Smeralda 888 International Championship finale

20-22 October 2023

 

Tense tight finish on the cards 

Wednesday 18th October 2023. A long history binds Yacht Club de Monaco to the Smeralda 888 class launched in 1997 at the instigation of YCM member Adalberto Miani and current Class President Charles de Bourbon des Deux-Siciles. Every year the teams meet for the Smeralda 888 International Championship with the grand finale held in Monaco. This one design has established a dream circuit of international regattas in the Mediterranean taking in venues as prestigious as Saint-Tropez, Porto Cervo, Cannes, Monaco and new this year Barcelona in Spain.

Whose turn will it be?

Sailing enthusiasts will have another chance to admire the rare replicas of this splendid boat designed by German Frers in the early nineties. With a length of 8.88m (hence the name), it requires a crew of three and the owner must be at the helm. The Championship was launched in 2007 and attracts an average of around 15 teams per season, including many Yacht Club de Monaco members.

Starting in February with the Primo Cup-Trophée UBS, the Smeralda 888 Championship reaches its climax for the 2023 season this weekend. With 13 teams in competition and given the clutch of serious contenders at the top of the leaderboard the meeting looks set to be particularly exciting. Just one point separates 2022 title holder Charles de Bourbon des Deux Siciles (Vamos mi Amor) and Achille Onorato with his crew on Canard à l’Orange. Although with a comfortable lead they’ll be keeping a close eye on those lower down in particular the very competitive Vincenzo Onorato (Mascalzone Latino), Francesco Vauban sailing with Roberto Tamburelli (Botta Dritta) and Timofey Sukhotin (Beda).

Skills exchange

Again this year, a fleet of J/70s will join the Smeralda 888s on the water in their own regatta for a dozen teams of young sailors from the YCM’s Sports Section and the Société Nautique de Genève, an America’s Cup challenger Club. In fact, to maintain their status as a yacht club and therefore of Challenger, the Société Nautique de Genève must organise a regatta on the sea once a year involving several classes. This initiative reflects the twinning agreement between Yacht Club de Monaco and the Société Nautique de Genève.

Rendezvous Friday 20th October from 1.00pm for the first warning signal.