Genoa - By completing the course with a time of 8d20h8m55s, Andrea Pendibene and Andrea Trani with Marina Militare won the third edition of the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Veloce, the longest and toughest regatta in the Mediterranean. That it was a severe test, capable of draining every drop of physical and psychological strength from the participants, is revealed by the provisional ranking of this 2023 edition, with three of the ten Beneteau Figaro 3s forced to withdraw not due to technical problems, but rather due to the considerable expenditure of energy which put more than one sailor on the ropes, and two others classified as NSC following errors in reading the course caused by extreme exhaustion.
First, therefore, the unprecedented pair made up of Andrea Trani and Andrea Pendibene who, having taken command of the regatta in the south of Sicily, when in a few hours recovered the 10 mile disadvantage that separated them from the leading pair, made up at that moment by Città di Taranto (de Pfyffer-Goldbery) and from the Regione Sardegna (Nicchitta-Gamenara), never left it again, closing the test with a very respectable reference time. The overall 8h20m is in fact a time just 12h higher than the 8d8h27m23s set by Sophie Faguet and Pierre Lebouchers in 2021 with Team Urban Value: a figure that demonstrates how the attack on the record, to which an important prize money is linked, is within the reach of protagonists.
"It was a wonderful experience, one of the most complete regattas I had the opportunity to participate during my career, characterized by the continuous changing of weather conditions, low temperatures and the limited number of hours of daylight - explained Andrea Trani satisfied but physically exhausted once on land - We started in a rather calm manner, with a very high level of concentration and there wasn't a moment of the race in which we didn't feel competitive and in which we didn't push and attack".
"My interpretation is a little different - echoes Andrea Pendibene - We started with the aim of finishing it doing the best we could then, along the way, we realized that in such a high level fleet we could still have something to say. The success is determined by the fact of never having given up and of having created a combination in which one complemented the other. We were able to push a lot, even when tiredness reached the level of alertness. There were moments in which we really couldn't give more: I remember for example the exit from Venice: the first night of navigation, when the Libeccio put us to the test; the passage from Vieste, when reached by a storm we lay down on our side; south of Sicily, where we hooked up with our adversaries and in the passage of the Gulf of Naples, when the fleet regrouped. What can I say, I'm really very happy".
Taking second place, about an hour later than the winner, was the aforementioned Città di Taranto which, having guided the fleet from the start to the Crotone gate, then immediately underwent the return of the Navy, with which is faced in a tight head-to-head which ended with a gap of 11 miles in favor of the representatives of the armed force.
The podium was completed by the Aeronautica Militare (Simeoli-Bertola) which, already among the protagonists of the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour, reached the finish line in Genoa a few minutes before 4pm, with a delay of almost 5 hours compared to the Navy .
At the time of writing, Deas Sanfer (Capozzi-Brasili) and DR Automobiles (Hasson-Bauza) are still at sea, expected in Genoa late in the evening, while they are classified as NSC for having made an error in reading the route during the passage of Ischia Regione Sardegna (Nicchitta-Gamenara) and Carta Giovani (Cupaioll-Donati), both protagonists of a particularly solid participation. On the other hand, Waving Meadow (Bandiera-Alrcolin) have withdrawn, docking in Brindisi, Acone Associati (Brunotti-Rinaldi) and Città di Genova (Renella-Fissore), stopping in Agrigento.
The final act of the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Veloce will be the awards ceremony, scheduled for 4pm on Thursday 16 November at the Aquarium of Genoa in the presence of the Undersecretary of State for Defence, Senator Isabella Rauti who, as part of the ceremony, will greet the The crew of Lo Spirito di Stella, leaving for a trip around the world as part of the WOW-Wheel On Waves 2023-2025 project.
We remind you that the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Veloce is organized in close partnership between Difesa Servizi SpA, a company of the Ministry of Defense that deals with valorising the assets of the Armed Forces, and SSI Events, a company specialized in organizing international regattas. The Navy supports the event as title partner.
Update at 4.48pm
Shortly before sending this press release, we were informed of the presentation of some protests which could affect the ranking: we will inform you on the merits as soon as the Jury's decisions are made known.