The 10th Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series: A Monegasque Clean Sweep!

The Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series is an exciting monthly programme of regattas and training weekends for the one-design J70 boats from December to March.

Now in its second Act of the series it continues to prove to be a very successful format with more than 350 sailors coming from across Europe to set up their winter training base in the Principality to prepare for the upcoming season’s big meetings.

For Monegasque teams, this Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series is their qualifier for the J/70 World Championship and they leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of dominance in this event.

The First Act

You’ll remember the first Act last month when a couple of weeks after the J/70 World Championship, organised for the first time by Yacht Club de Monaco in October, the Regatta was in in Monaco’s bay for Act 1 of this 10th Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series with around 30 teams from six nations. 

It was a feisty intro with a stiff 20-25 knot breeze on the first day gusting 27 and kicking up plenty of spray which had clearly reminded contestants it was autumn.

This first day of Act 1 set the trend as there was no negotiation at the head of the pack between the first five, all YCM members, led by Graeme Peterson (Moonlight II) ahead of Stefano Roberti (Piccinina) and Cesare Gabasio (Tinn J70). In 4th and 5th, we had Ludovico Fassitelli (Junda) and Pierrik Devic (Leonteq), respectively World Vice-Champions in the One Pro and Open of the 2022 Worlds.

December’s Second Act

Fast forward to this month’s racing and the Monegasques yet again left no room for suspense on the Saturday by dominating this second act of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series held at Monaco Yacht Club.

The jousting promised to be lively between the around the thirty crews. The conditions were as expected for this time of season with a southerly, south-westerly breeze of around ten knots.

This tenth edition had once again the locals shining and packing the winning list. On the first day, Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio (G-Spot) set the pace by winning both races.

The foreign crews did not really get a look-in. In fact the first foreign crew, the Swiss of Jacqueline, were in sixth place, but they were able to celebrate as winners in the Corinthian (amateur) category.

The teams of the Yacht-club of Monaco monopolized the top 5 positions.

In the general classification, Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio beat his Monegasque competitors on the podium Pierrik Devic (Leonteq) and Ludovico Fassitelli (Junda). In 4th and 5th position were Graeme Peterson (Moonlight II) and Stefano Roberti (Piccinina).

Make room in your calendar for the next Regattas in this Series:

• Act #3: 2-5 February 2023
• Act #4: 2-5 March 2023 (39th Primo Cup – Trophée Credit Suisse)