9th Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series Act 1 underway
by Isabelle Andrieux 4 Nov 2021 16:00 PDT
4-7 November 2021
9th Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series © Martin Messmer
Major on-site test for the for the J/70 sailors ahead of the worlds next year
Act 1 of the 9th Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series starts today. Launched in 2013 by Yacht Club de Monaco, the series of monthly regattas has become a tradition for many international teams, with this season's series taking on special significance for J/70 sailors with just under a year to go to the J/70 World Championship in Monaco (14-22 October 2022), organised by YCM.
Surfing the wave
A major force in the sailing world, Yacht Club de Monaco knows how to give competitors who decide to rig up in the Principality what they want. To set a precedent, YCM are pulling out all the stops for this season's Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series which is set to attract some of the top sailors for this ninth edition, with around 40 teams from 14 nationalities for this first Act. From Friday an 8-10 knot easterly is expected, strengthening over night to an up to 20-knot westerly on Saturday. Great conditions to warm-up competitors.
The Germans on Grün and Americans on Good to Go will be joining the meeting's regulars, like the talented British team on Brutus II. Also of note are newcomers among the Monegasque ranks, with Moonlight II and the Russian teams on Tenzor Legal and Tenzor Sport signed up.
Monegasque Loïc Pompée and his men on Sailing Racing Team will also be there, buoyed by their 5th place in the recent European Championship, their hearts set this time on a podium finish at home.
Qualifier warm-up
This season the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series is part of the qualification system for the J/70 World Championship (14-22 October 2022) being organised for the first time by Yacht Club de Monaco in partnership with FxPro. The 120 teams that qualify will be in two groups: one for those competing in the Open category and the second for the Corinthian (amateur) teams, and this Winter Series is a great opportunity for contenders to get to know the Monegasque race area.
The 38th Primo Cup-Trophée Credit Suisse (3-6 March 2022) counts as the fourth and final Act, and will be the last major on-location test event for those qualifying for the J/70 World Championship.