Three Yacht Club de Monaco members on start of 19th Palermo-Montecarlo

 The 19th Palermo-Montecarlo, an offshore race organised by Circolo della Vela Sicilia in collaboration with Yacht Club de Monaco and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, had a spectacular start in challenging weather conditions. Dark clouds and clear skies chased each other across the hills of the Caribbean-like backdrop of the Gulf of Mondello. At sea, conditions were also ideal with a brisk westerly topping 18 knots and waves.

 

 

Into the thick of it

Around 50 boats were on the start including few Class40s competing for the second year in a row. Before heading out to sea on the 500 nautical mile course contestants had to pass the infamous Cap Gallo north of Palermo, an unstable zone where changeable difficult to predict winds alternate with sudden gusts and periods of calm.

There was no respite for sailors who after a demanding start were head-long into the race. Barely had they crossed the line when technical options were seen to be taken. Among the Maxis, Balthasar and Lucky opted to keep all sails up while event favourite Black Jack 100 skippered by Tristan Le Brun from Yacht Club de Monaco chose to reef the mainsail. Formerly known as Esimit Europa 2, this Reichel-Pugh has won almost everything since her launch, including setting the Palermo-Montecarlo record in 2015 of 47 hours 46 minutes 48 seconds. It was only once they were off Capo Gallo that they found a more stable west-north-west 15-16 knot wind forcing the fleet to sail a long close-hauled tack towards the Porto Cervo gate.

Predictions emerging

By the afternoon, the American Bryon Ehrhart’s Lucky was in the lead, with Black Jack 100 and Balthasar neck and neck just behind him. A few hours after the start, the three Maxis had broken away from the rest of the fleet which remains intact and includes a dozen French teams like Yves Grosjean’s Afazik Impulse, Bernard Giroux’s Team 42, Gilles Caminade’s Chenapan 4 and Moogli, the only all-female team in the race led by Caroline Petit.

A critical tactical choice very quickly had to be made, whether to stay in the centre of the Tyrrhenian Sea or head to Sardinia to pick up the coastal breezes. Among participants are two other Monegasque teams, the Comet 45s Gorilla Gang XL of Andrea Statari and Paul Basson’s Swan46 Foreign Affair.

Sunday 25th August sees the prize-giving ceremony held as is tradition at the Yacht Club de Monaco. The Angelo Randazzo Trophy rewards the winner in corrected time while the Giuseppe Tasca D’Almerita goes to the first to cross the line in real time.

 

 

To follow the race: https://cf.yb.tl/pm2024
Registration list: https://www.palermo-montecarlo.it/iscritti/?y=2024