21/08/2019: The start of the Palermo-Montecarlo
Almost perfect conditions for the departure of the race: under a magnificent sun and with 10-12 knots of wind coming from the North-North West (330°), at 12 o'clock, the Palermo-Montecarlo's fleet gave the start today of the XV edition of the offshore regatta organized by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, with the collaboration of the Yacht Club de Monaco and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.
A dazzling spectacle, the one lived in the Gulf of Mondello, with 51 boats actually departing towards the Principality of Monaco, the final destination of about 500 miles of navigation that with a gate at Porto Cervo. Big and important boats like the Maxi Vera and Adelasia of Torres, the 52' French Arobas2, the 60' oceanic trimaran Ad Maiora, the Volvo Ocean 65 Ambersail 2, or the very fast Class 40s such as Made in Midi, Croatia Full of Life Ola or Crossing Routes. With a mix of Olympic sailors (Matteo Ivaldi, Paolo Semeraro and Michele Regolo), legends of ocean sailing (the Dutch Bouwe Bekking and the French Eric Drouglazet and Kito de Pavant) and sports champions such as the former Croatian skier Ivica Kostelic . But also real cruising / racing hulls, brought by crews of enthusiasts with perhaps less high-sounding names, but driven by the same, identical huge passion for the sea and great regattas.
The result is an extraordinary edition of the Palermo-Montecarlo, which promises uncertainty also from the competitive point of view, given that the predictions for the victory of the two challenge trophies up for grabs - the Angelo Randazzo Trophy, awarded to the winner of the ORC International group, and the Giuseppe Tasca d'Almerita Trophy, the first on the finishing line in real time - in addition to the single class prizes, are very uncertain this year, also because of the equally variable weather conditions expected in the coming days. Conditions that in any case should not favor the conquest of the regatta record established in 2015 by Igor Simcic's Maxi Esimit Europa 2 in 47 hours, 46 minutes and 48 seconds.
"It's a beautiful day, we couldn't really hope for better conditions," explains Race Director and Chairman of the Race Committee Alfredo Ricci, ready to fly to Montecarlo where the first boats are expected starting on Friday. "After a perfect start, the fleet headed for a windward buoy positioned about one nautical mile from the starting line, then the fleet headed firmly towards Sardinia, still trying to keep close to the coast to remain in the thermal breeze. The expected conditions look better than initially estimated, but on this front it is better to remain silent for good luck and wait for the weather to evolve in real time".
Stage of the Italian Offshore Championship organized by the Italian Sailing Federation and stage of the of the IMA's Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge, the Palermo-Montecarlo is organized by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia in collaboration with the Yacht Club de Monaco and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, and with the support of the Municipality of Palermo, of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, of the Fondazione Sicilia Foundation, of the partners Conti Tasca d'Almerita and Premiati Oleifici Barbera, and of the technical sponsors Gesap and R. Motorori Toyota and Visiva.
To follow the race live via the satellite tracking system, you can download the YB Tracking APP or click directly on the link yb.tl/pm2019
A dazzling spectacle, the one lived in the Gulf of Mondello, with 51 boats actually departing towards the Principality of Monaco, the final destination of about 500 miles of navigation that with a gate at Porto Cervo. Big and important boats like the Maxi Vera and Adelasia of Torres, the 52' French Arobas2, the 60' oceanic trimaran Ad Maiora, the Volvo Ocean 65 Ambersail 2, or the very fast Class 40s such as Made in Midi, Croatia Full of Life Ola or Crossing Routes. With a mix of Olympic sailors (Matteo Ivaldi, Paolo Semeraro and Michele Regolo), legends of ocean sailing (the Dutch Bouwe Bekking and the French Eric Drouglazet and Kito de Pavant) and sports champions such as the former Croatian skier Ivica Kostelic . But also real cruising / racing hulls, brought by crews of enthusiasts with perhaps less high-sounding names, but driven by the same, identical huge passion for the sea and great regattas.
The result is an extraordinary edition of the Palermo-Montecarlo, which promises uncertainty also from the competitive point of view, given that the predictions for the victory of the two challenge trophies up for grabs - the Angelo Randazzo Trophy, awarded to the winner of the ORC International group, and the Giuseppe Tasca d'Almerita Trophy, the first on the finishing line in real time - in addition to the single class prizes, are very uncertain this year, also because of the equally variable weather conditions expected in the coming days. Conditions that in any case should not favor the conquest of the regatta record established in 2015 by Igor Simcic's Maxi Esimit Europa 2 in 47 hours, 46 minutes and 48 seconds.
"It's a beautiful day, we couldn't really hope for better conditions," explains Race Director and Chairman of the Race Committee Alfredo Ricci, ready to fly to Montecarlo where the first boats are expected starting on Friday. "After a perfect start, the fleet headed for a windward buoy positioned about one nautical mile from the starting line, then the fleet headed firmly towards Sardinia, still trying to keep close to the coast to remain in the thermal breeze. The expected conditions look better than initially estimated, but on this front it is better to remain silent for good luck and wait for the weather to evolve in real time".
Stage of the Italian Offshore Championship organized by the Italian Sailing Federation and stage of the of the IMA's Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge, the Palermo-Montecarlo is organized by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia in collaboration with the Yacht Club de Monaco and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, and with the support of the Municipality of Palermo, of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, of the Fondazione Sicilia Foundation, of the partners Conti Tasca d'Almerita and Premiati Oleifici Barbera, and of the technical sponsors Gesap and R. Motorori Toyota and Visiva.
To follow the race live via the satellite tracking system, you can download the YB Tracking APP or click directly on the link yb.tl/pm2019
