The stories from each boat confirm: it was a tough edition, with strong winds, waves, and storms.
A recap of the day and the forecast: it will be a long night of finishes.
Tracking to follow the race
Thursday, August 21, will be long remembered in the history of the Palermo-Montecarlo: it began shortly before 3:00 AM in the middle of the night with the arrival of the Monegasque maxi Black Jack, which, in addition to taking line honors, also set a new, astonishing race record: 38 hours, 53 minutes, and 16 seconds. The day continued with the sprint for the podium, which saw the Turkish TP52 Arkas Blue Moon finished second, the foiling catamaran Falcon third, while the Austrian VO65 Sisi had to settle for fourth place in real time.
Falcon’s owner, Matteo Uliassi: “It was a beautiful race, windy and fast. We’re happy because we finally managed to fly for long stretches. We reached speeds of up to 30 knots with the sirocco, approaching the Strait of Messina with flat water and 25 knots of wind—an unforgettable adrenaline rush.”
Falcon’s skipper, Shannon Falcone, echoed his sentiments: “I’m happy the boat was able to perform at its best. After all the races this season had featured light winds, the Palermo-Montecarlo was surprising. We managed the boat well, with a new crew and therefore with the primary goal of not breaking anything and finishing the race, so at times we were underpowered. I have to congratulate the owner; Matteo helmed a lot and had fun.”
The fifth boat to cross the finish line in Monaco was the French mini maxi Intuition, a Reichel Pugh 69-footer, at 3:36 PM, followed in sixth place, also in real time, by the Mylius 60 Manticore, owned by Franz Baruffaldi Preis and flying the colors of the Circolo Velico Sferracavallo. Also on board were Ganga Bruni, Ettore Botticini, Andrea Casale, and navigator Andrea Fornaro, a boat that undoubtedly ran a top-class race.
Late in the afternoon, shortly after 6:00 PM, as thunder and lightning gathered in the hills surrounding the Principality of Monaco, the ICE52 No Regret, owned by Felice Egidi, completed the final miles to the finish line. The ICE52 sailed under skipper Edoardo Bonanno, flying the pennant of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia. Also on board were Gaetano Figlia di Granara, Nello Pavoni, Gaetano’s sons Riccardo and Federico, Antonio Saporito, Andrea Sangiorgi, Claudio De Fontes, Emanuele Nasini, Oscar Crocellà, Emilio Mattiolo, and bowman Albatros Turco.
Edoardo Bonanno, skipper of No Regret: “I have to congratulate all the crew, they did a fantastic job. We had difficult and challenging conditions, with lots of wind and especially lots of waves. We found ourselves sailing in 30-knot winds downwind with the asymmetric sail and also upwind. The imperative was not to break anything and finish the race as best we could. We’re waiting for the final results, but we’re satisfied.”
With a largely provisional outcome and with many boats still to cross the finish line, No Regret, as of the evening of Thursday, August 21st, after the arrival of seven boats, occupies the top spot in the overall standings in the ORC group, the largest.
Meanwhile, a long night of arrivals is expected at the Yacht Club de Monaco: Peppe Fornich’s Sagola Lauria Farr 45 is expected around 10:00 PM, followed after midnight by the French Swan 56 Azahar, then Favorit, another Montenegrin Farr 45, and in the dead of night the Swan 42 Tengher, crewed by Alberto Magnani and Mario Rabbò, and Felix III, Fabrizio Scimè’s Oceanis 46 from Canottieri Palermo. Then, the arrival is expected at dawn for Gorilla Gang XL, Andrea Statari’s Comet 38 flying the YC de Monaco pennant, which will open a series of other arrivals throughout the day. The 2025 Palermo-Montecarlo, celebrating its twentieth anniversary, has proven to be a very fast race.
Here’s the tracking link to check the positions: https://cf.yb.tl/pm2025
PRESS INFO
THE RACE
Organized by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia in collaboration with the Yacht Club de Monaco and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, the 20th Palermo-Montecarlo race is approaching a record number of entrants and features a fleet of 45 boats ranging from 9.50 to 30 meters, representing nine nations: Italy, with 27 crews, Monaco (7), France (4), Poland (2), Austria, Germany, Great Britain, San Marino, and Turkey (1).
PARTNERS
The 20th Palermo-Montecarlo race is supported by the Municipality of Palermo, the 400th + 1st Festino di Santa Rosalia, with the participation of the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the support of Fondazione Sicilia, UniCredit, Tasca Conti d’Almerita, and the partnership with Centro Porsche Palermo, Premiati Oleifici Barbera, Famila, and Immedia.