– Between the Olympics and the America’s Cup: Tuesday 20th august the start of the 19th edition
– 51 boats entries, half of them international: focus on some Maxis chasing the record (47H, 46M)
– The eve at the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, alongside the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team, with the Mayor of Palermo Roberto Lagalla, the General Director of the Metropolitan City of Palermo Nicola Vernuccio, and the President of Fondazione Sicilia Maria Concetta Di Natale
– Weather forecast: it could be a windy edition, right from the start
– The participation of the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the support of UniCredit, Fondazione Sicilia, Tasca d’Almerita, Centro Porsche Palermo and Immedia
A week after the closing of the Paris 2024 Olympics with two gold medals for Italy in sailing sport, and a few hours before the opening of the 37th America’s Cup cycle in Barcelona. The Palermo-Montecarlo 2024 fits into this calendar, an offshore sailing regatta that has reached its nineteenth edition in a path of continuous growth. The themes of great sailing intertwine precisely in the days of the Palermo-Montecarlo, organized by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, the club alongside the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli challenge in the America’s Cup, an event in which athletes who have won Olympic sailing medals in Marseille also participate.
But the Palermo-Montecarlo is above all a regatta, beautiful and challenging. 500 miles with a spectacular start in front of the Gulf of Mondello, a dizzying climb of the Mediterranean from Sicily to the Principality of Monaco, a mandatory gate in front of Porto Cervo and the arrival on the Montecarlo skyline. An offshore race that sailors and navigators enjoy for the challenges and the continuous tactical and strategic choices based on the weather conditions. The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the Yacht Club de Monaco also collaborate in the organization with the Circolo della Vela Sicilia.
The weather forecast is encouraging: it could be a start with a strong wind from West-North West, capable of launching the fleet towards the North and coasting eastern Sardinia. As always, the passage of the Strait of Bonifacio is delicate, while the climb along Corsica is variable, as is the approach to the last miles, until the arrival in front of the Principality of Monaco.
THE SPEECHES AT THE PRESENTATION ON THE EVE
A crowded presentation took place on the terraces of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, introduced by greetings from the institutions present: The Mayor of Palermo Roberto Lagalla, the General Director of the Metropolitan City of Palermo Nicola Vernuccio, the President of Fondazione Sicilia Maria Concetta Di Natale, the Lieutenant of the Vessel Lorenzo Maira of the Harbour Master’s Office of Palermo and Donatello Mellina, councilor of the Italian Sailing Federation.
Some protagonists of the regatta were also called. The first was Pietro D’Alì, one of the few Italian sailors to have participated in the Olympics, America’s Cup and round the world, summarizing the different souls of sailing: “The Olympic gold medals in sailing moved me, because I know how much commitment, sacrifice and work technicians and athletes have done. The same is needed in offshore sailing. I have already done the Palermo-Montecarlo five or six times, it is an intense regatta that can have very different moments and situations. Concentration and preparation are needed, I hope to contribute a bit of experience to the young crew of the Yacht Club Italiano on Elo II”.
Also called to intervene were the ocean navigators Alberto Riva, Luca Rosetti, Matteo Sericano and Alessandro Torresani, the commander of the Navy Ship Orsa Maggiore Frigate Captain Giuseppe Parrini and a part of the CV Sicilia team on Selene: Edoardo Bonanno, Gaetano, Fererico and Riccardo Figlia di Granara. After the welcome cocktail it was time for the skipper briefing curated by Race Director Giancarlo Crevatin.
THE START, THE REGISTRANTS AND THE BASIC INFORMATION
The start is scheduled for Tuesday 20th at 12:00 in front of Mondello. It will be another great Palermo-Montecarlo with 51 registered boats, 24 of which fly foreign flags to underline the international nature of the regatta. There will be five Maxis (over 20 meters) that can aim to beat the race record that has stood since 2015 (47 hours, 46 minutes and 48 seconds): Black Jack 100 (the former Esimit Europa 2 holder of that record) 30 meters of the Maltese Remon Vos, skippered by Tristan Le Brun; Lucky, 27 meters of the American Bryon Ehrhart, skippered by Stuart Wilson with some former America’s Cup sailors on board, such as the New Zealanders Dean Phipps and Simon Daubney, and the Australian Andrew Cape, veteran of the Ocean Race; Balthasar, 21 meters Maltese with the Dutchman Bouwe Bekking on board, winner of an Ocean Race; the prestigious presence of Orsa Maggiore, one of the training sailboats of the Navy, and the Austrian VO70 SiSi, former of the last edition of The Ocean Race concluded in Genoa.
One of the themes of the Palermo-Montecarlo 2024 is the presence of the Class40s, as well as boats and sailors from the great ocean sailing tour. So keep an eye on: Tyrolit by Matteo Sericano and Luca Rosetti, a VPLP project from 2022; Altair Maiia by Frenchman Benoit Garibal; Fantastica with Roberta Fazzana and Andrea Caracci; Tam Tam by Christophe Ortin.
Among the most interesting boats capable of doing well in the final classification in compensated time, we note: the German Botin 56 Black Pearl, skipper Stefan Jentzsch, 17 meters among the first registered this year; Red Bandit, TP52 by Bavarian Carl-Peter Forster: winner of the Giraglia 2023 and voted best German offshore sailing boat; the Farr 45 Sagola Lauria by Beppe Fornich. Also keep an eye on the JPK 10.80 Colombre by Massimo Juris, which boasts numerous participations in the regatta; Among the latest entrants, Cellissima is arousing great interest, the first example in Italy of the new offshore one-design Sun Fast 30 OD which will have Alberto Riva on board, the solo navigator who is returning to the race after the Atlantic misadventure of his Class40 Acrobatica.
The yacht bearing the colours of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia will be the Swan 42 Selene, skippered by Edoardo Bonanno, with on board among others the ocean navigator Alessandro Torresani and Gaetano Figlia di Granara, with his sons Federico and Riccardo, young up-and-coming sailors in the acrobatic 49er Olympic class.
Another important name is that of Pietro D’Alì, one of the very few Italian sailors to have competed in the Olympics, the America’s Cup and ocean sailing, racing on the Elo II prototype of the Yacht Club Italiano, in the program to train young people from other classes in offshore sailing.
HERE IS THE LINK TO SEE ALL THE REGISTRANTS: https://www.palermo-montecarlo.it/iscritti/?y=2024
PARTNER
The Palermo-Montecarlo is also an extraordinary opportunity for visibility for Palermo, its territory and its historic bond with the sea, through the values of offshore sailing. The 2024 edition of the regatta can count on the co-participation of the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the support of UniCredit and Fondazione Sicilia, and the partnership of Tasca d’Almerita, Centro Porsche Palermo and Immedia.
Included in the circuit of “long” regattas of the FIV Italian Offshore Sailing Championship, among those with the highest coefficient for the purposes of the score for the final classification, the Palermo-Montecarlo is also part of the prestigious circuits: IMA Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge; Trofeo d’Altura del Mediterraneo; Mediterranean Trophy for the Class40 and the 2024 edition of the Championnat et Trophées Inshore et Offshore Méditerranée en Équipages-IRC.