Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour 2026 Cattolica Day 2

by Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour 7 Jun 06:33 NZST

The great spectacle of the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour 2026 has officially begun in Cattolica. After the thrilling arrival of the Bénéteau Figaro fleet, today, June 6th, the spotlight turned to the eagerly awaited inshore trials.

An unmissable event for acrobatic and new-generation sailing enthusiasts, it saw the tightrope walkers of the Waszp and the modern WingFoils take to the water. The day's events, however, were heavily influenced by unstable weather, to say the least, which tested the patience of the athletes and the race committee.

Waszp's start and the wait at sea

The organizing machine was set in motion in the morning with the traditional pre-race briefing, which provided an update on the weather and sea conditions. At 11:30 sharp, the entire fleet gathered at sea, ready to do battle.

The Waszp team broke the ice, crossing the starting line at 12:20. At that time, the Cattolica race course offered light winds between 8 and 8.5 knots; a minimal intensity, but enough to get the foiling dinghies flying. The wind increased slightly in the first few minutes, but then, unfortunately, dropped dramatically.

WingFoils postponed, wind defeats expectations

While the Waszp team managed to take advantage of the very first available window, things didn't go so well for their WingFoil colleagues. The wind dropped almost completely, making it impossible for the boards to launch and forcing the organizers to put the class's schedule on hold.

Despite the impending calm, the Waszp team still managed to complete their second race of the day, albeit with some tactical difficulty. Around 2:00 PM, the race committee pulled out all the stops, remaining on standby for about 30 minutes in the hope of a change in weather that would allow both the Waszp and WingFoil teams to continue racing. Nature, however, was uncooperative: at 2:30 PM, the final whistle blew, sending all the racers ashore.

The Standings: Carrieri takes the lead in the Waszp Team

Despite the shortened schedule, the results of the two Waszp races put an all-Italian team at the top of the provisional standings.

Dominating the fleet was Francesco Carrieri of the Circolo Nautico Sambenedettese, capable of perfectly interpreting the challenging and bizarre winds of the Cattolica sea. Behind him, in second place, was a solid Alex Jones (representing the Flushing Sailing Club), while Ash Cole rounded out the day's podium, giving the Guardia di Finanza team an excellent third place.

The Nastro Rosa Tour once again demonstrates just how spectacular foil sailing can be, but also how tactics can make a difference in light winds. All eyes are on the coming days, hoping that Aeolus finally decides to blow more forcefully.