Riva Days in Trieste
In 2019, the Riva Historic Society held their annual rally in the beautiful Trieste
We have kept our classic 1965 Riva Super Florida, Severina
Our 1965 Riva Super Florida is 6.27m long and weighs 1,240kg, making it too big to be towed behind a car and therefore necessitating transport on its original factory cradle by truck. This is not an inexpensive exercise and the event being over four days meant the lorry driver had to make the round trip to the Adriatic port twice.
It was worth every cent, though I had my doubts on the first afternoon when Severina was launched by crane at the Cantiere San Rocco in Muggia some five kilometres from our mooring to be, at the Molo Venezia in the Marina San Giusto in Trieste. The wind was blowing swiftly into my face as I gunned the engine to escape the narrow launching point, fearing I might be blown against the harsh concrete walls and damage the beautiful delicate timber of my precious vessel. The 220hp V8 engine responded immediately and I moved out into the water rough enough to make me wear an obligatory life jacket. Hunkered down behind the windscreen in the drizzle, checking my phone to locate a mooring I had never accessed before (“just across the bay past Molo 5 of Porto Franco Nuovo” — but where was Molo 5?), I was glad to know that my craft was maintained properly and in tip top condition.
While maintenance of any boat is a necessity, with a wooden boat, perhaps like a classic car, it is imperative that the upkeep is on an ongoing basis. The original engine requires servicing more regularly than a modern engine, and the hull needs to be taken out of the water after use and stored in the right conditions — one simply cannot just leave a Riva in the water for the summer. Saltwater can be a killer, and the sun on the varnished decks can cause serious deterioration very quickly. A Riva in good condition will have some 12 to 14 layers of Stoppani varnish and every few years it is necessary to rub back and replace a couple of coats to maintain a pristine finish. Severina is in splendid order having had a mechanic and cosmetic overhaul two seasons previously at Lazarri, one of the best yards on the Italian Lakes for the care and proper maintenance of Rivas. I reaped the benefits of this the very next morning which dawned bright and clear and the wide expanse of the Adriatic Sea was as still and calm as it is possible to be.
Day One we headed south — a long run of 40km for an al fresco lunch at Porto Anfora. The run down was on the open seas, but part of the return journey was interestingly through the channels of the Grado Lagoon. A striking nature reserve, its marsh land is reminiscent of the outer reaches of the Venetian Lagoon 160km away, and its beauty is interspersed with the occasional fisherman’s hut on an isolated islet. The inland channel led back out to sea where we returned to our mooring, our crew all sun and sea-salt tired but grinning from ear to ear after a fast-paced run home across the undulating mirror of water.
The next day, a Saturday, was just as fair and, once again, with water like glass. After a quick briefing, and having made sure we had a full tank (130 litres is used up pretty quickly), the excitement on our boat was palpable as we headed northeast, sitting up high looking across the shining foredeck towards a new country, and soon we were in Slovenian waters. The flotilla of 15 Rivas — made up of Juniors, Floridas, Super Floridas, Aristons, Olympics and the big twin-engined Aquaramas and Super Aquaramas — spread across the water in echelon, spray flying. The deep, burbling engines carried us 25km to the Bay of Portorose, and past the colourful houses and picturesque church of the town of Pirano, a major seaside attraction on the short coast of Slovenia, which soon became the coast of neighbouring Croatia right in front of us. A quick dip in the warm blue Adriatic waters, a picnic and then home again to Trieste for yet another highlight in a trip of highlights.
That afternoon we boarded a coach to visit the stunning Castello di Miramare which we had passed on the water the day before. The fabulous Castle of Miramare, a stunning residence and gardens, was built between 1856 and 1860 for Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium, later Emperor Maximilian I and Empress Carlota of Mexico. From here we headed up into the hills for a riotous evening of laughter and wine with our fellow Rivanauts.
On Sunday, the weather was not so kind, but that was ok as I had to help judge the assembled classic cars in front of the Savoia Excelsior Palace Hotel, our Riva Days meeting being run in conjunction with the Italian Historic Automobile Association (ASI). Judging duties over (it was hard to look past just one of the two surviving 1935 Balilla Furgoncino vans), it was a rush down to Severina with my fellow judge and his friends for the grand parade in the harbour, where crews were dressed in the chosen theme of the poster artists, Dudovic, Metlicovitz et al, of the inter-war years of Trieste.
That evening, in blazer and tie at the Hotel Savoia, it was prize giving time. No one left empty handed and our ten-year-old son, Jack, helped hand out the goodies. At the end of a wonderful weekend, Severina made the journey back to her home on deep Lake Como.