The final stage of the Cape 31 Mediterranean circuit has delivered its verdict, with four Monaco teams making it into the Top 10 of this final event. With three different winners in the first three races, the contest proved a real test of nerves. Vittorio Lombardi Stronati (Django), Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio (G-Spot), Loïc Pompée (Terrible Joy) and Adrien Follin (Give me Five), all Yacht Club de Monaco members, each had their turn in the spotlight.
It took eight races for the final winner to separate the teams, some of whom were quick to make their mark. Among them Adrien Follin’s Give Me Five and G-Spot, skippered by YCM’s Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio, both showed impressive speed.
Adrien Follin won the first race on Friday and finished 3rd in the next, before the crew discovered that the forestay had seriously damaged the mast which brought their regatta to a premature end. Give Me Five ultimately finished 10th.
In the Monegasque contingent, Terrible Joy helmed by Loïc Pompée kept up the momentum. A seasoned circuit regular, this YCM member was high up the ranking in 9th place just behind G-Spot in 8th.
But it was Vittorio Lombardi Stronati and his crew on Django who, having finished in the top six in five races, led the Monegasque fleet to 5th in the overall ranking.
With 20 crews competing, challenging conditions and a race venue renowned for hosting top-flight regattas, the fifth stage of the Cape 31 Mediterranean Series 2026 promised to be a fiercely contested event on paper and at sea.
The opening day laid the groundwork for what looked set to be another legendary event, with three races and three different winners serving as an ideal warmup for the kick-off in a westerly flow and flat sea.
On the second day of racing, the waters off Hyères presented the pole opposite, with a strong easterly wind and choppy sea setting the scene for some of the season’s most demanding conditions. Contestants completed three races in challenging conditions. The sea state put boats and crews to the ultimate test resulting in botched starts, losses of control and equipment failures. In this context, consistency was difficult to maintain, with only the teams that managed to keep their cool being rewarded.
After Friday’s strong easterly and rough seas, conditions changed yet again on the final as the wind eased. The Race Committee started two races bringing the regatta total to eight. Four Monaco teams made it into the Top 10 of this final leg of a five-stage Mediterranean circuit. All eyes now turn to Saint-Tropez and the Cape 31 Gold Cup.
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