Remon Vos’s maxi yacht ‘Black Jack 100’ crossed the finish line in Monaco early Thursday morning to win the Palermo-Montecarlo race for the fourth consecutive year, beating a changing weather track that ultimately forced organisers to halt the rest of the fleet.
Even though ‘Black Jack 100’ extended its winning streak in the 500-mile race, this year’s event will be remembered for the severe weather hitting the rest of the fleet. With dangerous gale-force winds on the way, race organisers took the rare step of suspending the race for the remaining boats.
Navigating the light airs
Skippered by Tristan Le Brun, ‘Black Jack 100’ completed the rigorous course from the Gulf of Mondello, Sicily, in 47 hours, 27 minutes, and 2 seconds. While light, fickle breezes averaging just eight knots kept the crew well off the blistering course record of 38 hours they set last year, tactical mastery in the early miles proved decisive.
Departing Sicily on Tuesday afternoon, the 39-boat fleet faced an immediate chess match near Capo Gallo. “There were a lot of transitions,” Le Brun said of the shifting, conflicting winds. “It’s not easy to find the right strategy when the wind keeps switching and coming from almost opposite directions.”
The turning point came after clearing the Strait of Bonifacio. As a steadier south-to-southwest airflow filled in, the maxi stretched its legs, pulling over 100 nautical miles clear of its closest rival, Furio Benussi’s ‘Marta07’, by Thursday morning.
A dramatic turn in the open sea
While the frontrunners secured a safe arrival in the Principality, the wider fleet’s journey home hit a severe roadblock.
Meteorological forecasts predicted a violent low-pressure front sweeping between the Strait of Bonifacio and Monaco, bringing very strong winds of 60 to 80 knots. Faced with extreme safety risks, race officials took the decisive step to officially suspend the race, instructing trailing crews to seek immediate shelter.
To preserve the integrity of the competition for the prestigious ‘Angelo Randazzo Challenge Trophy’, organisers confirmed that any time spent sheltering by competing yachts will be deducted when calculating the final overall corrected-time rankings once the storm passes.
Meanwhile, the race also plays out online. Nearly 7,000 players are competing in Virtual Regatta, facing the same weather challenges and tactical choices as the fleet at sea.
For ‘Black Jack 100’, the victory extends a four-year winning streak in a race spanning over two decades—proving that even the Mediterranean’s top yacht remains at the mercy of the sea.
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‘Black Jack 100’ during Palermo-Montecarlo race. Photo credit: Circolo della vela Sicilia – Studio Borlenghi