The twentieth anniversary Palermo-Montecarlo concluded as usual, against the backdrop of the Palermo-Montecarlo Regatta, overlooking the Principality’s skyline, with the crowded and festive awards ceremony, presentation of challenge trophies, and recognitions to the best crews of an edition that will be long remembered.
Starting on Tuesday, August 19th, from the Gulf of Mondello, the Palermo-Montecarlo race, organized by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, involved 45 registered boats, 36 starters, 27 of which finished within the time limit, and 9 withdrew. The weather forecast was met: after the first few miles of greeting Sicily with east-northeast winds, the fleet sailed for much of the first 24 hours in strong southerly winds, recording extraordinary average speeds. The large 30-meter maxi Black Jack 100, sailing under the Monegasque flag, owned by Remon Vos and skippered by Tristan Lebrun, soon escaped, fresh from victories and records, including at the famous Fastnet Race.
Then the race changed: while Black Jack sailed with favorable winds up the coast of Corsica from the east, the rest of the fleet encountered a change of scenery, with the arrival of mistral-westerly winds, which increased in strength to gusts of nearly 40 knots. Complicating matters were scattered thunderstorms with gusts of wind that intermittently affected the course. The first ten boats arrived in this weather on Thursday, August 21st. The bulk of the fleet filled the docks of Monte Carlo on Friday the 22nd, and the last ones crossed the finish line on Saturday the 23rd, all well within the time limit (Sunday the 24th at 12:00 PM). Around 3:00 AM on Saturday the 23rd, the last boat arrived: I am Bad, a Bad 37 owned by Luciano Speciale and Giuseppe Bileddo, flying the Velaclub Palermo pennant.
The accounts of all the participants are informed by the conditions they encountered: strong winds, first downwind and then beam, 3-meter waves, numerous sail changes, and taking turns to ensure adequate rest and concentration to manage the most demanding phases of the race. The perfect menu for offshore sailing.
Awards, Trophies, and Category Podiums
The awards ceremony for the twentieth Palermo-Montecarlo took place on the fifth floor, the roof of the sumptuous Yacht Club de Monaco building, and was officiated by Race Director Giancarlo Crevatin. Speakers included Bernard d’Alessandri, Secretary and General Director of the YCM; Olivier Campana, Deputy Director of the YCM; Armelle Roudant Lafon, Director of Monaco’s Maritime Affairs; and Lieutenant Colonel Maxime Yvrard of the Monaco Sapeurs-Pompiers Corps. From Palermo, Agostino Randazzo, President of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, and Alessandro Anello, Councilor for Sport for the City of Palermo, also attended.
Along with the cups and trophies, the winners were also awarded bottles of Barbera and Chardonnay oil by Tasca d’Almerita, one of the sponsors of the 20th Palermo-Montecarlo.
The Giuseppe Tasca d’Almerita perpetual challenge trophy (dedicated to one of the founders of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia), awarded by Alberto and Francesca Tasca d’Almerita to the first yacht in real time, went to the supermaxi Black Jack 100, owned by Remon Vos, skippered by Tristan Lebrun, and flying the Yacht Club de Monaco pennant, amidst applause. The trophy thus remains in the hands of the same team that won it in 2024, the extraordinary and loyal Palermo-Montecarlo boat and crew.
The Angelo Randazzo Perpetual Challenge Trophy (named after the historic President of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, who initiated the history of the Palermo-Montecarlo), awarded by Rosellina and Agostino Randazzo, went to the yacht that finished first in corrected time in the overall ORC fleet (the largest in this edition): No Regret, an ICE 52 of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, skippered by Edoardo Bonanno and a crew including many young sailors from Palermo. This was a great satisfaction for the regatta’s organizing club.
20th Palermo-Montecarlo – photo © Circolo della Vela Sicilia / Studio Borlenghi
The podiums for the top three places in the ORC and IRC categories in corrected time (note that, for once, the top three places in the two categories based on the ORC (Offshore Racing Congress) and IRC (International Rating Certificate) rating systems are identical):
ORC
1) No Regret (ICE52), Circolo della Vela Sicilia, Edoardo Bonanno
2) Blue Moon Arkas (TP52), Turkish Sailing Federation, Bernard Arkas
3) South Kensington (First 35), CC Roggero di Lauria, Massimo Licata D’Andrea
IRC (presented by Alessandro Anello, Councilor for Sport for the City of Palermo)
1) No Regret (ICE52), Circolo della Vela Sicilia, Edoardo Bonanno
2) Arkas (TP52), Turkish Sailing Federation, Bernard Arcas
3) South Kensington (First 35), CC Roggero di Lauria, Massimo Licata D’Andrea
The podiums of the two ORC Groups:
ORC Group 1 (presented by Bernard d’Alessandri, Director of YC Monaco)
1) No Regret (ICE52), Circolo della Vela Sicilia, Edoardo Bonanno
2) Blue Moon Arkas (TP52), Turkish Sailing Federation, Bernard Arkas
3) Sagola Lauria (Farr 45), CC Roggero di Lauria, Fornich-Battistoni-Sorrentino
ORC Group 2 (presented by Ninni Majolino, CVS Sporting Director)
1) South Kensington (First 35), CC Roggero di Lauria, Massimo Licata D’Andrea
2) K’Mena (J99), YC Monaco, Eric Muller
3) Overdose Charlie (Dehler 36), CN Marseille, Luc Baradat
The Emanuele Bruno Trophy (in memory of the first Consul of the Principality of Monaco in the city of Palermo) awarded to the first Sicilian sailing club boat across the finish line in Monte Carlo, presented by Silvia and Carla Bruno, went to Manticore, a Mylius 60 owned by Franz Baruffaldi Preis, Circolo Velico Sferracavallo, which also led the Maxi fleet in corrected time. The winner of the multihull category, Falcon, owned by Matteo Uliassi, was also awarded, while the first double-handed sailor in Monte Carlo was K’Mena (J99), YC Monaco, Eric Mulle.
In closing, Rosellina Randazzo called the crew of the classic boat Angelica II (Sciarrelli), CV Brindisi, Antonio Centrone, to the stage for a special award.
The prize for the winner of the Palermo-Montecarlo Virtual (8,454 Participants!)
The first edition of the digital version of the Palermo-Montecarlo immediately drew impressive numbers, with 8,454 participants, featuring some of the best e-sailors from around the world. The winner was CED007/Ink Bureau Vallée, ranked number 55 in the world, who with this victory earns valuable points for his world ranking.
There was also a special Challenge between members of the two organizing clubs (41 e-sailors in total), won by Ottocinque-Alainmarchand (YC Monaco, number 67 in the world), whose real name is Alain Marchand, ahead of Giovibriga (CV Sicilia, number 85 in the world), aka Giovanni Briganti. Third place went to YCM Team Zero (YC Monaco, number 112 in the world), Leandro Casali.
The sunset celebration overlooking the port of Monte Carlo sealed an edition of stories, records, and memories. The 2026 edition of the Palermo-Montecarlo has already begun.
Quotes:
Agostino Randazzo, President of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia: “It’s a great feeling to be here to experience the awards ceremony for the twentieth edition! I thank the Yacht Club de Monaco, Bernard d’Alessandri, for their hospitality and the shared spirit of a regatta for true sailors like this. The Palermo-Montecarlo started as a gamble, and today, after twenty editions, we can say that it has become a regular event, pursued and planned by some of the best protagonists of offshore sailing, as well as by many less renowned crews, boats, and clubs, all driven by a passion for the sea and adventure. sailing. For all of them, we will continue to organize this regatta even better in the years to come.”
Bernard d’Alessandri, Secretary and General Manager of the Yacht Club de Monaco: “When Angelo Randazzo and I first proposed the Palermo-Monte Carlo, I never imagined we would experience 20 editions and growing numbers. The regatta has surprised me and continues to surprise sailors every year; it has become an unmissable event. Over the years, the headquarters of our Yacht Club has changed, but so have the boats, and the records, which are broken more and more frequently. It’s a process of growth, even within the tradition of the city and the clubs.”
Alessandro Anello, Councilor for Sport for the City of Palermo: “For Palermo, this represents an extraordinary showcase for tourism and sports promotion, with all the sailing clubs represented, starting with the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, organizer of the competition along with the Yacht Club de Monaco and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. Congratulations to all the participants and winners, with huge congratulations to Black Jack, the Monegasque maxi yacht that earned Line Honors with a new race record. See you in 2026!”
