After two years under the name Women Leading & Sailing, the event has evolved to become the Virginie Hériot Trophy, a tribute to that legendary French sailor, the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal, in Amsterdam in 1928. Fondly referred to as ‘Madame de la Mer’, she has inspired generations of women to take up competitive sailing.
In a light easterly, the consistency of the Brits from the Royal Thames Yacht Club on the first day set the scene. With three wins out of three races completed they set out their stall, relegating the other contestants to the role of extras. The American Sound Sisters team from MudRatz pulled out all the stops to cling onto second place. At the end of some fierce battles, the leading pack had widened the gap with the rest of the fleet.
Midway, the easterly generated challenging conditions requiring teams to execute manœuvres to perfection to have any chance of finishing on the podium. The Royal Thames Yacht Club team continued their winning ways by coming first in the two races at the foot of the Rocher. On the last day, a breezy 15-20 knot westerly transformed the race area and the rankings. The team from across the Channel won the Gold group as expected, with the Swiss from Lausanne Sailing Club pulling off a superb performance to come second by winning the last race of the event. Meanwhile, the German Boddensprotten team from Regatta Verein Greifswald finally managed to dislodge the American Sound Sisters team to stand on the third step of the podium.
In the Silver, Cannelles 2 had some great races to win this group. Yacht Club de Monaco, competing at home with a team comprising Pink Wave members, led by Anne Rodelato alongside double Olympic medallist in the 470 at Rio and London Saskia Clark, Maycka Delgado, Kathrin Hoyos and Anne Schouten, came out top in the Bronze.
After three days of intense competition, time now for a totally different challenge: fine cuisine at sea. Yacht Club de Monaco through its La Belle Classe Academy training centre in partnership with Bluewater hosts the 6th Superyacht Chef Competition on Thursday 3 April 2025. Nine chefs working on superyachts from 36m to 97m will vie for supremacy in the galleys under the eagle eyes of an exceptional jury. Chaired by Chef Jean-François Girardin, Meilleur Ouvrier de France 1993, former chef at the Ritz in Paris and President of the Société Nationale des MOF, this competition puts the spotlight on creativity, technical prowess and flexibility of chefs at sea. A showcase of gastronomy at sea, the event is part of the collective ‘Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting’ approach, illustrating excellence and innovation that has made the YCM’s reputation beyond sports events.
