Over 300 sailors from 12 countries and three classes for a one-design regatta that now has its roots in 1985
It ended in Monaco at the 39th edition of the Primo Cup-Trophée Credit Suisse, an event that has by now become ‘a classic’ of the winter sailing season. Over 300 sailors from 12 countries and three classes for a one-design regatta that now has its roots in 1985, the year it was launched by Prince Albert II of Monaco, also president of the Yacht Club de Monaco.
In all, 15 Smeralda 888s, a dozen Longtze Premiers and over 50 J/70s competed in this event which also serves as the fourth and final act of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series. In the J/70 category the Italian team ‘Alice’ wins, for the Smeraldas the top step of the podium is ‘Vamos mi Amor’, while for the Longtze the Swiss ‘Shensu’”.
It is an important event for us – he underlines the general secretary of the Yacht Club de Monaco, Bernard d’Alessandri – because it marks the end of the winter season. It’s a competition we’ve been holding for 39 years so it’s become a bit of a fixture in the industry. Furthermore, our partners have brought home excellent results so we are even happier”.
In the J/70 category the Italian team ‘Alice’ wins: “We are a group of long-standing friends – they explain -, all high-level sailors and we get along very well on board. In Montecarlo we had quite difficult conditions and the group makes a big difference on the water. Fifty-one boats in the water are a lot and in this case the primary objective is to be able to get off to a good start, which is not easy. We only failed on one occasion, but we always started well, sailing fast and on the right side. As a result we brought home a good result, which we didn’t expect, because on this occasion we had a new helmsman on board, so you need a few days to get used to the different communication methods on board. Luckily we had a day of training that served us a lot and we immediately set priorities in order to be able to do our best”.
Following, on the podium Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio with the Monegasque ‘G-Spot’ and in third position another Italian team, ‘Viva’ by Alessandro Molla.
Furthermore, after competing in the Primo Cup for the fourth and final act of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series, he was proclaimed the overall winner. Ludovico Fassitelli’s ‘Junda’ triumphs, followed by Samuel Poons ‘Charisma V’ and Graeme Peterson ‘Moonlight II’, all three Ycm members.
“As per tradition – recalls Fassitelli – the Primo Cup closes the cycle of the Monaco Sport Boat Winter Series and this cycle of four regattas was of great satisfaction for us because we managed to seize the absolute victory out of a total of almost 60 boats, coming from at least 15 European and non-European countries. For us, it was the culmination of a very interesting season that saw us earn third place in the European championship and the second One Pro in the world championship, again here in Monaco, so we couldn’t end the season in a better way. As far as the Primo Cup is concerned, apart from the first day we had some good racing days. We made too many mistakes on Saturday and compromised what could have been a final result”.
Moving on to the Smeralda 888s, after two hard-fought days, victory went to Carlo di Borbone-Two Sicilies (who is president of the class) with his ‘Vamos mi Amor’: “We are very happy because they were two days with 6 races and it went very well for us, it was a bit like our weekend.
The level was very high and the class is growing: for example, the Onorato family, father Vincenzo and son Achille have returned to racing, then there are new arrivals who are all very competitive, an element that is felt a lot on the water because it was a real head-to-head for the whole fleet,” he says. The Onorato family took the podium after a tight father-son challenge: Achille Onorato’s Canard à l’Orange got the better of his father Vincenzo, aboard Mascalzone Latino, finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively.
No surprises in the Longtze Premier which was once again dominated by the Swiss led by an impeccable performance by Jarmo Wieland’s Shensu who won all six races.
The crew of Torsten Muller on Le Petit Frère d’Emile Bleu and Stefen Schneider’s Outsider instead occupied the other two steps of the podium.
The next event to keep in mind at the Yacht Club de Monaco is the Women Leading and Sailing Trophy (March 25-26). “It will be a special occasion for us: it is a regatta for women only and it is the first edition of the Yacht Club. We can’t wait”, concludes d’Alessandri.
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