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Greystones Offshore Sailor Pamela Lee Embarks on Nastro Rosa Veloce, Italy's Longest Yacht Race

7th November 2021
Nastro Rosa Veloce -  The Round Italy Mixed double crew race starts in front of San Marco Square in Venice
The Round Italy Mixed double crew race starts in front of San Marco Square in Venice

County Wicklow offshore sailor Pamela Lee from Greystones Harbour is competing in this weekend's newest Italian yachting fixture, the 'Nastro Rosa Veloce', billed as the longest, non-stop race in the Mediterranean.

Scheduled to start yesterday in Venice, the race was delayed 24h hours due to very high waters and the closure of new mobile floodgates at the lagoon port inlets that defend Venice.

Lee is sailing with Italian Skipper Andrea Fornaro, who has done two mini-transats and now racing Class40s.

The Mixed double crew race starts in front of San Marco Square in Venice.

Lee and Fornano, known as 'Team Influence' are racing in a fleet of 10 Figaros from Venice to Genoa, non-stop. (Outside Sicily).

Pamela Lee and Andrea Fornaro at the race launchPamela Lee and Andrea Fornaro at the race launch

There is a Prize Pool of €50,000 to be shared by all 10 competing teams (€20 for 1st place, €10k for 2nd place, €5k for 3rd place, …..€1k for 10th place)

Overall, it's about 1,400 nm, when you count in the required gates of the course, which take the fleet back into the Italian coast again, and inside a number of islands, rather than straight back up the Med.

There are eight pit stops locations along the course.

The Italian-Irish pair hadn't met in person before the race and Fornaro hasn’t sailed the Figaro yacht before though, so invited Lee to team up a few weeks ago.

Live tracking is here

Nastro Rosa Veloce race courseThe Nastro Rosa Veloce race course

Lee refers to herself as 'a three times Round Ireland World Record holding Offshore Sailor'.

Her recent sailing projects include racing in the Doublehanded Figaro 3 circuit in France. Her focus is on building her offshore sailing expertise by racing in this competitive fleet and competing in the 2023 Class40 The Race Around.

Pam Lee video ITA e Inglese

? Team Interview Il team influence composto da Pamela Lee e Andrea Fornaro parteciperà alla prima edizione del #NastroRosaVeloce ? Ecco alcune curiosità sul loro team e le loro prime sensazioni riguardo l'inizio della regata ? Noi non vediamo l'ora di vederli gareggiare #MMNRT #marinamilitare #nastrorosaveloce #beneteau #offshore

Posted by Nastro Rosa Tour on Friday, 29 October 2021
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About Pamela Lee, Irish Offshore Sailor

Ireland has produced some of the world’s most dedicated offshore sailors, and Pamela Lee of Greystones is one of them. She has made a name for herself in the sailing world, having worked as a mate on a charter Super-yacht for two and a half years. After coming ashore, she has been fully committed to her offshore sailing ambitions since 2019.

Lee has raced in various craft, including Figaro 3s, Class 40, Tp 52s, and multihulls, and has eight transatlantic crossings under her belt. In partnership with Kenny Rumball, Lee supported Rumball’s La Solitaire du Figaro sailing campaign to secure the Irish berth in the proposed Mixed Offshore Keelboat event for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

One of Lee’s stated main aims is to promote female empowerment in sport, and she set out to establish a double-handed Round Ireland speed record with Englishwoman Cat Hunt in the winter of 2020. This campaign gained much publicity, and Lee expressed pride in bringing sailing and offshore sailing, in particular, into the conversation for 2020.

To further her offshore sailing career, Lee moved to France, where she has recently secured a place to skipper a yacht in the Transat Jacques Vabre Challenge in October 2023. Lee’s passion and dedication to offshore sailing are inspiring, and her achievements are a testament to her hard work and perseverance.