18^th Palermo-Montecarlo

Nigh on 40 boats already registered

 

Tuesday 11^th July 2023. With the 18^th Palermo-Montecarlo, the 500 nautical mile Mediterranean crossing from Sicily to Monaco, fast approaching, expectations are growing as interesting updates keep arriving.

 

There are 30 days left before the start on Tuesday 22^nd August from the Gulf of Mondello and nearly 40 yachts have already registered, a high-quality international fleet with many French teams signed up. Five Maxis have entered: Peter Harburg’s 100-foot Black Jack from YCM, winner this year of two prestigious line honours at the 151 Miglia Trofeo Cetilar and the Rolex Giraglia; the other 100-footer ARCA SGR, owned by Furio Benussi’s Fast and Furio Sailing Team; two VO65s returning from the Grand Finale of The Ocean Race in Genoa namely the Austrian Ocean Team (Team Genova) skippered by Gerwin Jansen, and Gregor Baranowski’s I Love Poland; and Claudio Demartis’s 90-footer Shockwave 3 Prosecco Doc representing the Palermo-Montecarlo event organisers, Circolo della Vela Sicilia.

 

High level and international

Two thirds of the boats registered so far have international flags, most of them French. In addition to the five Maxis, all eyes will be on the many highly competitive in corrected time offshore French race boats such as Dominique Tian’s Tonnerre del Glen, winner of the last Palermo-Montecarlo in IRC, as well as Chenapan 4, the Maltese Artie Jeep, HH42 already seen at the Rolex Middle Sea Race, Colombre of Massimo Juris (who races in the X2 category in pairs) and Marc Rouanne’s Jacanda 3. Also competing are three Class40s, led by high profile French sailor Kito de Pavant (Made in Midi), now a regular at the Palermo-Montecarlo, ACI 40 skippered by Ivica Kostelic, the Croatian former Olympic gold medalist in skiing, and French Marie Goulven’s OPA.

 

The 18^th Palermo-Montecarlo also sees the first 100% female crewed entry on the Dufour 36 performance Moogli led by French skipper Caroline Petit.

 

It looks set to be a scintillating Palermo-Montecarlo 2023, speaking in many languages and above all that of sailing! In Mondello and at the Marina di Villa Igiea where the boats will be moored, they are preparing the pre-regatta programme: welcome cocktail, press conference and skippers meeting. The same is happening for the prestigious finish line of the race at Yacht Club de Monaco, and not forgetting the partnership with Yacht Club Costa Smeralda where the obligatory passage gate will be set in front of the marina.