After racing across the 500 nautical miles between the Gulf of Mondello and the Principality, the 21st Palermo-Montecarlo wrapped up at the weekend. Remon Vos’s Black Jack 100 skippered by Tristan Le Brun, both Yacht Club de Monaco members, was first to cross the finish in Monaco for the fourth year in a row to claim the Giuseppe Tasca D’Almerita Challenge Trophy. In corrected time, Arkas Sailing Team Blue Moon took the win, adding its name to the list of winners of the Angelo Randazzo Challenge Trophy. A total of 37 boats set off on Tuesday 18 August for this classic offshore race organised by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia in collaboration with the Yacht Club de Monaco and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.
There was no let-up for the crews during this Palermo-Montecarlo race. The first few hours played out in light winds with transitions that were difficult to anticipate. On rounding Capo Gallo, the leaders opted to go west before heading up to Sardinia. Black Jack 100 was already in the lead with Marta07 hot on their heels. The Maxi 100 gradually pulled clear from this rival to cross the finish line off Monaco on Thursday 20 August after 47 hours 27 minutes and 2 seconds of racing. It was the fourth consecutive line-honours victory for the Maxi 100 which had set the record in 2025 of 38 hours 53 minutes and 13 seconds and therefore remains unbeaten.
Furio Benussi’s Maxi Marta07 was 2nd in real time, sailing under the flags of both Yacht Club de Monaco and Circolo della Vela Sicilia with YCM member Guido Miani on board. Bernard Arkas’s Arkas Sailing Team Blue Moon completed this podium, ahead of Nice-Fiamme Gialle. The weather then stopped play for the rest of the fleet. With conditions forecast for Friday 21 August of winds potentially topping 60-80 knots between the Strait of Bonifacio and Monaco, organisers temporarily suspended the race so boats still in the race could seek shelter before resuming their route to the Principality.
While the line honours victory of Black Jack 100 was announced immediately, the winner on corrected time was not determined until the last boats had crossed the finish line. Arkas Sailing Team Blue Moon triumphed in the overall ORC standings to claim the Angelo Randazzo Challenge Trophy.
For Black Jack 100 it was an extra special occasion for Giulio Guaterri, a young sailor in YCM’s Sports section experiencing his first Palermo-Montecarlo aboard a Maxi 100. It was a 500-nautical-mile immersion alongside a crew accustomed to major offshore races, his participation reflecting YCM’s commitment to giving young sailors an opportunity to sail with seasoned sailors. Shooting Star, the Bavaria 44 owned by YCM member Eugène Van Koppen, also competed in the event.
On Sunday evening, crews and organisers gathered at the Yacht Club de Monaco for the prize-giving ceremony that traditionally marks the end of the Palermo-Montecarlo. The ceremony was attended by Agostino Randazzo, President of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia; Bernard d’Alessandri, YCM Director and General Secretary; H.E. Ms. Manuela Ruosi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Italian Republic to the Principality of Monaco; Roberto Lagalla, Mayor of Palermo; Alessandro De Rosa, General Manager of Firriato; and Ninni Majolino, Sports Director at the Circolo della Vela Sicilia. The ceremony also marks the finale of an annual event established in 2005 that counts towards the Italian Offshore Racing Championship (organised by the Federazione Italiana Vela) and serves as the final leg of the International Maxi Association’s Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge.
The Palermo-Montecarlo also played out on land. Over 7,000 players registered for the digital version on Virtual Regatta where they faced the same weather conditions and tactical choices as the crews at sea, with Coyote 53-ESF emerging victorious.
Podiums for the two ORC groups
ORC 1
1) Arkas Sailing Team Blue Moon (TP52)
2) Viva Malta (Cookson 50)
3) Alemaro (Neo 430 Roma)
ORC 2
1) Sur (First 36,7)
2) South Kensington Lauria (First 35)
3) Bora Fast (Sun Fast 3600)
IRC – Corrected time
Maxi – Corrected time
1) Nice-Fiamme Gialle (ILC Maxi 79)
2) Sea Quill (Swan 60 CR)
3) Black Jack 100 (Maxi 100)
Double corrected time
1) Melagodo (First 34.7)
Emanuele Bruno Trophy – first Sicilian boat in real time
Quattrogatti – Comet 45
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