Mètis Vela UniPD on the podium at the 1001VELAcup 2026

The XIX edition of the 1001VELAcup, an international competition that brings together university crews competing with boats entirely designed, built and sailed by students, came to a close on Sunday 27 September in La Spezia.

The team Mètis Vela of the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Padua took part with the boats Ate and Aletheia. After nine races, Ate, sailed by Gabriele Cuman and Lorenzo Del Re, secured third place in the final standings, also achieving two victories on the final day of racing. Aletheia, with Marco Barbini and Pierpaolo Moretti, finished in fifth place.

Mètis also received other awards. Aletheia placed third in the Premio Mainaldo Maneschi, dedicated to the evaluation of boat designs, and received the Design Award as part of Nautica Next Wave.

The Padua team also achieved second place in the Trofeo Paolo Padova, a match race reserved for crews made up of students and lecturers, with Andrea Lazzaretto, Giulia Galletti, Pierpaolo Moretti and Marco Barbini.

During the week, Mètis also took part in events dedicated to outreach and innovation, with talks on artificial intelligence and the applications of large-scale 3D printing.

The results confirm the path of research, design and training developed by the team with the support of the Department of Industrial Engineering and the University of Padua.

The Mètis Vela project, included among the initiatives of UniPadova Sostenibile, combines training, innovation and sustainability through the design and construction of low-environmental-impact boats.