Monaco Optimist Academy

24-26 November 2023

Real-time learning

Sunday 26th November 2023. The young generation were out in force at the 5th Monaco Optimist Academy. Enshrined in the Yacht Club de Monaco’s proactive sports policy and collective ‘Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting’ approach, this year’s event gathered 82 contestants from 16 clubs.

“This regatta is a big event and demonstrates YCM’s capacity to always offer events that are landmarks on sailors’ calendars, regardless of their age,” says YCM General Secretary, Bernard d’Alessandri.

Superb conditions

“There’s only one way to learn and that’s by getting out there,” says Paolo Coelho. The youngest certainly put on a great show at the foot of the Rocher for this coaching regatta where instructors can intervene during races with advice. It promised to be a tough battle and lived up to expectations. A light easterly on the first day required total concentration from sailors who completed two races. The next day an idyllic 8 to 13 knot southwesterly delighted the fleet to complete four hotly contested races. Those at the top of the leaderboard confirmed their dominance on the last day adding more points to their tally.

Optimist Benjamin: victory for Antibes

Reading the race area posed no problems for the French who kept the competition at bay in the Minime and Benjamin categories. In the Benjamin group, Timeo Cuinet beat Roman Vyevyenko and Simon Enjalbert. YCM’s Pietro Carlevaris did well to clinch 7th place out of 33. “The Monegasques performed well with four in the first 15, all born in 2014,” notes their instructor Margaux Meslin, adding “they had a superb margin of improvement”.

Optimist Minime: indisputable gaps

In the 49-strong Minime group, the battle was intense from the start. Paul Masson left any doubters in his wake as he built a 17 point lead to keep Jett Marshall in 2nd followed by the Italian Ian Francisco Scialli. In the overall ranking, YCM sailors pulled off some respectable results especially Alexandre Pompée and Alexandra Santelli who ranked 11th and 15th respectively.

The French were competing to qualify for the Monaco Optimist Team Race (MOTR) organised by YCM which will bring teams of four from the best clubs and nations in the Optimist world to Monaco 10-14 January 2024. First in the clubs rankings, Club Nautique de Nice has qualified and therefore returns to Monaco in a few weeks.

The sports programme continues at YCM which after Act 1 of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series is set for the 1st Navicap Cap Challenge Trophée Elena Sivoldaeva (1-3 December 2023) with able-bodied and people with disabilities competing on a level playing field at sea. That’s followed by Act 2 of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series (7-10 December) where the J/70s will be out in force. The climax of this series’ season is the 40th Primo Cup-Trophée UBS (7-10 March 2024), a major event for one design teams who choose the Principality as a winter base to prepare for the upcoming season.