16th Palermo-Montecarlo – 21-26 August 2021

 

Sunday 22nd August 2021. The first hours of this race will not have been easy on the nerves of the 47 teams in competition, a light 5/6 knot breeze blowing away any hopes of breaking the course record held since 2015 by the 100-ft Maxi Esimit Europa 2. YCM’s Guido Miani and his son Daniel who are sailing on Arca SGR took command from the start. Also taking part is Neil Cheston on Eupraxia with members from the YCM’s adult sailing division on board.

 

Hunting air

The fleet’s been in tacking mode since the start on Saturday, the goal being to get north as quickly as possible to grab a westerly air flow between Corsica and Sardinia. End of Sunday will see conditions strengthening, unblocking speedometers and shaking up the fleet which should result in a nail-biting end to the race! The first to arrive are not likely to be the leaders in corrected time as the wind is expected to whisk laggards to Monegasque shores between Corsica and the mainland. Some will opt to go up Corsica on the east side, if they haven’t crossed the Strait of Bonifacio before Monday evening. With three circumnavigations on the clock, Neil Cheston is also taking part on Eupraxia and offered many members in the Sports Section’s adult sailing division an opportunity to enjoy this offshore experience for the first time.