The event ended on Sunday 27th September. Windsurfing Grand Slam 2026, which for five days brought athletes from various Italian regions to the coast of Vieste for the national windsurfing competitions.
The event, hosted by theUmbramare Camping Village on the Vieste-Peschici coastal road, it represented the final event of the Italian Slalom circuit, in the Fin and Foil specialties, for the absolute and youth categories.
Organized by the Gargano Sailing Club, in collaboration with the Italian Sailing Federation and the Italian Windsurfing Class Association, the event returned to Gargano for the second consecutive year.
Five days of racing on the coast of Vieste
The program began on Wednesday, September 23rd with the Italian Formula Windsurfing Pinna Championship, which continued the following day.
The Fin and Foil Slalom competitions took place from September 25th to 27th, the fourth and final stage of the national circuit after the events in Marina di Ragusa, Torbole and Talamone.
The races were held in the waters in front of the Scialmarino beach, along the northern coast of Vieste, with Umbramare as the organizational base of the event.
The original program also included the Italian Freestyle Championship, which was later cancelled by the Italian Windsurfing Class Association due to a lack of registrations.
The final day, Sunday, was dedicated to the final tests and the awards ceremony, with the assignment of the national titles.
Among the results to be highlighted is also that of the Peschiciano area Michele Pio Bonsanto, who won the final stage and the 2026 Italian Windsurf Pinna title in the Under 20 category.
A special result for the area too: a young athlete from Peschici he won the national title right in the waters of Gargano.
Vieste and wind sports
The Windsurf Grand Slam also offers the opportunity to observe an aspect of Gargano tourism that often remains overshadowed by the traditional seaside holiday.
The beaches north of Vieste, and in particular the stretch of coast between Scialmarino and Peschici, have been frequented by windsurfing enthusiasts for decades. Windsurfing was later joined by kitesurf and, in recent years, the wingfoil.
It's no coincidence that Scialmarino hosted the Grand Slam. The beach stretches for almost three kilometers along the coast north of Vieste, has a mostly sandy, shallow seabed, and is particularly exposed to the winds that blow on this side of the Gargano.
These conditions, at certain times of the year, have favored the development of wind-related activities and the presence of dedicated schools and centers.
From windsurfing to kitesurfing
The recently concluded Grand Slam was about windsurfing, but it allows us to broaden the discussion to include other disciplines practiced along the Vieste coast.
Il kitesurfing in Vieste, for example, has developed especially along the northern beaches. The large sandy beaches and shallow waters of some areas offer, when wind and sea conditions permit, characteristics suitable for the practice of this sport.
The north coast is very different from the southern one and this variety is one of the characteristics of the territory: in our guide to the beaches of Vieste it is possible to learn about the different stretches of the coast and their characteristics.
Of course, windsurfing, kitesurfing, and wingfoiling aren't always and everywhere accessible. Wind direction and intensity, sea conditions, beach characteristics, and safety regulations determine where and when you can enter the water.
But it is precisely this specificity that makes the relationship between these sports and tourism interesting.
Windsurfers and kitesurfers often choose a destination based on the weather conditions. A windy day, while not particularly appealing to those seeking calm waters and a beach umbrella, can be the very reason to visit a destination for those traveling with a board.
Tourism that does not necessarily coincide with July and August
This aspect becomes even more interesting considering that the Windsurf Grand Slam was held by 23 27 to September, when the busiest part of the Vieste bathing season is now over.
Windsurfing, kitesurfing, and wingfoiling enthusiasts don't necessarily have the same needs and schedules as traditional beach tourists. They can plan short stays, choose less crowded periods, and decide where to go based on wind forecasts.
This does not mean that a single sporting event is sufficient to automatically produce deseasonalization.
Furthermore, there are currently no data available to quantify the number of overnight stays or the economic impact of the Windsurf Grand Slam. It would therefore be inappropriate to attribute unmeasured results to the event.
The concrete fact is another: For the second consecutive year, Vieste hosted a national windsurfing competition, joining a circuit that during the season also touched Marina di Ragusa, Torbole and Talamone.
From an event to a tourist offer
The interesting question for Vieste is therefore whether these natural features can be transformed into a more structured tourist offering.
The area already boasts beaches, wind, and a long-standing presence of windsurfers. However, to transform these characteristics into a tourism product, services, schools, and instructors are also needed, along with readily available information, beach accessibility, and accommodations available during the seasons when these sports are practiced.
The Grand Slam can also serve this purpose: not only to host five days of competition, but to concretely demonstrate what can happen on the Vieste coast when the sea is used for something other than traditional summer bathing.
The competitions ended on Sunday. Windsurfing, kitesurfing, and wingfoiling, however, will continue to be practiced on the Gargano beaches whenever the conditions are right.
