The Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour once again confirms its status in 2026 as one of the most original and ambitious events on the international sailing scene. Now in its sixth edition, the sailing tour of Italy set sail from Venice on June 4 and will wrap up in Genoa on July 12, following a route of over 1,250 miles along the Italian coastline, crossing the Adriatic, Ionian, and Tyrrhenian seas. This is not just a traveling regatta, but a platform capable of uniting sport, regional promotion, maritime culture, sustainability, and local community engagement. It is a format that, due to its organizational complexity and multidisciplinary nature, represents a true anomaly in the industry. And this year, it boasts two sponsors of excellence: Scanner Marine and Honda.
The tour is organized by Difesa Servizi, the Italian Navy, and SSI Sport & Events, and involves international crews competing in three different disciplines that represent the essence of contemporary sailing: offshore, inshore, and wing foil. This formula makes the event much more complex than a traditional staged regatta and requires a massive organizational machine capable of moving athletes, vehicles, event villages, technical staff, and side activities all along the peninsula.
The stops for the 2026 edition are Venice, Cattolica, Vieste, Taranto, Syracuse, Tropea, Naples, Portoferraio, and Genoa. Every port of call transforms into a full-fledged sailing village open to the public, featuring sporting, educational, and institutional activities that help showcase Italy’s coastal heritage.
Behind the project is Riccardo Simoneschi, a leading figure in Italian sailing. A former Olympic athlete, international event organizer, and founder of SSI Sport & Events, Simoneschi has built a professional career over the years that has led him to develop some of Italy’s most important sailing events.
“The project was born from a convergence of interests” Simoneschi told Yacht Digest. “I was already thinking about a sailing initiative that would promote the region through the sea, and right around that time, I met Luca Andreoli, the CEO of Difesa Servizi. From that meeting, the initial idea was born, which over time has transformed into a system of events that now spans an entire season and has also made its mark internationally.”
According to the tour’s creator, the initiative’s success lies precisely in its ability to tell the story of the Italian sea through all the various facets of sailing. “From a sporting perspective, it is the synthesis of the three great sailing disciplines: offshore, buoy racing, and board riding. We didn’t want to just create a regatta that connected one city to another, but a project capable of presenting our country through the sport of sailing in its broadest form.” This intuition is also drawing attention beyond national borders: “In France and Spain, they are watching this model with interest and evaluating similar initiatives. Our goal has always been to promote the coastlines and host regions through sport.”
In an event characterized by particularly complex logistics, the support of technical partners takes on a strategic role. For the 2026 edition, Scanner Marine has provided a Scanner 870 D from the Pro Line range, used as a technical support RIB (rigid inflatable boat) throughout the entire tour route. The choice was no accident. The Scanner 870 D was designed to combine professional needs with recreational use, offering versatility, reliability, and ease of transport—fundamental characteristics for an event that changes ports and backdrops every few days.
“We have known Riccardo Simoneschi for many years and have already collaborated on his other events in the past” explains Fabio Montemitro, owner of Scanner Marine. “Mutual respect made this partnership natural. We decided to support the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour because it represents a tangible way to promote the discovery of the Italian coastlines.”
Montemitro emphasizes how the chosen model perfectly meets the organization’s operational needs: “The Scanner 870 was created for both professional and recreational use. In this context, it has to perform technical duties, but also transport journalists, institutional representatives, and guests. Its size allows for easy transport between the different stages, while its versatility makes it the ideal vehicle for such a dynamic event.”
Scanner Marine’s participation in the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour is not just an institutional presence; it is the convergence of a shared vision. On one hand, a tour that promotes sailing, training, and nautical culture; on the other, a shipyard that for over thirty years has been a benchmark in the design and construction of high-performance RIBs. Attention to quality, the constant search for advanced technical solutions, and respect for the sea are elements that deeply unite the two entities.
In this context, the Scanner 870 D is a RIB that synthesizes design, technology, and reliability, perfectly embodying the tour’s values. The boat was chosen as a support vessel thanks to its technical features, making it ideal for logistical activities, assistance, filming, and operational coordination. Its strengths include a high-performance hull, designed to guarantee stability and control even in challenging sea conditions; ample onboard livability, designed to accommodate crews, media operators, and technical personnel; and the maneuverability and responsiveness essential for following the racing boats and intervening quickly.
Ensuring the boat’s propulsion is Honda Marine, which joined Scanner in the sponsorship by supplying the Honda V8-350 outboard motor to the support unit. This collaboration further strengthens the event’s operational efficiency.
Simoneschi also expressed great satisfaction with the contribution of the two brands. “We highly value the partnership with Scanner. They provided us with a Scanner 870 that we use as a technical support RIB, and we are extremely satisfied. It is a vessel that manages to be both operational and prestigious at the same time. Despite its substantial size, it is easily transported and incredibly effective. We couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
The sailing tour of Italy represents just one part of the broader Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour ecosystem. Once the Genoa event concludes, the schedule will continue with academies dedicated to young people and with the Nastro Rosa Veloce—the non-stop offshore regatta connecting Genoa to Trieste for over 1,550 miles, considered one of the most demanding competitions in the Mediterranean.
It is precisely this ability to integrate competitive racing, training, regional promotion, and maritime culture that makes the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour different from any other European sailing event. A project that, year after year, continues to grow and consolidate its role as a great traveling narrative of Italy seen from the sea.
It is the sailing tour of Italy organized by Difesa Servizi, the Italian Navy, and SSI Sport & Events—an event that combines regattas, regional promotion, sustainability, and activities open to the public.
Venice, Cattolica, Vieste, Taranto, Syracuse, Tropea, Naples, Portoferraio, and Genoa.
The event concludes in Genoa on July 12, 2026.
Scanner Marine has provided a Scanner 870 D used as a technical support RIB throughout the entire sailing tour of Italy.
Honda Marine participates as a technical partner by providing the outboard motor installed on the Scanner 870 D used by the organization.
With the launch of the Tashmoo 18, the new brand Tashmoo Boatworks brings back one…
Italian marinas can become hubs for environmental innovation and opportunities to revitalize marginal coastal areas.…
Geopolitics, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, industrial competitiveness, and new export scenarios. These are the topics that…
Power-hungry, powerful, heavy, and essential: on board our vessels, the anchor windlass is by definition…
Grand Soleil Plus 80 Long Cruise: The Quintessence of Beauty is FastThe Grand Soleil Plus…
The seventh edition of the Venice Boat Show concluded on May 31, wrapping up an…