The Griffin Effect: 2025 Marina Militare Nastro Rosa – Il Veloce
The RORC Griffin Pathway continues to create exceptional opportunities for the next generation of offshore sailors, giving young talent the chance to compete in some of the most challenging and prestigious races in the world. The programme focuses on genuine offshore experience, and its sailors are already making their mark internationally.
This month, Zeb Fellows (18) and Joss Creswell (26) seized another opportunity through the Griffin Pathway, representing the programme in the fifth edition of the Navy Nastro Rosa Il Veloce — the longest non-stop race in the Mediterranean, covering 1,492 miles in identical Figaro 3 yachts.
The chance came at the last minute, with barely any preparation, throwing Zeb and Joss straight into the deep end of elite double-handed racing. What followed was a remarkable 1,500-mile Mediterranean epic: smart tactical calls, heavy-weather challenges, gear damage, lost leads and dramatic recoveries — all culminating in a fierce final sprint to the finish.
In this report, Zeb tells the story in his own words, describing a 12-day race that pushed him further than ever before and demonstrating exactly how the Griffin Pathway continues to help young sailors step confidently onto the world stage.
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa – Il Veloce
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa – Il Veloce
By Zeb Fellows
A Last-Minute Opportunity
The Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Il Veloce came as a bit of a surprise. About two weeks before the event a free spot became available. Jim Driver asked if anyone wanted to do it and I volunteered. With such short notice, I arrived at the qualifying rounds with pretty low expectations.
The qualifiers consisted of a day race and an overnight race, each around six hours long. Huge thanks to Caitlin Vinicombe, who also joined last minute to form our double-handed team for the qualifiers. We clicked quickly, sailed well, made good tactical calls, and ended up joint first in our group.
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa – Il Veloce
Thrown Into the Deep End
For the 1,500-mile final from Genoa to Venice via Sicily, I teamed up with Joss Creswell. I’d never met Joss before, and we had just two days of prep before a twelve-day race. Straight into the deep end!
The first night was painfully light as we worked toward the Pisa gate. We were around the fleet but not in the best position. Day two brought more breeze and a tight battle from sixth to fourth. Then, on the second night, we made a brilliant call; tacking up under Elba and nailing the layline. Checking the tracker, we realised we were leading. Not bad for a night’s work.
Building the Lead
The next leg brought rain, shifts and fading wind, but we limited losses well and held a mile-and-a-half lead over the French by the Gulf of Gaeta. Another key call — tacking away from a rain cloud — trapped the French and stretched our lead to five miles. We held that advantage all the way to Capri.
We also hit our first “major setback”: diesel leaked into our Nutella biscuits. A serious morale issue.
Still, we powered on from Capri and extended to 15 miles approaching Stromboli. But then disaster struck. During a kite hoist, the autopilot bore away and then rounded up. The kite foot went over the rail, straight into the water, and we ran a foil through it. Spirits dipped… until we saw Stromboli glowing bright red with lava. Hard to stay grumpy with a sight like that.
Despite a compression behind us, we rebuilt the lead rounding Stromboli — but the next leg was tricky. Following boats rounded with a perfect cloud-generated shift, allowing them to close the distance and forcing us to sail extra miles. A navigation mistake near Favignana cost us five miles, though it could have been worse: the French put in the wrong coordinates and their race effectively ended there.
Zeb Fellows & Joss Creswell
Pressure From Behind
We headed offshore to hunt for breeze and avoid the huge wind hole off Sicily. Behind us, Gin Tonic was closing fast thanks to their newer kite, but we held them off.
We stayed in first all the way to the second-to-last gate at Crotone, until the wind died just as we reached it. Stuck on the outside of the gate, we watched boats on the inside slip through with fresh breeze, dropping us to sixth. Painful. Another huge compression at Leuca hit the entire fleet, giving everyone a reset before the big northerlies up the Adriatic.
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa – Il Veloce
The Adriatic: A Brutal Final Push
We sailed a strong leg up the coast, staying inshore to hook into a favourable land breeze that vaulted us from fifth to second at the final gate. Game on.
An early gybe with Yacht Club Italiano, cost us badly, putting us back into sixth and blowing up our A2 in the process. Morale wobbled, but we kept pushing. Then came the toughest night of the race: 36 knots, pitch black, brutal short chop, A4 and full main up. The boat was basically a submarine. But well-timed gybes and staying in the pressure lifted us to third by sunrise.
We fought hard to close down Gin Tonic, getting within two miles, but they pulled away again. On the final night we played it safe, taking a wider route to ensure downwind angles in the stronger breeze. The big winds never fully hit us but securing third mattered more than gambling it away.
The Finish
After 12 days, 12 hours and 51 minutes, we finished the longest race of my life — literally twice as long as anything I’d done before. I loved almost all of it… except the soaking on arrival, running out of the good freeze-dried food at Stromboli, and running out of sugar snacks at Leuca.
Leading for seven days was incredible. Finishing third was amazing. But I know we could have won … next time.
Not bad for my first race in a Figaro. Huge thanks to Joss for the brilliant partnership, and to Jim Driver and the RORC Griffin Pathway for the opportunity.
Stay tuned for the next adventure.
Zeb
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa – Il Veloce (Second & third from Left - Griffin Sailors: Joss Creswell & Zeb Fellows)
