Great excitement at the longest doubles regatta in the Mediterranean

Set off last Nov. 5 from Venice, a fleet of 10 Bénéteau Figaro 3s is enlivening the 3rd edition of the “Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Veloce,” the longest regatta in the Mediterranean on a 1,492-mile non-stop doubles course finishing in Genoa.

Sustained winds and a tight struggle that is involving all crews in the race. Rightly, none of them wants to give up the podium of this 3rd edition of the “Navy Pink Ribbon Fast.” Departing from Venice on Sunday, Nov. 5, the fleet of 10 Bénéteau Figaro 3s led by top Italian and international teams is embarking on a 1,492-mile non-stop doubles course finishing in Genoa. It is in fact the longest regatta in the Mediterranean.

Read also: Italy puts the sea at the center with the Nastro Rosa Tour 2023.

“City of Taranto” leading the fleet, but their gap is minimal

On the third day of sailing, the boats quickly finished their descent of the Adriatic thanks to strong Libeccio winds that were interspersed with weak breezes only north of the Gargano, and then cool gusts of Mistral near Brindisi. By now in the Ionian Sea, in these hours the fleet has passed the Santa Maria di Leuca crossing. Leading the way is the crew of “City of Taranto” formed by French sailors Alicia de Pfyffer and Eduard Goldbery who are dominating the regatta after taking the first position already in the waters of Venice Lido. In their wake, about 7 miles away, are Giacomo Nicchita and Nicolò Gamenara aboard “Regione Sardegna,” who are not letting up a notch, while the pair formed by Andrea Pendibene and Andrea Trani are sailing stable in third place, about 15 miles behind the leader.

Behind them, clustered within about 30 miles, follows a group of Bénéteau Figaro 3s composed of “Carta Giovani” with Andrea Cupaioli and Lorenzo Donati, “Deas Sanfer” with Pierluigi Capozzi and Alessio Brasili, “Aeronautica Militare” with Giancarlo Simeoli and Niccolò Bertola, and “Città di Genova” led by Francesco Renella and Valentina Fissore. Also with them are “DR Automobiles” with Ambre Hasson and Aina Bauza and “Acone Associates” with Nicola Brunotti and Michele Rinaldi on board.

A shore team always ready for emergencies

Closing the real time ranking, rather detached from the rest of the fleet, “Waving Meadow” led by Matteo Bandiera and Paola Alrcolin. A delay their accumulated as a result of a minor accident that occurred during the first night’s sailing when the hull struck a submerged body, probably a log, with the rudder left, reporting a small water leakage from the bushings of the same.

Making an enforced stop at Marina Dorica, the crew found waiting for them the shore team of the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour, which follows boats throughout the circumnavigation of Italy. Winging the boat thanks to the support of the Ancona Landing staff, and checking the condition of the live work, technicians repaired the bushing cap allowing the team to return to sea after about 3 hours. In any case, there are still many miles to recover. For everyone else to make this competition even more exciting will be the attractive prize money for those who beat the record on mileage. In fact, recall that the benchmark time of the “Navy Pink Ribbon Fast” is the one set by Sophie Faguet and Pierre Lebouchers in 2021 with “Team Urban Value” and is 8 days, 8 hours and 27 minutes.

Here’s how to follow the fleet in real time

The “Navy Pink Ribbon Veloce” is organized in close partnership between Difesa Servizi SpA, a company of the Ministry of Defense that is responsible for enhancing the assets of the Armed Forces, and SSI Events, a company that specializes in organizing world-class regattas. Supporting the event as a title partner is the Navy. The entire regatta can be followed live by fans, thanks to the TracTrac system, via www.nastrorosatour.it

NAVY PINK RIBBON TOUR 2023 AT A GLANCE

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour 2023 is to promote sailing and offshore sailing in Italy, as well as the presence of women in offshore racing. But it is also a container of institutional, social and environmental values.

ORGANIZERS: The Navy Pink Ribbon Tour 2023 is organized by Difesa Servizi S.p.A. in collaboration with Sailing Series International Sports & Events, and with the key support of ENIT – National Tourism Agency and the Italian Sailing Federation.

EVENTS & DATES:

• Navy Pink Ribbon – Giro d’Italia. Genoa. Dates: June 29-July 30.
• Dmo World Championship. Location: Taranto. Dates: October 2 – 8.
• Navy Pink Ribbon Fast. Location: Venice. Dates: November 5 – 19.

REGISTRATIONS AND WEBSITE: The official website of the Navy Pink Ribbon Tour 2023 can be found at www.nastrorosatour.it where all information can be viewed, race notices downloaded and registrations finalized for all scheduled events.