The starting gun fired at midday on Tuesday for the 20th edition of the Palermo-Montecarlo yacht race. Leading the charge is Monaco’s own Black Jack 100, the 100-foot Maxi looking to better its own course record.
Owner Remon Vos and skipper Tristan Le Brun have their sights set on beating last year’s winning time of 44 hours, 34 minutes and 14 seconds. With favourable conditions forecast – easterly winds at the start building to 20+ knot gusts off Corsica – the record could be under threat.
The race has come a long way since its 2005 debut. What started as a connection between Sicily and Monaco has grown into one of the Mediterranean’s must-do offshore events, attracting boats from seven countries for this edition.
“More than a regatta, it embodies the deep ties between Monaco and Sicily, fostered by the friendship between our clubs,” said Bernard d’Alessandri, Secretary General of the Yacht Club de Monaco.
The 500-nautical-mile course takes the fleet past one of the Mediterranean’s most challenging waters.
Monaco boats in the mix
Black Jack 100, won’t be flying the Monaco flag alone. Four other YCM boats are in the mix: Shooting Star, Gorilla Gang XL, K’Mena, and Joy – the latter carrying four young sailors from the club’s Sports Section on their first major offshore adventure.
The Maxi faces stiff competition though. Mini Maxi Intuition and ex-Volvo Ocean Race boat Sisi are both serious contenders, along with TP52 Blue Moon Arkas and Swan 56 Azahar.
Italian entries include the foiling catamaran Falcon, skippered by Francesco Ceriana for owner Matteo Uliassi. Other Italian participants include Black Pekoe III, Tengher, Manticore, Superkalimera, and Duffy.
Local Palermo clubs are also represented by Starfly, Felix III and I Am Bad.
Since Steinlager III’s inaugural victory in 2005, the regatta has attracted sailing’s biggest names including Mauro Pelaschier, Jochen Schümann, Francesco Bruni, Philippe Monnet and four-time America’s Cup winner Brad Butterworth.
To celebrate the 20th edition, organisers have launched the race on the Virtual Regatta platform. Over 2,700 people are racing online through Virtual Regatta, with prizes for the top finishers and a special competition between the Monaco and Sicily clubs.
The Palermo-Montecarlo counts towards several international circuits, including the Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge, the Italian Offshore Championship, the Mediterranean Offshore Trophy, the Owner of the Year Trophy, the IRC Mediterranean Inshore & Offshore Championship and Trophy, and the Mediterranean Class40 Trophy
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Main photo credit of Black Jack 100: Circolo Della Vela Sicilia | Studio Borlenghi