Monaco Yacht Club pulled off a stunning debut victory in the revived Admiral’s Cup on Wednesday, becoming the first team from the principality to claim the prize after a gruelling series that culminated in the Fastnet Race.
Monaco’s triumph came after an intense battle through six inshore races in the Solent, and the decisive Fastnet finale, beating the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club into second place with Italy’s Yacht Club Costa Smeralda completing the podium.
The victory was spearheaded by Pierre Casiraghi, vice-president of the Monaco Yacht Club and co-skipper of the Carkeek 42 Jolt 6, who could barely contain his disbelief at the achievement.
“Honestly, I still can’t quite believe what we’ve achieved. To win the Admiral’s Cup in its revival year and with Monaco’s first ever participation is beyond words,” said Casiraghi. “I’m not a professional helm and this was the most exhausting race I’ve ever done.”
The Monaco team executed their strategy perfectly in the crucial Fastnet Race, with Casiraghi crediting navigator Will Harris as “phenomenal” and praising the team’s resilience under pressure from rival monohull yachts Callisto and Beau Ideal.
“For Monaco, this is historic. We’re a small place, but we’ve just shown we can achieve great things,” Casiraghi added, already hinting at a possible title defence despite admitting he’s too exhausted to contemplate “another offshore race on a 42-footer any time soon.”
Monaco fielded a two‑boat team for the Admiral’s Cup – Jolt 3, a TP 52 skippered by Peter Harrison, racing in the AC1 (big boat) division, and Jolt 6, a Carkeek 42 skippered by Casiraghi, competing in the AC2 (smaller boat).
The Admiral’s Cup, first held in 1957 and long regarded as the unofficial world championship of offshore racing, returned this after a two-decade hiatus.
The event traditionally pits national teams, each made up of two or three top-tier monohull yachts, against each other across a series of demanding offshore and inshore races. Scoring is based on the combined performance of a team’s entered boats.
Admiral’s Cup final results:1. Yacht Club de Monaco – Monaco2. Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club – Hong Kong3. Yacht Club Costa Smeralda – Italy4. Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron – New Zealand5. Cruising Yacht Club of Australia – Australia6. Royal Maas Yacht Club – Netherlands7. Royal Swedish Yacht Club (KSSS) – Sweden8. Royal Ocean Racing Club – White – United Kingdom9. Yacht Club de France – France10. Royal Ocean Racing Club – Red – United Kingdom11. New York Yacht Club – Black Magic – United States12. Regatta Verein Greifswald – Germany13. Royal Irish Yacht Club – Ireland14. Bayerischer Yacht Club – Germany15. Hamburger Segel Club – Germany
(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
