Young guard at the rendezvous
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez
Saint-Tropez celebrated the 25th anniversary of the legendary “Les Voiles”. Ideal conditions greeted the 250 boats competing in a week of spectacular racing organised by the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez. Among this fleet of legends of the sea the young team from Yacht Club de Monaco attracted attention on Loïc Pompée’s Le Joy, the personification of a youth revival in sailing.
Anne Schouten triumph
Lorna Whittlesey Ladies Regatta
Anne Schouten is a lady who is very involved with the Pink Wave group of some 50 women from Yacht Club de Monaco who share their passion for sailing and racing on YCM’s gaff cutter Tuiga. Anne is a regular on the scene racing on J/70s as well as Tuiga.
This weekend she was on the other side of the Atlantic in Connecticut flying the YCM flag at the Lorna Whittlesey Ladies Regatta, an all-female event on IDEAL18 sailboats, organised by the Indian Harbor Yacht Club.
With 10-12 knots of wind and favourable conditions on the water, Anne sailing with an American crew mate from the Annapolis Yacht Club dominated the competition to win the trophy. “It was a fabulous experience. I’m really happy to have been competing and especially having won it”. The regatta mirrors the Woman Leading Sailing Trophy organised by Yacht Club de Monaco.
Promising start
Optimist – Opti d’Or – Saint Raphaël
A fleet of Optimists took over the venue for the Opti d’Or, a league regatta organised by Club Nautique de Saint Raphaël. Four races for the Minimes (older group) and three for the younger Benjamin category were completed in ideal conditions with a light 6 to 12 knot breeze on a flat sea.
This first league event was full of promise for the upcoming season, if the results achieved by the Monegasque delegation are anything to go by. With 65 Optimists in the Minimes fleet, YCM’s young sailors did not disappoint with Océane Schroeder coming 23rd just ahead of Frederik Holst, 25th, with Joséphine Dobbelaere 47th. In the Benjamins, the ambition is there as reflected in the rankings and superb 5th place clinched by Louis Faivre while Victor Holst came 9th ahead of Sacha Mousny 14th, Julian Lampert 15th, Anastasyia Verpeka Dolling 16th and 1st in the girls. Mona Benchekroun and Victor Marquet finished 19th and 21st respectively.
End of season for TP52
TP52 – Valencia 52 Super Series Royal Cup
At the 52 SUPER SERIES finale in Valencia, Alegre led by Yacht Club de Monaco member Andres Soriano really stood her ground in the 13-strong fleet of international entrants. Despite tough competition, Alegre produced a good result in coming 9th in the final overall ranking, enough to put this team in 5th place for the season after five regattas and 41 races.
Results galore
Régates Royales de Cannes
The 46th Régates Royales ended Saturday after an intense week of demanding conditions. Crews had their patience tested the first day as strong winds kept them all ashore, but Wednesday turned up trumps with an exceptional day for sailing. Three races on the course were completed without any problems on the starts. Gloomy skies and no wind saw another race day cancelled, but the remaining ones more than compensated with the 12 categories able to make up for lost time and for some climb the rankings.
Among event favourites was a significant fleet from Monaco determined to get top billing.
Argynne III did just that winning the Classic Yacht Cruiser, while Kostia Belkin on Viola did YCM proud with 2nd in the Vintage Gaff. In the Big Boat class, the crew on Yacht Club de Monaco’s flagship Tuiga also clinched a podium by coming 3rd as did Angelo Mazzarella on Carron III in the Vintage Marconi. In the Classic Race, Massimiliano Ferruzzi’s Il Moro di Venezia finished 5th.
Highland Fling 18 wins Multihull Cup 2024 after nail-biting final
Multihull Cup – Mallorca
The Multihull Cup 2024 ended in spectacular fashion in Mallorca with victory secured by a whisker with 20 seconds separating the top two in the final ranking.
In the last 24-nautical mile inshore race, it was touch and go as to who would win between Yacht Club de Monaco member Lord Laidlaw’s Highland Fling 18 and Adrian Keller’s Allegra.
In testing conditions off the south-west coast of Mallorca, Highland Fling 18 managed to pull away and finish 13 minutes ahead of Allegra. But the wait for the verdict in corrected time kept everyone on tenterhooks until the announced that Highland Fling 18 had indeed won by 20 seconds after two and a half hours of racing.
Added to the win of a previous race, the result meant Highland Fling 18 won the event.
Training continues with the best
With the fast approaching Optimist European Team Racing Championship, organised for the first time by Yacht Club de Monaco 15-20 October 2024, the Optimist team from the Sports Section continue to fine tune skills with the best. After a regatta in Geneva mid-September, Ludovica Bonelli, Océane Schroeder, Pietro Carlevaris and Facundo Rubinelli were in Barcelona for a team match regatta where they finished 7th.
YCM at the rendezvous
The J/70 World Championship this year was organised by the Real Club Náutico de Palma and the J/70 International Association, bringing together 25 nationalities. The 98 teams competed in eight out of the ten races scheduled in winds that varied in both direction and strength. Every boat had to carry an electronic device which, via GPS, transmits the exact position of the boat as it crosses the start line and signals within a second contestants who are over the line. Douglas Newhouse and Jeremy Wilmot’s boat Yonder grabbed the lead on the first day by winning the first race and held on to it throughout the competition.
YCM on great form
Rolex Swan Cup – Porto Cervo
Variable weather conditions and stiff competition ensured another busy schedule at the Rolex Swan Cup 2024 held 17-23 September in Porto Cervo, Sardinia. With 101 boats on the start, teams competed on inshore courses ranging from 15 to 24 nautical miles resulting in some thrilling tactical battles.
In the B S&S Racing Division, Yacht Club de Monaco members came out on top, with Vincenzo Onorato on Mascalzone Latino winning the event hands down after three wins out of three races. Martin Baum on his Swan 48 Elan came 2nd. IN the Swan50 category, Graeme Peterson dominated aboard his Moonlight to clinch the top spot, with Leonardo Ferragamo on Cuordileone coming in 8th in the final overall ranking.
Warm up before the Europeans
Sailors from Yacht Club de Monaco’s Sports Section were competing yet again this time in a series of Optimist Team Race events. Before the elite match racing teams meet in Monaco for the Optimist European Team Racing Championship, YCM sailors demonstrated again their mastery of team race rules and a tremendous team spirit.