The Yacht Club de Monaco plays host to one of the Mediterranean’s most anticipated one design regattas this week, as the 42nd Primo Cup-UBS Trophy gets underway from 5th to 8th March.
Organised in partnership with UBS, with support from Monaco City Hall and North Sails, the event will see more than 350 sailors compete across four classes — the J/70, Smeralda 888, Longtze Premier and Cape 31 — in what marks the first major one design meeting of the Mediterranean season. For the J/70 fleet, the stakes are higher still: this is the fourth and final Act of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series, making it a decisive moment in the Monegasque championship.
First launched in 1985 by Prince Albert II, the Primo Cup has long since established itself as a fixture on the international sailing calendar. “We welcome teams from all over the world who relish the opportunity to test their skills in demanding conditions,” said Bernard d’Alessandri, YCM Director and General Secretary. “Monaco offers a technically complex setting and a sporting intensity that pushes everyone to raise their game.”
Among the notable names competing this year is American sailor Dawn Riley — the first woman to head a team in the America’s Cup, in which she has competed three times, and a two-time Whitbread Round the World Race veteran.
J/70: A Monegasque Championship Decider
With three Acts of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series already completed, the J/70 fleet arrives in Monaco with the overall title very much up for grabs. The J/70 Monaco Class Association fields 15 teams, one of the largest fleets in the Mediterranean. Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio aboard G-Spot leads the provisional standings, ahead of Act III winner Pierrik Devic of Fraser Yachts and Nico Poons sailing Charisma V. One final Act remains to settle the podium.
Cape 31: Power and Spectacle on the Bay
Making their third appearance at the Primo Cup, the Cape 31s are among the most physically demanding and visually arresting boats in the fleet. Acceleration under asymmetrical spinnaker is critical, making tactical positioning as important as raw speed. Close, committed racing between evenly matched crews is guaranteed.
Longtze Premier: Accessible Racing with Broad Appeal
Responsive from as little as five knots and capable of planing in a breeze of ten to twelve knots, the Longtze Premier is a familiar and popular presence at the Primo Cup. Straightforward to helm and exciting to watch, these boats offer some of the most accessible racing of the regatta and draw steady crowds to Monaco’s main harbour wall.
Smeralda 888: A Fleet on the Rise
For the Smeralda 888 class, Monaco traditionally serves as the season opener, and the tone set here tends to carry through the rest of the circuit. Presided over by YCM member Charles de Bourbon des Deux-Siciles, the fleet is both competitive and growing, with the level of racing rising year on year.
Racing begins on Thursday 5 March with a 14:30 warning signal for the warm-up race. From Friday through Sunday, the first warning signal moves to 12:00 on Friday and 11:00 for the final two days, with a last possible warning signal of 15:00 throughout.
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