Sunday 17 May 2026. YCM’s juniors made progress at the Optimist qualifying regatta in Martigues. The Monegasque teams were competing this weekend at a Ligue Sud event and were represented by seven in the Minimes (older) category and four Benjamins (younger) in a fleet that numbered several French team members competing on international circuits. Despite the challenging conditions at times, the young sailors from Yacht Club de Monaco’s Sports Section improved with every race.
The weekend started in a strong 20-25 knot Mistral, challenging conditions that made the first day very difficult. In the end, the Benjamins did not race, while only three races were validated in the Minimes. Outside the results, this first day was above all a chance for the group to get used to coping with strong winds, the goal being to finish races without penalties and learn how to manage the at times demanding conditions for their size. It was all change on the Sunday as the race venue delivered a much lighter 6 to 8 knot breeze. Two extra races were added before a significant wind shift forced the Race Committee to cancel the last race.
In the Minimes, Pietro Carlevaris achieved the best Monegasque performance with his 9th place out of 58 contestants. Two excellent races in 5th and 4th saw him make a remarkable comeback in the overall ranking. Louis Faivre came 30th ahead of Joseph Dobbelaere 33rd, Jules Huon 42nd, Anastasiya Verpeka Dolling 44th, Floyd Gory 55th and Sacha Mousny 57th.
In the Benjamins, Pierre Kruijswijk finished 12th and Loïs Bernaz 18th in a fleet of 36 boats. The weekend was also the first experience of a trip away from home and a regatta for Alix Morin and Sophia Aellig. For these two young sailors it was an opportunity to see what’s involved and how a competition at this level operates.
A few Black Flag Disqualifications penalised some results, but the coaches were impressed with the general attitude of this new generation of sailors. In these very competitive fleets, learning to be committed with their starts and accepting the need to push the limits are all part of the improvement process. In Martigues, YCM’s young sailors are making progress in the regatta format with a team that is still young but which continues to find their bearings.
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