The season that started in Monaco ended here with Marco Favale on top. At the helm of his Millenium Falcon, the Swiss sailor won the 2026 Smeralda 888 International Championship after six events held between Monaco, Alassio, Saint-Tropez and Porto Cervo. This final stage organised by Yacht Club de Monaco in partnership with North Sails also determines the final rankings. Charles de Bourbon des Deux Siciles (Vamos Mi Amor), Class President and YCM member, finished 2nd ahead of Nicolo Saidelli (Bloody Mathilde) in 3rd place.
In winning six of the eight races, Nicolo Saidelli and his crew proved they had mastered the Monaco race area from the start of this final event when they won the first two races. A 6th place in the third race was quickly followed by another victory then a 2nd place. But although Bloody Mathilde were already well ahead, three more race wins followed. After factoring in the discard, the Italian team finished on eight points. Behind them, the battle was closer. YCM member Timofey Sukhotin’s V Force secured 2nd place with 26 points, ahead of Millenium Falcon on 28. Black Star and Vamos Mi Amor came 4th and 5th respectively.
While Bloody Mathilde won this Monaco stage, the overall winner of the 2026 Championship is Millenium Falcon. The Swiss skipper laid the groundwork back in March by winning the Primo Cup-UBS Trophy, ahead of Charles de Bourbon des Deux Siciles. While the Class President responded later in Alassio, where three race wins earned him the Challenge Luigi Carpaneda, the rest of the season swung in favour of Millenium Falcon. After winning in Saint-Tropez and both the Invitational and Coppa Europa events in Sardinia, Marco Favale ended the season having won four of the six stages to total seven points. Charles de Bourbon des Deux Siciles held onto 2nd place with 14 points. However, the standout performance in Monaco was Nicolo Saidelli who was lying in 6th place before he arrived in the Principality and whose convincing victory on Bloody Mathilde put them on the third step of the Championship podium with 24 points. In total, 17 teams representing nine nations are on the 2026 leaderboard.
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