Gathered together with Yacht Club de Monaco President, HSH Prince Albert II, the YCM community celebrated the 2025 YCM Awards-UBS Trophy, an edition marked by continuity and a forward-looking vision. Every year, this winter cocktail is a privileged opportunity to welcome new members, among them James Spithill, two-time winner of the America’s Cup, and promote the paths taken that are shaping the Club’s identity.
The ceremony began with certificates being presented to four members who are celebrating 50 years of membership, a reminder that the YCM was built on allegiance and loyalty. As the Sovereign said in his opening remarks, the Club’s identity is founded on “a spirit united by the sea, passion and a desire to always go further”, which is rewarded by the YCM Awards and YCM Youth Awards. The intergenerational link set the tone for the evening by recognising the paths taken and setting out what lies ahead in the future.
The YCM Awards-UBS Trophy Special Prize was awarded to the sailor Paul Cayard, a YCM member of nearly 33 years, and his crewmate Frithjof Kleen, for their World Champion victory in the Star class. Thirty-seven years after his first big win, Paul Cayard continues to enjoy an outstanding career with other world titles, America’s Cup campaigns, and round-the-world races including the Whitbread Round the World Race 1997-1998. His presence was a reminder of what the Sovereign stressed in his speech, that success rests on “discipline, unity and tenacity”. Paul Cayard clearly demonstrates all these qualities: “I am very competitive by nature. I won my Star title when I was 28, now I’m a grandfather. To win the title today at my age was very special. It was a real battle. In the last race, we were 14th at the first mark and not leading the championship. We made up for it to finish 7th and won the title”.
The YCM Awards-UBS Trophy brought together members who left their mark on the international scene in 2025. It was an exceptionally varied season of high-level competition as evidenced by Kostia Belkin’s results on the classic yacht circuit, Oren Nataf’s victory in the RORC Transatlantic Race, Vladimir Prosikhin’s fifth World Champion title in RC44, and Joost Schuijff and Remon Vos’s results in demanding events such as the Rolex Fastnet Race and Rolex Middle Sea Race. This year, Pierre Casiraghi, YCM Vice-President, and Peter Harrison were voted YCM Sailors of the Year for their historic victory in the Admiral’s Cup. Their success is at the heart of a collective effort driving the Club’s projects towards ever more ambitious goals. “Obviously, to win it was very special. It has meant a lot to everyone who has tried to win it and those who succeeded. My thanks go to Peter for making it possible.” said Pierre Casiraghi.
Having already won the championship nine times, in the Smeralda 888 class, its Class President HRH Prince Charles de Bourbon-Siciles was awarded for his second place in the Smeralda 888 International Championship 2025. Stefano Roberti was also recognised for his victory in the J/70 Monaco Championship at the end of a hard-fought season. Both these classes will be out on the water for the 42nd Primo Cup-Trophée UBS (5-8 March 2026), renowned for many as one of the major one design events in the Mediterranean.
The YCM Youth Awards-Trophée UBS recognised Louise Debeaumont, currently competing in the Youth World Championship at Vilamoura in Portugal. From January 2026, Louise will be jetting off to Brazil for the test event before embarking on several World Cup stages.
After highlighting YCM’s international reputation, not only for sporting performance and initiatives to promote youth and inclusive sailing, but also as a driving force in yachting’s development through its SEA Index, now deployed in 20+ ports in the Mediterranean, Seychelles and the Caribbean, the Sovereign announced that Tuiga and Viola will be taking part in the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the USA Declaration of Independence. “It will be a unique and symbolic moment in the history of our flagship, reminding us that classic yachts embody a heritage and know-how that bring generations together and unite cultures”.
The YCM President concluded: “Becoming a member of the Yacht Club de Monaco is a state of mind, one of approaching the sea as a space of freedom and responsibility. We are the guardians of a legacy and the builders of a more sustainable maritime future”.
