, Piero Candiani, Riccardo Pigni, Franco Paganini, Maurizio Pocaterra, Alessandro Aletti, and Franco Paganini, the current president at the helm of UVM.
Today, UVM is a solid organization, deeply rooted in the territory, with active athletes competing in regattas and a high-level program of sailing schools and competitive training.
