Nastro Rosa Tour 2026 Napoli - Day 1
by Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour 1 Jul 07:39 BST
Nastro Rosa Tour 2026 Napoli - Day 1 © Filippo Federici
The Naples leg of the Giro d'Italia Vela officially got under way today, June 30, with the debut of the highly anticipated Inshore races.
The Race Committee called the briefing and gathered the fleets of Waszp and Wingfoil classes at 1:00 PM, setting up the race course in the waters off the historic Mascalzone Latino base. Initial conditions were ideal for racing on dinghies and full-foiling boards, which require absolute precision in flight management and transitions.
Two flash races for the Waszp Class
With a brisk breeze of around 9 knots, the Race Committee wasted no time, taking advantage of the stable wind window to launch the Waszp fleet. The boats responded perfectly, delivering aggressive starts and impeccable foil management. The competitors managed to complete two consecutive races, one after the other, characterized by close engagements both at the windward mark and on the downwind legs, where keeping the boat in constant flight made the real difference in the lead.
The Wingfoil turn and the drop in the breeze
Immediately afterward, it was the Wingfoil boards' turn to take to the water. The athletes made the most of the residual lift to complete a spectacular, high-speed race, demonstrating an extremely high level of technical prowess in their foil gybes. Subsequently, the Committee decided to send the Waszp dinghies back into the water for a third match. Despite a slight drop in the wind, which forced the sailors to work extra hard and adopt more conservative tactical choices to avoid dismounting from their foils, the fleet managed to complete another valid race.
Return to land and analysis of the day
At 4:00 PM, with the wind now clearly decreasing, the Committee issued a warning to A, sending all the athletes ashore. There's great satisfaction on the dock: three races won for the Waszp and one for the Wingfoil, representing excellent results for this opening day.
Today's schedule calls for the first warning signal at 11:00 a.m. The racers are already looking to the skies with optimism, hoping that the classic thermal of the Gulf of Naples (the typical westerly/south-westerly wind that characterizes the afternoon conditions in the area) will arrive on time and with the right intensity to ensure another high-speed show.
A night of anticipation for the offshore queens: The Figaro 3s arrive
While the youth and foiling classes rest, all eyes are on the channel between Capri and the coast. During the night, the first Beneteau Figaro 3s, the foiling one-designs competing in the challenging Offshore race from Tropea, are expected at the finish line in Naples. The teams are making the final, crucial tactical decisions to manage the nighttime thermal breezes and the calm seas near the coast, in a finale that promises to be extremely tense for the conquest of offshore points.