Nastro Rosa Tour 2026 Portoferraio departure day
by Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour 11 Jul 01:03 PDT
Nastro Rosa Tour 2026 Portoferraio departure day © Filippo Federici
A breathtaking ride across the northern Tyrrhenian Sea concludes with a heart-pounding finale in the Gulf of Liguria. Between old-time gusts and sudden calms, the Figaro 3 fleet completes the final stage of the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour before the grand parade at the Palazzo Ducale.
The tenth day of July marks the end of a memorable edition of the 2026 Giro d'Italia a Vela. The race concluded at the finish line in Genoa, following a final stage that had taken off twenty-four hours earlier from the docks of Portoferraio. The Figaro 3 fleet embarked on a veritable aquatic marathon across the northern Tyrrhenian Sea, propelled by a generous wind that made the sailing as challenging as it was thrilling.
The pinnacle of the event, in every sense, occurred during the spectacular passage around the Giraglia rock, where the boats soared across the water at speeds that shattered all timetables and predicted a record finish hours early.
Alongside the offshore champions, the winners of the spectacular Inshore races held in the waters around Elba will also stand on the podium. Providing adrenaline in recent days were the foiling acrobats: the very young Waszp singles and the WingFoil riders, who made their boards fly across the island's waters, demonstrating exceptional responsiveness even in the lightest of breezes.
Today the fleet sets sail again: heading for the Lanterna
With the Elba leg over, there's no time to rest for the sailors. Their attention is already turned to today, July 9th, when the Figaro 3 will set sail at 11:00 a.m. It will be the final chapter, the decisive leg of the circumnavigation of Italy, with the bows pointing north toward one destination: Genoa. These will be intense nautical miles, where every gust of wind and every tactical decision will weigh like millstones on the overall ranking.
The Gulf trap and the wind lottery
But the sea, as we know, can give and take away as it pleases. Just as the first outlines of the Genoese coast were beginning to emerge and the finish line seemed within reach, the wind decided to abandon the racers, almost completely fading, turning the final miles into a nerve-wracking game of chess.
The Gulf of Genoa thus transformed into an arena of pure tactics, where the crews were forced to constantly invent tacks, desperately seeking every last bit of air. This impressive fleet compression saw all ten boats cross the finish line in just two hours, a testament to the extremely high level of competition.
The verdict at five PM
The stopwatch recorded its first official verdict at 5:00 PM, when the Cambridge University Yacht Club's bow was the first to cross the finish line, securing a commanding victory. Close behind, the Italian Air Force team put in a superb and spirited performance. Rounding out the podium in this final leg were the Flushing Sailing Club sailors, who snatched third place in a finale where nerves of steel were more important than pure speed.
The final calm, in fact, dramatically reshuffled the cards on the table: up to just three hundred meters from the finish line, the gaps accumulated over hours of sailing were reduced to zero, calling into question not only the day's prizes, but also the overall standings for both individual classes and teams. Never before has the old sporting adage, "It ain't over 'til it's over," found such a merciless and fascinating confirmation.
From the waves to the halls of history
With the racing engines turned off and the sails stowed, the focus of the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour now shifts from the coastline to the hinterland, toward one of the most evocative historical settings of the Ligurian capital. The formal ceremony that will seal this memorable edition will not take place on the docks, but within the monumental walls of the Palazzo Ducale.
The sumptuous Sala del Maggior Consiglio will serve as the backdrop for the final awards ceremony, transforming itself into the perfect theater of honor to celebrate and officially crown the new lords of the Italian seas.