Back on centre stage
This is the fifth year that Monaco has been hosting a fleet of international teams who set up their winter training quarters in the Principality for a series of regattas between October and March.
Organised once a month by the Yacht Club de Monaco over a three-day weekend, in collaboration with technical clothing supplier SLAM, the aim of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series is to give sailors an opportunity to prepare at the highest level for the upcoming season.
An initiative of YCM member Valentin Zavadnikov launched in 2013, it attracts teams from nearby Italy but above all many from Eastern and Northern Europe.
It is an intense programme at a high level. Last year’s edition fulfilled all the objectives with over 70 races completed for some 300 sailors from 14 nationalities divided into five classes.
J/70 and Melges 20 get the ball rolling
For the new season, the focus will be on the Flagship classes, J/70 and Melges 20.
From the start with Act 1, some teams have made no secret of their ambition, like Valeria Kovalenko (ArtTube) in the J/70s. Last season, the Russian sailor not only managed to maintain an impressive consistency but also to hold off her opponents and win the Series at the end of 21 races. Hard on her heels were the Brazilians on Manda-Chuva, with the YCM’s Ludovico Fassitelli (Junda) completing the podium with a superb 3rd place.
For the 2017/2018 season, the field is wide open for this class, which is massively popular in the Principality with a fleet of 17 Monegasque boats, probably the biggest concentration in the Mediterranean.
In the Melges 20 last season, Russians ruled the podium roost with Alexandr Ezhkov (Pirogovo Sailing) on top, followed by Alexander Novoselov (Victor) and Vadim Yahinson (Leviathan).
Rendezvous Friday 20th October at 12 noon for the first race of the new season!
