21st Palermo-Montecarlo Regatta - Black Jack 100 takes Line Honours
by Palermo-Montecarlo 20 Aug 17:41 BST
18-23 August 2026
21st Palermo-Montecarlo Regatta - Black Jack 100 takes Line Honors © Palermo-Montecarlo
The timeless and invincible 100-foot (30-meter) supermaxi, Black Jack 100, strikes again: she wins the 21st edition of the Palermo-Montecarlo 2026 in real time, taking Line Honours and thus the Giuseppe Tasca D'Almerita Challenge Trophy.
This is the third consecutive victory for Black Jack in the regatta organized by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia in collaboration with the Yacht Club de Monaco and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.
The yacht appeared on the horizon between clouds and lightning off the coast of Monte Carlo around 11:00 a.m., joined by the support and medium dinghies. The final mile was sailed in decreasing winds, making several approach gybes, until crossing the finish line shortly after 11:45 a.m., completing the course in 47 hours, 26 minutes, and 44 seconds. The record set by the same vessel in 2025 (38 hours and 53 minutes) still stands, partly because, as skipper Tristan Le Brun explained, the weather conditions during the race were highly variable, with periods of calm alternating with gusts of wind. Shortly before the finish, lightning struck a few meters from the winning maxi, causing a blackout in the electronic systems, which the crew later restored.
The next boat approaching is the 86-foot Marta07 of the Fast and Furio Sailing Team, crewed by Furio Benussi, Guido Miani of the Yacht Club de Monaco, Edoardo Bonanno and Antonio Saporito of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, and flying the double pennant of the two organising clubs. Arrival is expected in the evening, between 7 and 9 PM, depending on the wind.
Then, likely by midnight, two other boats sailing very close together will arrive: the 78-foot Fiamme Gialle Nice, skippered by Francesco Nerone and helmed by Paolo Cian, and the Turkish TP52 Arkas Blue Moon, skippered by Sehrat Altay. Following are the 69-foot Intuition and the VO65 Sisi, which will likely cross the line during the night or dawn of Friday the 21st.
The temporary suspension of the race between 5 am and 1 pm on Friday the 21st
A painful, inevitable one, imposed by the consistent forecasts of the weather models that indicate with certainty the rapid passage of a low-pressure front between the Strait of Bonifacio, Corsica, and extending along the Ligurian and Corsican Seas to the Principality of Monaco, with winds of up to 60 and even 80 knots.
Race Director Giancarlo Crevatin's statement reads, among other things, as follows: "Between 5:00 AM and 1:00 PM on August 21, 2026, the race must be considered temporarily suspended (not abandoned or postponed). During this time, all boats must be considered not racing and MUST be in a safe position and condition, adequately sheltered from wind and waves. The Race Organization is not responsible for the selection of shelter and its provision. All boats MUST inform the Race Committee when they abandon the course, no later than 5:00 AM to seek shelter, and when they resume, no earlier than 1:00 PM. Boats must use their best efforts to restart from the same point where they decided to abandon the course. The time between the two messages will be subtracted from the actual time before calculating the correct time in the results. The time limit set forth in the Sailing Instructions will not be changed."
After the first five, perhaps six, boats arrive in Monte Carlo, all the others will dock in safe harbors until the front passes, which forecasts predict will be violent but also fast, and should give way to more favorable conditions to conclude the race.
Updates and media releases will follow.
Tracking link to follow the race: pro.yb.tl/pm2026
www.palermo-montecarlo.it