As it does every year, the 40th Meeting Internazionale del Mediterraneo at Sanremo gathered Optimist class sailors from all over Europe. An unmissable event for many with 90 participants this year from Switzerland, France, Monaco and Italy divided in two categories, Cadet (2014-2015) and Junior (2009-2013).

Yacht Club de Monaco’s young sailors did amazingly well in very contrasting weather conditions. Friday saw a fresh 17 up to 20 knot easterly accompanied by a challenging swell that really put contestants to the test, with the rest of the weekend being more clement with a moderate 6-8 knot southwesterly.

In the older Cadet (Minimes) category, Alexandra Santelli pulled off a well-deserved 13th place out of 35 participants despite difficult conditions. As for Frederik Holst, he showed great progress in securing an encouraging 18th place.

In the younger Junior (Benjamins) category, YCM sailors were aiming for the top of the table. Out of 25 participants, Pietro Carlevaris clinched a superb gold medal top spot, just reward for all the hard work he’s put in over the last few years.  Louis Faivre (5th), Jules Huon (6th) and Victor Holst (9th) also delivered solid performances as a result of hours of training.

In the girls, Mona Benchekroun finished 11th  overall and took a silver medal in the girls category, while Anastasyia Verpeka Dolling came 14th overall and won the girls bronze medal. Sacha Mousny (17th) and Julian Lampert (20th) completed the team’s promising list of achievements.

The results obtained by a generation of young sailors born in 2014 point to great potential for the future. With a determination unfazed by the drop in temperatures, this new generation has no intention of slowing the pace in the coming season.