“When the first is celebrating, we are still sailing!”: Nair and its 6 editions of the 151 Miglia

By participating to 6 editions out of 7, Nair is one of the most devoted boats of the 151 Miglia – Cetilar Trophy. Marco Donnini is the owner of the Elan 410, the boat that from 2011 has always been present at the starting line of the regatta. He is a doctor who lives in Lombardy but passionate about the sea from an early age. He is one of those ship-owners who doesn’t concentrate only on the competitive aspects of the regatta even though he could boast of some significant achievements, such as the victory at the Portofino 200 Miglia in 2014. He likes to live fully the emotions of sailing, the complicity binding the crewmembers and the simple joy of eating pasta in the sea. We asked some questions to Marco in order to know him better and to understand his devotion to the 151 Miglia – Cetilar Trophy.

Let’s start with you, how did your passion for sailing started?
I am son of a captain of the Navy of Livorno and my mom lived in Trieste; I have the sea in my bones! My father had an Arpege on which I spent my summers from when I was 10 years old. That’s how my passion for sailing was born. I started to participate to regattas with the Flying Junior at the age of 12 and afterwards I dedicated myself to other sea sports like in the early ‘80s to windsurfing.

Usually what kind of regattas are you participating to during the season?
As currently I’m living in Valtellina, I prefer “long” races, in addition, our crew is made up mainly of “seasonal” persons so long races are better suited to us. Moreover I am a former triathlete with 6 finished Ironman! Usually the season starts for us with the Regatta of Cetacean and ends with the Dall’Orso Cup.

Your crew is always the same or is it changing from time to time?
At the beginning we had a quite varying crew, now fortunately six crewmembers out of eight are always the same.

With the eyes of a ship-owner, how does 151 Miglia seem to be changing in these years?
151 Miglia is a special race and I have seen it growing a lot through these years. It is a much-awaited appointment of our sailing season. The organization has always been flawless both in Livorno, Marina di Pisa and in Punta Ala. I especially appreciated the difficult choice three years ago to postpone the start to the day after because of the adverse weather conditions. It is the evidence of the organizers’ great responsibility. 151 Miglia is a regatta for all those who love the sea, whether they are amateurs or professionals. The ever-growing number of the participants is the proof of a great formula: excellent hospitality and expertise.

Did you participate in so many editions of the other regattas as well?
I can make a comparison with the Giraglia Rolex Cup to which I participated five times, but I prefer the course of the 151 Miglia.

If I ask you to mention one single reason why you are participating to the 151 Miglia every year, what would it be?
When the first is celebrating we are still sailing, sun, wind, seawater, the Sparviero is coming! Whether you arrive at dawn or at dusk, there is a meal waiting for you!

Is there anything special story from these 6 editions of the 151 Miglia that you would like to tell us?
There are too many stories to tell one by one but I can tell you one thing about that made me feel particularly pleased. I noticed that in the area dedicated to the registrations there was an image of an old nautical map with the course of the 151 Miglia that I have sent you on Facebook. Finding it on the official website of the regatta has been such a great satisfaction!