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Yacht Class n°33 (june-july-august 2023)
In each issue, discover the latest news of all the yacht clubs around the world twinned with the Monegasque club.
CLUBE NAVAL DE CASCAIS (CNC)
Dragons on the spotlight at HM King Juan Carlos Trophy
After having been disputed in the 6M class in 2022, due to the European Championship of the class being held in Cascais, the famous HM King Juan Carlos Trophy was once again dedicated this year to the Dragons, the class in which it was most often disputed. The Trophy was established in 1995, when His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain offered Clube Naval de Cascais a trophy, in order to honour the place where he learned to sail and compete. This 28th edition, which took place mid-April, included three days of competition with a very full programme, both in sporting terms, with seven regattas held, and in social terms. On the water, the eight crews, representing five different nationalities (Germany, Australia, Belgium, Ireland and Portugal) enjoyed excellent sailing conditions throughout the competition, with clear skies and sun shining. The first two days even offered the famous “champagne” conditions, while the wind was lighter on the last day. Right from the start of the first regatta it was clear that the fight for victory would be between the Australian Yeahnah, from the Royal Forth Yacht club, skippered by Pete Cooke, with Torvar Mirsky and the Portuguese Olympic sailor Frederico Pinheiro de Melo; and the Portuguese Easy, defending the colours of the N.R.V., formed by Michael Zankel, Diogo Pereira and João Matos Rosa. In the end, the first team won by only two points. The team of CNC and Club Regatas Puerto Portals completed the podium and won the Stavros Trophy, thanks to their victory in the last race. It should be noted that this competition has received a “gold” environmental certificate, the second highest distinction of the American NGO Sailors for the Sea.
The Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy back in July
From July 7th-9th, the CNC will host one of its main international racing events: the Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy, which this year will once again bring together the usual classes of cruising yachts (ORC and NHC), the very fast and always spectacular VO65 and IMOCA 60, the SB20, very popular in Portugal, and the youngsters in Optimist. This year, two new classes will appear on the sports programme: Finn and Snipe, the latter also participating in the South European Championship on the first day of competition.
But, beyond the sports spectacle it offers, the Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy has become over the editions an unavoidable initiative on the world sailing scene, capable of spreading the name of Portugal, from where it started to the world, fly high, namely its sustainability, social and corporate aspects. During this plastic-free event, with careful waste management, note the use of The Good Bottle, the first 100% compostable and rapidly degradable bottle. During the event, an Ocean Award will also be presented.It recognizes and values excellence in the scientific community, rewarding the most innovative projects that have a positive impact on the health of the oceans.
To register, visit the club’s website.
Suspense up to the end for the Cascais SB20 Winter Series
This 2022/2023 season has been full of surprises for the CNC. Dedicated to the SB20, the winter regatta series was a very disputed circuit, both in terms of the number of entries and the quality and intensity of the competition. In total, over thirty boats from seven countries participated. With four different winners in the previous stages, everything came down to the fifth and last event, with a top three in a pocket handkerchief! The first day of competition offers three nice races to the fleet of nineteen boats, which competed in the three races, with a wind blowing from the southwest quadrant at 5 to 8 knots. The weak and unstable wind on the last day led the Race Committee to send the fleet to the Guia Regatta Course, where the three missing races were completed with winds of 15-18 knots. This stage was finally won by Solyd Properties Developers, followed by TED. Third in this round, the crew of Another Affair finally won the title of Cascais SB20 Winter Series 2022/2023 champions. Excellent second place for the debutant crew of Hotel Valverde, followed by Solyd Properties Developers.
REAL CLUB NAUTICO DE BARCELONA (RCNB)
Barcelona on the road to the J/70 Worlds 2024
This is an event for the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona. Last May, the club hosted the J/70 Copa de España for the very first time since the class arrived in the country in 2014. The competition took place from May 19th to 21st, a few days before one of the most important nautical events in the city, the Conde de Godó Sailing Trophy, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. Similar to the Yacht Club de Monaco, which selected its national crews during the Winter Series 2021/2022, this J/70 Spain Cup – Catalan Championship was a qualifying event for the next World Championship, which will be held in Palma de Mallorca (Spain) in September 2024, with a weight of 40%. Perfect to get into peak condition.
The Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona is back
From July 12th to 15th, the Barcelona club will host the 16th edition of the Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona. The expected regatta, which brings together the most beautiful boats in the Mediterranean, is part of the official calendar of the RFEV (Real Federación Española de Vela) and counts for the 13th Mare Nostrum Trophy – Spanish Cup for classic boats, and for the Puig Vela Clàssica Challenge – Royal Regattas, whose first edition will be held in 2023.
The regatta is open to vintage boats (launched on or before December 31, 1949 and built according to the criteria set out in the IMC Regulations), classic boats (launched between January 1, 1950 and December 31, 1975 and built according to the criteria set out in the IMC Regulations) and Big Boats (vintage and classic boats with a length of 23 meters or more). Modern classic boats (Leonardo Yachts, Spirits Yachts, Hoek, etc.), a new category, may participate, upon invitation of the organizing committee.
Entries must be sent by mail to the club’s address, along with a photocopy of a valid IMC measurement certificate and a photocopy of a receipt of the deposit or transfer, before July 1st, 2023.
SOCIETE NAUTIQUE DE GENEVE (SNG)
Ready for the 84th Bol d’Or Mirabaud ?
The Bol d’Or Mirabaud has been a key event in the world of sailing since 1939. This year, it will take place from June 9th to 11th, with a course that has remained unchanged since its inception: a 123 km roundtrip Geneva-Bouveret.
The 84th edition of this legendary regatta on a closed basin will be the scene of a sporting encounter between the best sailors in the world and the less seasoned ones looking for adventure and great sailing experiences on Lake Geneva. It will also be a meeting between the latest generation of hydrofoil boats and the hundreds of sailing boats and multihulls that created and still make up the history of the Bol d’Or Mirabaud. On the starting line, among the 500 or so boats, there will be Christian Wahl who will be defending his title aboard his D35, in close collaboration with the Sailing Squad, an all-female crew (a mini-series will be put online on the social networks), as well as the international sailing elite led by the fleet of hydrofoil catamarans and the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team. And above all, the ambassador of this edition, the famous sailor Thomas Coville, will sail on the TF35. In addition to being the most popular regatta on Lake Geneva, the Bol d’Or Mirabaud is also an opportunity to share great moments of sport, celebration and conviviality. Nearly 200 volunteers work every year to make this event a unique event in Europe. Once again, the Lake fair will take up residence at the Club, with a village open to the public, families, friends, lake lovers and curious on-lookers.
The Syz Translémanique en Solitaire celebrates its fiftieth anniversary
Next August, on the 26th to be precise, the 50th edition of the Syz Translémanique en Solitaire will be launched. Organised by the Société Nautique de Genève, this race, considered to be the most demanding regatta on Lake Geneva, brings together each year the best sailors
on a 120 kilometres long course between Geneva
and the Vieux-Rhône.
To celebrate this fiftieth anniversary, the Syz Translémanique en Solitaire will welcome Genevan ocean-racer Justine Mettraux as its ambassador. Seventh of the last Route du Rhum in November 2022 and engaged in the crewed round the world race The Ocean Race in 2023, Justine decided to go back to her roots on the lake where she first sailed.
YACHT CLUB OF GREECE (YCG)
A beautiful summer calendar
Just like every year, the Yacht Club of Greece is set to have a busy offshore racing season, with the Global MBA Cup, match racing, the J/24 National Championships, the Phaleron-to-Kythnos Race and a number of dinghy races on the programme over the coming weeks. This will provide a great calendar for the more than 1 250 members, including Olympic medallists, top international and Greek sailors, who fly the club’s colours around the world. Located on the hill of Piraeus and overlooking Microlimano, the historic port of the ancient Athenians, the YCG, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, has recently been renovated. It plays host to high profile corporate as well as bespoke social events. In this busy calendar, the Spetses Classic Yacht Regatta is planned for June 22nd to 25th and the traditional hard beat to Andros, part of the International Andros Yacht Race, will be held from August 31st to September 3rd.
Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS)
The YCCS presents its annual calendar
It is the annual high mass of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. Every spring, the Sardinian institution travels to the continent to present its sporting calendar for the coming season. Once again, this year’s event took place in Milan, in April, in the presence of the YCCS Commodore, Michael Illbruck, and Princess Zahra Aga Khan, president of the Board of Directors. In her speech, she emphasised how passion for the sea and sailing have always guided the development of the projects of the YCCS, which has invested in the sport of sailing, respect for the environment and the upcoming generations.
Secretary General, Edoardo Recchi, then presented the 2023 sporting calendar, which started with the RAN 630 – Regata dell’Accademia Navale, the Boeris Trophy and the Vela & Golf. Early June, The first major regatta of the season was the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta (6-10 June), which once again opened the superyacht season in the Mediterranean. It will be followed at the end of the month by the Nautor Swan fleet racing in The Nations Trophy – Swan One Design. The Coppa Europa Smeralda 888 will kick off July (6-9 July), followed by the YCCS J/70 Sailing Clinic (20-23 July), the YCCS Members’ Championship (5-6 August), and a supporting role in the Palermo – Porto Cervo – Montecarlo race, organized in collaboration with the Circolo della Vela Sicilia and the Yacht Club de Monaco and scheduled from August 22nd to 27th.
September will, as always, be the month of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, which each year attracts the cream of the sailing world to Porto Cervo every year, both in terms of yachts and sailors. The great novelty of this 33rd edition is the participation of multihulls. The entry list currently stands at approximately 20 boats enrolled.
The YCCS sporting season will conclude with the return of the 5.5 Metre Class to the Costa Smeralda, with the Scandinavian Gold Cup and the Class World Championship scheduled from September 20th to 29th.
This year the club celebrates the 40th anniversary of the first the first Italian challenge for the America’s Cup. The sporting heritage of Azzurra can be found today in Young Azzurra, a sailing project that allows the YCCS to support young emerging talents looking to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. To conclude the press conference, Young Azzurra athletes Cesare Barabino and Federico Alan Pilloni spoke of their experiences as up-and-coming sailors.
IATE CLUBE DE SANTOS (ICS)
The Santos-Rio celebrates its 72th edition
A few months ago, the Iate Clube de Santos (ICS) organised one of its biggest competitions: the traditional Santos-Rio Regatta. After an evening that kicked off the festivities, it all began with a parade of more than 30 yachts, accompanied by the Brazilian Marine Band and the manoeuvres of the Air Force Demonstration Squadron. It was a grand introduction for the competitors, who then had to face a challenging crossing requiring all their technical skills, their strategic abilities and their quick thinking.
At the start, a wind of 6 or 7 knots (10 to 12 km/h) pushed the fleet in the first miles towards the famous Guanabara Bay. That’s where the finish line was, first crossed by Phoenix, a Botin 44, with an experienced crew, helmed by two-time Olympic champion Torben Grael. “Phoenix’s performance was very good. We knew that the race would not be favourable to the leading boats, because after the wind stopped on Saturday morning, the wind came from behind (south), compressing the fleet,” analysed the Brazilian, after the race. The 2022 runner-up and Santos-Rio’s biggest winner as skipper, with six titles, then elaborated on the crew’s strategy: “We chose to sail closer to the coast, which turned out to be a good option. We were stationary for a short time and always sailed at a good angle to the wind. We managed to get ahead of all the competitors, except Rudá. We only lost 40 minutes, which I think is an excellent result under the circumstances”.
Again this year, thanks to the exclusive partnership between Commodore Berardino Antonio Fanganiello and the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM), the 72nd Santos-Rio Regatta included the La Belle Classe category, of which the ICS is, officially, the ambassador in Brazil. Title went to the yacht Força Maior.
It should be noted that this regatta, co organized with the Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro, another club twinned with the YCM, also counted for the Rio Circuit, which, in addition to this offshore competition, offers sailors some exciting encounters in the waters of the Guanabara Bay and its surroundings. Most of the boats that crossed the finish line in the bay of Rio de Janeiro took part in this event.
The winners
ORC :
Rudá Blue Seal, modèle Landmark; skipper Mario Augusto Martinez.
RGS et La Belle Classe :
Força Maior, modèle Fast 500/II, skipper, Ramiro J. Eli.
Bico de Proa :
OKA, modèle Beneteau 45, skipper André P. Coutinho. Coutinho.
Minitransat :
Xavante, modèle Minitransat 6.5, skipper Sérgio Vinícius.
First in real time :
Phoenix, modèle Botín, skipper Torben Grael, catégorie VPRS.
Written by Aurore Teodoro
