The second day of inshore races at the Admiral’s Cup proved a tactical masterclass for crews in challenging conditions. In a shifty light breeze, teams had to dig deep into their knowledge of currents and interpreting the water to exploit every little gust.
Just one race was launched by PRO Stuart Childerley in a 5-11 knot breeze with a strong west-going tide cutting across a course that was set well off the Hill Head shore. A short but testing 1.6 nautical miles for the ACI class and 1.4nm for AC2.
Mid-way through this 24th Admiral’s Cup and the Yacht Club de Monaco teams are proving their consistency at the highest level. Jolt 3 (TP52), skippered by Peter Harrison, won the AC Class 1 day’s race in style, beating Beau Geste (Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club) by a mere three seconds in corrected time. Django WR51, skippered by Giovanni Lombardi Stronati (YCM member) finished 4th.
In AC Class 2, Jolt 6 helmed by YCM vice-president Pierre Casiraghi was 5th, confirming their consistency despite the unstable conditions. Django JPK, Giovanni Lombardi Stronati’s second boat, was 10th.
At the end of four races (Channel Race and three Inshore races), positions in the ranking are shaping up. In AC Class 1, Jolt 3 tops the overall ranking ahead of Django WR51 in 2nd. In AC Class 2, Jolt 6 hold on to their 3rd place, while Django JPK currently lies 7th. These results mean Yacht Club de Monaco are still in the top three, now one point behind the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron completing the provisional podium.
Thursday 24 July is the last Inshore Race day before the start of the offshore Rolex Fastnet Race on Saturday 26 July, the final event of the Admiral’s Cup 2025. This 51st edition coincides with the Fastnet centenary and looks set to be historic with 451 boats registered; crews from 34 countries; 4,000 sailors aged 14 to 81; and a fleet ranging from the smallest IRCs to the fastest Ultims via the awesome IMOCA, Ocean Fifty and Class40 boats.
On a 695nm course from Cowes to the Fastnet Rock, via the English Channel and Atlantic, this final challenge is the icing on the cake of an Admiral’s Cup that has so far more than lived up to expectations.
