History

The Palermo-Montecarlo is an offshore regatta among the most important and renowned in the Mediterranean Sea. The race is part of numerous international circuits including the Italian Offshore Championship of the Italian Sailing Federation, the Mediterranean Offshore Trophy, the Owner of the Year delivered by UVAI association and the IRC Championnat et Trophees Inshore and Offshore Mediterranee en Equipages.

In 2015, the regatta has been included in the IMA-Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge circuit, a trophy dedicated to Maxi Yachts that for 2018 also includes other events such as Rolex Middle Sea Race, Tre Golfi Regatta, 151 Miglia-Cetilar Trophy and Giraglia Rolex Cup.

Founded in 2005 following both wishes from Principality of Monaco Consul and the City of Palermo sports council to unite two historically friendly cities through a yacht race, the Palermo-Montecarlo offers a regatta with high technical contents and beautiful landscapes to all sailing lovers.

Over the years, many world famous boats have started the race, left the magnificent Gulf of Mondello, crossed the Strait of Bonifacio and cutted the finish line in the bay of Monaco after 500 nautical miles on the sea: from Steinlager 2, the legendary ketch winner the round the world race (Whitbread 1989-90) with Sir Peter Blake at the helm, to super maxis such as Esimit Europa 2 or Senso One, to name only a few of the best known boats.

Olympic sailors, main figures of the most important transoceanic regattas in the world, champions of the America's Cup have given prestige and sporting value to our regatta, allowing year after year an exponential growth in terms of number and technical level of the sailors: from the famous Azzurra and Luna Rossa skippers, Mauro Pelaschier to Francesco De Angelis, through top sailors such as Pietro D'Alì, Gabriele Bruni, Flavio Favini, Lorenzo Bressani, Tommaso Chieffi and Alberto Bolzan, to the German Jochen Schuemann, the Australian Mitch Booth and the French Lionel Péan, Philippe Monnet and Catherine Chabaud, the list is long and includes a lot of great international sailing names. They all found in the Palermo-Montecarlo a unique event in the Mediterranean, a challenge based on tactics, tacks and jibes.

The regatta's record is held by Igor Simcic's maxi Esimit Europa 2, main player in several editions: completing the course in 47 hours, 46 minutes and 48 seconds in 2015, he smashed the previous record of one hour and fifteen minutes. In addition to the victory in real time, beating this record remains one of the targets for the Maxi Yachts expected on the starting line of the next 14th edition of the Palermo-Montecarlo, scheduled from 21 to 26 August 2018.