- The eighteenth edition of Palermo-Montecarlo 2023 concluded with the awards ceremony
- Joy (GBR) win the Angelo Randazzo Trophy as the overall winner of the largest group (IRC)
- The Giuseppe Tasca d’Almerita Trophy goes first in real time to the maxi Black Jack (AUS)
- The winners of the ORC category, the Class40 and in double
- Mention to Grace, the smallest boat finishing the race out of time without retiring
The usual festive awards ceremony at the Yacht Club de Monaco, concluded a long and rich edition of the Palermo-Montecarlo, the most glamorous offshore regatta of the Mediterranean summer, organized since 18 years by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia with the collaboration of the Yacht Club de Monaco and the Costa Smeralda Yacht Club, under the aegis of the Italian Sailing Federation, UVAI (Italian Offshore Sailing Union) and IMA (International Maxi Association).
A rich edition for numbers, with almost 50 entries and 44 racing, for quality of boats and crews at the start, and for the internationality of the event: half of the boats in the race came from 11 countries, in addition to Italy. A confirmation of the validity of the course from the Gulf of Mondello to the Principality of Monaco with the gate at Porto Cervo, which always offers interesting strategic choices and fascinating scenarios in the coastal passages along Sardinia and Corsica.
With the docks of the YC de Monaco full of boats and sailors, the story of the regatta and the emotions translates directly into the list of winners who write the history of Palermo-Montecarlo 2023, with boats from 8 nations on the podiums.
In the IRC category, the most numerous with over 20 boats, and consequently also the hardest fought as confirmed by the continuous changes in the ranking, the victory went to Joy (GBR), the “small” JPK 1010 of Dave Butters (Parkstone Yacht Club Poole), who thus won the Angelo Randazzo Challenge Trophy. In second IRC place we find Poisson Garou, (FRA) J99 owned by Frederico Croba, skippered by Jonathan Heusse (SNLF). Third step of the podium for Kuka 3 (SUI), the Cookson 50 of the Italian-Swiss Franco Niggeler with Pietro D’Alì and Mitch Booth on board among others. The prevalence of light winds for much of the race favored the smaller, lighter boats that were prepared for these conditions.
The Giuseppe Tasca d’Almerita Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Line Honors, the first across the finish line in real time, goes to the maxi 100-footer Black Jack owned by Australian owner Peter Hamburg, with New Zealand navigator Brad Butterworth on board, among others. The place of honor in real time goes to Shockwave 3 Prosecco DOC, a 90-footer by Claudio Demartis which raced with the burgee of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, helmed by Roberto Ferrarese. Third place in real life goes to Kuka 3.
We come to the podiums of the other categories.
ORC Group 1 – The victory goes to Starfly, Rimar 44.3 of Andrea Alaimo (Navale Italiana di Palermo), which in the correction of the time preceded Elo II, the proto with the youngsters of the Italian YC led by Mauro Pelaschier. In third place of the ORC 1 group is Alemaro (GER), Neo 400 Plus by Roman Putchev
ORC Group 2 – Victory goes to Scricca, Mario Rosso’s Comet 38S (Yacht Club Italiano), who precedes the Sicilians from Melagodo, Luca de Luca’s First 34.7 (CDV Erix), while third place goes to Ultravox Seares (winners such as we will also see of the doubles category), X332 by Filippo Buti and Leonardo Fonti (Circolo Nautico Livorno.
CLASS40 – The ranking of the four Class40s in the regatta saw the victory of Made in Midi (FRA) with the navigator Kito de Pavant, a real guru of ocean sailing. Second place for ACI 40 (CRO) by Ivica Kostelic, the Olympic skier who switched to offshore sailing, third place for Vaquita with Alessio Bernabò, disabled skipper and animator of the Divermente Marinai association, fourth place for Marco Guerra’s Imagin’Act Socomec .
PALERMO-MONTECARLO FOR 2 – The classification of the “Per 2” crews see the victory of Ultravox Seares, X332 Sport with Filippo Buti and Leonardo Fonti (Circolo Nautico Livorno), ahead of Colombre, JPK 1080 with Massimo Juris and Andrea Iacopini (Compagnia della Vela Venezia), third place for Muttley BDM Audit Migliaccio, the Figaro 3 foil with Luca Bettiati and Federico Sazzini (CS Yacht Club).
EMANUELE BRUNO CONSOLE CHALLENGE CUP (to the first Sicilian boat arrived in real time) – Shockwave 3 Prosecco DOC.
CIRCOLO DELLA VELA SICILIA TROPHY (to the first ORC boat with the smallest crew): Starfly (LNI Palermo).
MENTION TO GRACE – Special mention to the protagonist of the final day of the Palermo-Montecarlo: they arrived 12 minutes over the maximum time, but did not retire, despite being the smallest boat in the race. Grace is an Oceanis 31 owned by Fabrizio Ferrera (Yacht Club Mediterraneo), with a crew of friends supported by two research institutes: UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center), one of the major international players in scientific and biomedical research , in Italy since 1997, and ISMETT (Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Highly Specialized Therapies), a scientific hospitalization and treatment institute, of which the University of Pittsburgh is a founding member in partnership with the Sicilian Region.
The Regatta Committee of Palermo-Montecarlo 2023: Fabio Barrasso (Chairman), Edoardo Recchi (1st member), Fabrizio Pirina, Pietro Lo Giudice, Domenica Genovese, and Ernesto Salvatore Martinez. The International Jury was composed of Giorgio D’Avanzo (President), Mats Bjorklund (FIN), Richard Slater (AUS), Craig Mitchell (GBR) and Miguel Allen (POR). The Technical Committee was made up of Gennaro Aveta (President), Bartolomeo Maugeri and Ermanno Basile.
Included in the “long” regatta circuit of the FIV Italian Offshore Sailing Championship, among those with the highest coefficient for the purposes of scoring for the final classification, the 500 miles of the Palermo-Montecarlo are also part of the following prestigious circuits: the IMA Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge; the Mediterranean Offshore Trophy; the Mediterranean Trophy for the Class40; and the 2023 edition of the Championnat et Trophées Inshore et Offshore Méditerranée en Équipages-IRC.
Palermo-Montecarlo 2023 is directly promoted by the Sicilian Region Department of Tourism, Sport and Entertainment, with the participation of the Metropolitan City of Palermo and the support of the Sicily Foundation. Sponsor partners are Tasca d’Almerita and Porsche, Centro Porsche Palermo.