HOW WISSA APPEARED ON VOLGA
Big deeds are born out of a small dream of one or two persons, joined by one dream. This is how WISSA 2017 World Winter Sailing Sports Championship appeared.
Every year the championship travelled around the world, enthralling children of the wind from all over the world to Saint-Petersburg, Wisconsin, Tartumaa.
It seemed incredible that World Campionship’s sails would whirl up above the waters of Zhigulevskoye Sea, in the heart of Russia. However there was Aleksey Razhev, present fourfold world champion, who dreamed and went towards the realization of this dream. “Zhigulevskoye Sea” marathon has gained the level of Russian Championship within past 5 years.
“In 2009 Aleksey and I went to Murmansk, - Evgeniya Kotlyarova, head of the project SNOWKITERUSSIA-2017 recalls, - to prove to the kiting society that Togliatti could cope to hold such a competition. It was very difficult, but we made it”. We got through the task and in 2013 our champions’ authority let us have the support of the community and bring another championship to our motherland.
The story repeated in 2016. And Aleksey Razhev realized that it was high time to make a big and strong step towards his dream! In the final of the latest competition in Estonia he introduced Togliatti as a potential place for holding a World Championship. The main competitor of the City upon Volga was Quebec, the capital of Winter Olympiad 2010. One of the arguments in favor of Canadians was the tradition to hold the championship on a different continent each year. But nevertheless, the majority of votes chose Togliatti as the upcoming winter sailing sports competitions’ center.
In the experts’ unanimous opinion, Togliatti perfectly corresponds to all the requirements, that an arena for such competitions can face:
1) Gigantic water area of the Zhiguli Sea. It is Europe’s largest reservoir and its square is over 6,450 km².
2) Unique aerologic conditions. The winds that blow there during winter time mainly have Southern direction. Air flows strengthen as they move through the natural gates Usy, so it is always windy on the Togliatti Embankment.
3) Closeness to the city and phenomenal natural beauty of the region. The mirror-like surface of Kuybyshev water reservoir framed by the panorama of white-headed Zhiguli can make the hearts beat faster not only because of the burst of adrenaline during the race. It is here by Zhiguli Sea in Togliatti #Тольятти, where we shall greet #WISSA2017, define new favorites and support our old ones.
