Offshore Sailing: 11 days to Palermo-Montecarlo 2023 Race
by Palermo-Montecarlo 11 Aug 2023 22:54 BST
22-27 August 2023
Palermo-Montecarlo Race - Act Socomec © Palermo-Montecarlo
With the spectacular start of Palermo-Montecarlo 2023 race just 11 days away, the eighteenth edition of the 500-mile offshore sailing from Sicily to the Principality of Monaco, with a passage at the Porto Cervo gate, is organized by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia with in collaboration with Yacht Club de Monaco and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.
Looking at the list of entries (which can be found on this page on the regatta website), it's easy to imagine a full, international and high quality race with great boats and sailors. Let's take a closer look at some of the announced protagonists.
Five Maxis: Furio Benussi's 100' ARCA SGR, for the Fast and Furio Sailing Team it is a race against time to be at the start after intense months in shipyard; one of the big favorites for Line Honors is 100' Black Jack, former Alfa Romeo, with Australian owner Peter Harburg; more eyes on 90' Shockwave Prosecco DOC by Claudio Demartis with the flag of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia together with his YC Monfalcone, and will have on board Max Maneschi and Orazio Fatta della Fratta; finally the two VO65s from the round-the-world regatta: I love Poland, and SISI (Austrian Team Genova).
Also the five Class 40 arouse much interest: ACI 40 by the former Croatian Olympic Ski Champion Ivica Kostelic; Imagin'Act Socomec, former Influence by Andrea Fornaro, today sailed by the navigator Marco Guerra, one of the last of a great list of Italian oceanic sailors; Made in Midi by the legendary French ocean skipper Kito de Pavant, now a regular on the Palermo-Montecarlo; OPA, a Tyker evolution 2 Verdier design that has had prestigious owners such as Yannick Bestaven or Louis Burton and sailed today by Goulven Marie, a native of Saint Malo who aims for the Jacques Vabre 2024 and the Route du Rhum 2026; and finally Vaquita, a 2007 Lombard design, on which the disabled skipper Alessio Bernabò, animator of the Diversmente Marinai association, continues a journey that has as its objective to sail one of the next great classic transatlantic races, meanwhile at the Palermo-Montecarlo he will have on board, among others, Andrea Pendibene, one of the few Italians sailed some stages of the latest The Ocean Race.
Many interesting boats designed for offshore racing, prototypes or series, will be in the race: the beautiful ICE Yachts 52RS by Maltese Aaron Gatt Floridia; the HH42 Artie Jeep, Judel Vrolijk by other Maltese Lee Satariano; Frédéric de Visser's J121 Spitfire. The 14-metre Elo II prototype owned by the Yacht Club Italiano with iconic skipper Mauro Pelaschier returning to the Palermo-Montecarlo with a crew of young sailors in a beautiful and significant story.
Then there are the two Neo Yachts from the Paolo Semeraro shipyard in Bari, projects by Giovanni Ceccarelli: Alemaro by the owner Roman Puchtev, and Afazik Impulse (formerly Neojovaro) by the French Yves Grosjean.
Eyes on the defender: Dominique Tian's Ker 46 Tonnerre de Glen, overall IRC winner of the last Palermo-Montecarlo in 2022; to follow are also the smaller Ker 40 Chenapan 4 by Gilles Caminade; the Farr 40 Comanche Sagola owned by Battistoni, Sorrentino and Fornich, which will race with the flag of the Circolo Canottieri Roggero di Lauria of Palermo; the Mat 1180 Jacanda 3 by Marc Rouanne; Franco Niggeler's Coockson 50 Kuka 3 with the Olympic legend Mitch Boot on board; the Figaro 3 with the Muttley BDM Audit Migliaccio foils, by Luca Bettiati; the Azurée 33 Nuestro by Giulia Farnetani; the legendary Pistrice, Vismara 40 from 1992 by Carlo Levantino will not be missing...
The Lega Navale Italiana Section of Palermo, at its fourteenth participation, tries again this year with StarfLy, the Rimar 44.3 owned by Andrea Alaimo with a crew fully of non-professional LNI members.
ART AT THE CIRCOLO DELLA VELA SICILIA: THE EXIBITION OF THREE WORKS BY ARTIST JEAN BOGHOSSIAN - Thanks to the cooperation between Circolo della Vela Sicilia and Yacht Club de Monaco, in the Palermo Montecarlo 2023 days the Palermo club, in collaboration with the Sebastiano Tusa Foundation and realized by Fondazione Sicilia, will host three works by the Armenian artist Jean Boghossian, entitled "Régate #10", "Régate #23", "Régate #24", recently exhibited in Montecarlo. In this way, the Circolo della Vela Sicilia becomes partner of the prestigious online exhibition "The language of fire / Flaming imagination. Forms and rhythms of universal instability", hosted in various fine locations in the city.
Confirmed as leg of the circuit of the FIV Italian Offshore Sailing Championship, with the highest coefficient of scoring for the final ranking to national title, Palermo-Montecarlo race is 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.
The event is also 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: Tasca d'Almerita and Porsche, Centro Porsche Palermo.
www.palermo-montecarlo.it/2023/it