Outright victory for Charlie Dalin
This morning at 08:24 Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) crossed the finish line of the 10th Vendée Globe to set a new record of 64 days 19 hours 22 minutes and 49 seconds, smashing by nine days the previous record held by Armel Le Cléac’h since 2016 (74 days 3 hours). As leader since 30th December and the contestant who spent the longest time at the head of the race (42 days), Charlie Dalin put in a near-perfect performance to win this legendary solo, non-stop round the world race without assistance.
Oren Nataf from YCM on the start
On Sunday 12 January 2025, sails will be set to fly on the start of the 11th RORC Transatlantic Race, a 3,000 nautical mile race from the Lanzarote Marina in the Canaries to the Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada in the Caribbean.
Front forecast
This morning Yacht Club de Monaco member Boris Herrmann, skipper on Malizia – Seaexplorer, is currently lying 9th facing difficult conditions. As he heads towards a massive weather front he expects a challenging day, with strong winds, rough seas and an area full of fishing boats.
A seventh Cape Horn for Boris Herrmann
This morning, Boris Herrmann on Malizia-Seaexplorer reached a symbolic stage on the Vendée Globe. After 48 days at sea and several gruelling weeks edging round the Antarctic, Boris rounded Cape Horn and entered the Atlantic leaving the Vendée Globe’s three great capes behind him.
Boris Herrmann passes Point Nemo the most isolated spot in the ocean
This Monday morning, Boris Herrmann, skipper on Malizia – Seaexplorer and Yacht Club de Monaco member reached another milestone in his second Vendée Globe. Currently lying 7th in the race, he passed the Point Nemo longitude in the middle of the South Pacific. Nicknamed the “Maritime Pole of Inaccessibility”, this mythical spot is the furthest in the world from any land. Boris celebrated passing it at 06:43 UTC after 42 days 18 hours and 36 minutes of racing.
Big win for Jérémy Moutout in ILCA 7
The 2024 EurILCA Europa Cup Malta concluded Sunday 22nd December after four intense days of racing organised by the Malta Young Sailors Club. The penultimate event of the season attracted 79 sailors from 18 countries competing in the ILCA 4, ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 categories.
In contact with the best
From 5-15 December, Argentina’s Mar de Plata hosted the 70th Optimist World Championship. With 227 contestants representing 52 countries it proved yet again Optimists popularity as a dinghy that acts as a springboard to sporting excellence in sailing.
Argentina and the Optimist class: a long-standing relationship
It is not the first time Argentina has hosted the World Optimist Championship. First Mar del Plata hosted it in 1992 and then Buenos Aires in 2014. Given its rich maritime history and difficult courses, Mar del Plata is an ideal venue to test the skills of budding young sailors.
A hard-fought intense championship
During six days of racing, contestants completed 11 races in demanding conditions. A stiff 25-knot breeze on the first day with waves up to 3m high and strong current put participants to the test. On day two a light 4 to 8 knot breeze but very strong current required technical precision, while day three an 8-13 knot wind combined with a rough sea and constant chop made tactical decisions critical to success. The last three days continued to pose major challenges. Facundo Rubinelli from Yacht Club de Monaco improved with every race, showing remarkable progress throughout the event, notably securing a 3rd place on the penultimate day. He finished 206th in an extremely competitive fleet, gaining valuable experience against seasoned opponents.
Optimist: a springboard for the sailing elite
For kids starting out in sailing, the Optimist dinghy remains the world’s number one beginner’s boat and essential step in the career of any sailor. Results from the recent Paris Olympics 2024 confirm its reputation as a training class, with all gold medals being won by sailors who started their careers on Optimists and competed internationally. Fifteen of the 18 medallists had also competed in the Optimist class on the international stage. To top it all, seven of the Paris Olympic medal winners had competed in the 2008 Optimist World Championship, poof of its lasting impact when it comes to training champions.
Cape Leeuwin ahoy!
The Vendée Globe is legendary as it requires all competitors to round three famous, if not infamous, capes. Today, Yacht Club de Monaco’s Boris Herrmann is passing Cape Leeuwin, another key stage in his adventure aboard Malizia-Seaexplorer. The passage is a turning point in the race and attention will focus on the skipper’s performance.
Young sailors on the ascendance
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.
G-Spot dominates with aplomb
Sunday 8th December 2024. Act II of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series produced a lovely weekend of racing in Monaco bay. Variable conditions saw the 30 teams of J/70s from seven nations having to combine strategy, precision and flexibility to stay in the game, but one thing is for certain they were set on widening the gap in the rankings.