After the records, many arrivals in Monte Carlo: Waiting for the overall winner
by Palermo-Montecarlo 24 Aug 06:35 NZST
20-25 August 2024
Key nights, days and hours for the 19th Palermo-Monte Carlo, the offshore sailing regatta organized by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, whose pennant stands out at this very moment on the hull of Luna Rossa in the America's Cup, with the collaboration of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the Yacht Club de Monaco.
After Line Honours and record for Black Jack 100, and the second place for Lucky, also under the old record, on Thursday evening the maxi 72 Balthasar owned by Louis Balcaen, with on board among others the ocean navigator Bouwe Bekking, completing 542 miles in about 56 hours and was the third hull crossed the finish line. As already happened for the other arrivals, Balthasar was also welcomed on the docks of the Yacht Club de Monaco by the staff of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, on board with the classic bottle of Brut Tasca D'Almerita and on land they found the usual buffet.
The third day of the race, Friday 23 August, started early, with three close arrivals in the early morning: in half an hour the VO70 Sisi (former Team Genoa in the last Ocean Race), the Botin 56 Black Pearl, and the TP52 Red Bandit crossed the finish line, all around 68 hours of racing. These crews were also welcomed with bottles and applause, as in the tradition of Palermo-Montecarlo.
Be Wild Provisional Overall Leader
Decisive arrivals for the race all occurred between 15:10 and 15:48, four boats that fought for victory in corrected time since the first miles. The first of this group to cross the line in front of the entrance to the port, in light but constant wind conditions of around 5-6 knots, was Be Wild, the Swan 42 of Renzo Grottesi with a crew of loyalists including former Laser Olympic champion Michele Regolo, completing the course in 75 hours and 10 minutes, provisional first both in IRC (the largest category that awards the Angelo Randazzo Trophy) and in ORC.
Only two minutes later, Neomind, the Neo 430 of German Sasha Shroeder, arrived at the finish line, with Italians Enrico Zennaro and Manuel Polo on board, among others, eighth in real time and provisionally third in IRC and ORC. Another twenty minutes or so pass and with an unusual route, an approach from the East with respect to the arrival in front of Monte Carlo, Selene arrives, another Swan 42 armed by Circolo della Vela Sicilia. They are so low with respect to the line that to cross it they have to lower the gennaker and continue on a wide tack. But the move allows the crew of skipper Edoardo Bonanno to unexpectedly overtake Sagola Lauria, Peppe Fornich's Farr 45 that had preceded them for almost the entire race, and which crosses the finish line exactly 15 minutes later, tenth in real time. Selene is provisionally second in ORC, and singularly crosses the line at the same moments in which Luna Rossa in Barcelona is beating American Magic in the preliminary round of the America's Cup.
After these arrivals there is a parenthesis of a few hours before another evening full of arrivals in close sequence. They are expecting the Ker 40 Chenapan 4 of the French Gilles Caminade, who suffered from the strong wind in the north of Sardinia, where many passages at the gate of Porto Cervo brought winds of 25-28 knots. Then Elo II, with the young people of the Yacht Club Italiano coordinated by the experience of Pietro D'Alì. And to follow, not necessarily in this order because they are very close and the wind makes strange turns: Afazik Impulse, ex Neo Jivaro, another Neo 430 of the French Yves Grosjean, Team 42, Jacanda 3, Fantastica, Red 2 and Farraway. During the night it will be the turn of Tyrolit, the Class40 with Matteo Sericano and Luca Rosetti and another large group. We are halfway through the fleet, with 20 boats that have arrived or are about to arrive on Saturday 24, and the remaining 25 still sailing. The dock in front of the Yacht Club de Monaco is increasingly animated.
The time limit to complete the regatta expires on Sunday 25 August at 12:00. In the afternoon of the same day, the awards ceremony is scheduled to close an edition to remember of the Palermo-Montecarlo.
Track the regatta here.
See all the registrants here.