2nd place for Realteam Sailing
First stage of the season and first podium finish for Esteban Garcia’s Realteam Sailing from Yacht Club de Monaco after the TF35s battled it out on Lake Geneva at the TF35 Nyon Cup. They kept up the pace as evidenced by nine races over three days. Realteam Sailing took advantage of moderate conditions to stay in the top ranking, missing out on a win by two small points to Sail of Change 8. The fleet will be at Club Nautique de Versoix 7-9 June for the TF35 Mies.
10th place for G-Spot
Eleven races were launched at the J/70 European Championship for the 20 nations and 90 teams competing including six from Yacht Club de Monaco. The final rankings remained open to the end, with the Argentario race area favouring the American Joel Ronning and his crew on Catapult, ahead of Brazilians on Ocean Pact by six points, while their compatriots on Good To Go took bronze.
5th place for Peter Harrison
Twenty-five Maxi yachts and 400+ sailors among the best in the world enjoyed four days of inshore races and an offshore race at the IMA Maxi European Championship, organised by Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia in collaboration with the International Maxi Association. This year the Gulf of Naples produced a variety of conditions for participants who’d come from all over the world. Yacht Club de Monaco’s Peter Harrison pulled off a superb 5th place on Jolt, while Benoît de Froidmont, also from YCM, with Wallyno came 8th after six races. The IMA Maxi European Championship will return to Naples-Sorrento next year 16-22 May 2025.
Sports Section out in force
A dozen young sailors from the Yacht Club de Monaco competed at the Interleague SIL Regatta, divided into the younger Benjamin category and older Minime. Three days of competition saw four and five races completed in Antibes Bay in conditions oscillating between 0 and 7 knots with a swell, putting the skills and resilience of the youngsters to the test. In Minime out of 72 contestants, Victor Holst came 23rd ahead of Louis Faivre 30th, Jules Huon 43rd, Mona Benchekroun 47th, Anastasyia Verpeka 51st, Victor Marquet 59th, Sacha Mousny 61st, Julian Lampert 62nd, Joséphine Dobbelaere 71st and Louis Pompée 72nd. In the Benjamins, out of 103 entrants, Frederik Holst finished 47th while Roman Lampert and Facundo Rubinelli came 76th and 103rd respectively. It was an invaluable experience as it was an opportunity to improve skills in demanding marginal conditions.
5th place for Rayon Vert
The 13th Armen Race was held 9-12 May at La Trinité-sur-Mer attracting 152 boats. Among them was Oren Nataf, representing Yacht Club de Monaco on Rayon Vert which came 5th in the Multi 2000 category. This major offshore race is a great opportunity to compete against other amateurs and pros with a choice of two courses. The first is 350 nautical miles involving two nights at sea and really puts sailors to the test, while the shorter La Nuit de l’ArMen Uship is 131 nautical miles in a return trip round Glénan.
Artemis Racing pulls off first win in eight years
Artemis Racing, helmed by Torbjörn Törnqvist from Yacht Club de Monaco proved he is well and truly back in the running as they won five of the nine races completed at the 44Cup Baiona. This second stage on the circuit attracted nine boats. “I am absolutely delighted,” said a beaming Torbjörn Törnqvist. “I think it was the perfect regatta for us. Everything seemed to work well from trimming the boat to crew coordination. Our confidence is increasing as we progress. We have also made some beneficial changes to the team particularly with Hamish Pepper as tactician”. Artemis Racing had not won a regatta since 2016. The crew on Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika also from the YCM came 2nd to retain their position as provisional overall leader of the season. Two-time world champion of the class, Nico Poons (Charisma), finished 7th. The class meets again in a few weeks’ time at the 44Cup Marstrand in Sweden, 19-23 June.
A podium to kick off the season
The 2024 season promises to be thrilling for the TP52s and their crews, who are determined to keep audiences on the edge of their seats while defying all predictions. In this class, where the level of competition is so evenly matched, victories are even more rewarding and significant. Crews compete with experience and talent, striving for supremacy.
Among the contenders, Alegre, led by Andres Soriano of the Yacht Club de Monaco, is a well-known contender in this class. In an unusual turn of events, the seasoned sailor demonstrated all his potential during the races, finishing in 2nd place. Federico Michetti, also from the Yacht Club de Monaco, secured 1st place aboard Quantum Racing American Magic.
The 52-foot boats will head across the Atlantic to Newport starting June 10 for the season’s second event.
YCM top the leaderboard
A major event, this regatta brought together the best in ILCA class sailors from southern France as well as many Europeans. A technically challenging race area, Saint-Raphaël is popular and lived up to expectations with five races completed.
Italian J/70 season gets underway with the Cala Galera -Italia Cup
The first stage of the Italia Cup got off to a fine start with the Cala Galera regatta that saw 49 teams in the J/70 class line up on the start including four from Yacht Club de Monaco. It was a good opportunity to shake down with five races completed. Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio (G Spot) came 16th while Pierrik Devic (Raph Seven Yacht), Stefano Roberti (Piccinina) and Lorenzo Bortolloti (Black Swan) finished 24th, 25th and 29th. The Italia Cup continues with the second event scheduled 28-23 June in Riva del Garda.
Successful event for the Monegasques
The event is well known to all young racers and each year brings together more than 300 sailors aged between 10 and 14, from all over France and a large part of Europe. The aim? To battle it out in the hope of qualifying for the European and World Championships. The Monegasques were out in force with a delegation of around ten racers from the Section Sportive du Yacht Club de Monaco. And the racers were well served by the weather conditions, with 6 to 25 knots, chop, swell and current.
In the Minimes class, there were 128 competitors. In this category, the young sailors from the Y.C.M. were outstanding, evading the pitfalls of the Rochelais waters, like Océane Schroeder who finished 14ᵉ and 1ᵉ girl, while Alexandra Santelli finished 21ᵉ and 3ᵉ girl. Roman Lampert finishes 51ᵉ ahead of Frederik Holst 67ᵉ, who also takes 3rd place in the silver round. Facundo Rubinelli takes 76ᵉ place.
In the benjamins, Joséphine Dobbelaere finished in a very fine 30ᵉ position out of 97 runners. Pietro Carlevaris finished 32nd, while Victor Holst, Louis Pompee, Louis Faivre, Jules Huon and Anastasyia Verpeka Dolling placed 50ᵉ, 59ᵉ, 71ᵉ, 81ᵉ and 95ᵉ.