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The Inflatable Boat Club of Milan has made official the Naxos 2026 Mission, a nautical raid of more than 3,000 miles in the Mediterranean that will take place from April 11 to June 4. The initiative, conducted in collaboration with Suzuki, features a Zar Formenti Naxos 23 inflatable boat equipped with a Suzuki DF200AP outboard engine. The project is not set up as a sports competition, but as an educational and cultural operation aimed at retracing the routes of the ancient Greek settlers who left from Chalkida, about 80 kilometers north of Athens, to the coasts of southern Italy.
The sailing plan calls for a loop itinerary consisting of seven main legs, involving about thirty Club members. The expedition will depart from Varazze to touch historically significant ports of call such as Ischia, Giardini Naxos, Athens, and the island of Naxos in the Aegean Sea, considered the turning point of the mission. The stopovers will involve voyages of between 360 and 500 miles each, representing a rigorous test bed for the seaworthiness of the craft and the logistical management of crews in long-range sailings.
From a technical standpoint, the choice of the Suzuki DF200AP powerplant meets specific needs for reliability and operational continuity. The engine is a 2,867 cc inline four-cylinder with 16-valve DOHC timing, equipped with VVT variable valve timing system and Suzuki Lean Burn technology for stoichiometric ratio optimization. The “big block” configuration and two-stage reduction drive system were selected to ensure the necessary thrust even under the prolonged load conditions typical of an offshore raid of this magnitude.
The initiative is part of a collaborative journey between Suzuki and the Club del Gommone di Milano that began in 2017, which has led to the completion of more than 24,000 nautical miles through various international raids. In addition to verifying mechanical performance, the Naxos 2026 Mission aims to promote a conscious nautical culture, demonstrating how a properly equipped vessel and rigorous planning allow for complex navigations in total safety, integrating nautical experience with historical and territorial divulgation.
“Our missions are not born to chase the sporting result, but to promote sea culture and the pleasure of sailing,” commented Virginio Gandini, president of the Milan Dinghy Club, who continued, “Mission Naxos 2026 fits perfectly into this path: a raid that combines sailing, history and knowledge of the Mediterranean, demonstrating that with experience, organization and proper means, one can face the sea in a serious, safe and fulfilling way.”
For information, click here
Federico Lanfranchi
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