(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 09 OTT - The number of entries for Barcolana58, which will take place next Sunday in the Gulf of Trieste, "is rising. We have surpassed the 1,700 mark, a testament to the affection, solidarity, and enthusiasm that renews itself year after year," said Mitja Gialuz, President of the Barcola and Grignano Sailing Club, during "Caffè sul Vespucci," a feature sponsored by the ANSA news agency and the Amerigo Vespucci World Tour in conjunction with the regatta. "We are truly thrilled and proud," Gialuz said. "I'd like to thank all of the members and volunteers from the Barcola and Grignano Sailing Clubs, as well as the other clubs that helped organise Barcolana. More than 1,200 people work to put on the event, which is a magnificent, complex organisational machine, and we are moved every year to see sailors return to Barcolana. Any sailor, whether Italian or international, should visit and participate in Barcolana at least once in their lives; they must see and experience it for themselves. So," he concluded, "we will see prominent figures from the international sailing world return this year." Wendy Schmidt, the ex-wife of a Google co-founder, is expected to meet with students tomorrow morning. (ANSA).