Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Il Veloce
Ten Teams Ready for the Epic 1,492-Mile Regatta from Genoa to Venice
The qualifying rounds of the Nastro Rosa Veloce — the 1,492-mile regatta circumnavigating the Italian peninsula from Genoa to Venice — came to an end.
The original fleet of 20 teams was divided into two groups that each competed in two races, determining the top six teams qualifying for the main event. The qualifiers concluded with a repechage race, where two additional crews earned their place, thus completing the lineup together with the teams representing the Italian Air Force and the Italian Navy.
The first day of racing literally began with a bang: the start of Group “A” was marked by a collision between the Yacht Club Italiano Team, which suffered damage to three stanchions, and Entente Cordiale, which was sailing on starboard tack. Despite the incident, the race ended with Gin Tonic (Italy) taking the win, followed by Baccarat (Finland) and Norbit (United Kingdom).
In Group “B”, unstable wind conditions made racing difficult: half of the fleet failed to finish within the time limit. Among the teams that reached the finish line, Italy triumphed once again with Le Cape Toste!, followed by Team FE (France) and Gli Isolani (Italy).
The second day confirmed the variable wind conditions. In Group “A”, Yacht Club Italiano took its revenge, finishing first ahead of 2HD Offshore Racing (Germany) and Norbit (United Kingdom). In Group “B”, victory went to Team FE (France), with Le Cape Toste! and Gli Isolani completing the podium.
The repechage race saw the competitors face southeasterly winds of 15 to 25 knots and 2 to 3-meter southern swells along a coastal course heading east.
At the end of the qualifying series, the teams admitted to the Nastro Rosa Veloce are:
Team FE (France), Le Cape Toste! (Italy), Gli Isolani (Italy), 2HD Offshore Racing (Germany), Norbit (United Kingdom), Gin Tonic (Italy), Marina Militare (Italy), Aeronautica Militare (Italy), Yacht Club Italiano (Italy), and Kairos² (Italy).
