Admirals Cup: Hong Kong moves to the top, Monaco second - Day 3
by Richard Gladwell in Cowes 23 Jul 12:52 PDT
Django WRS1 rounds the John Fisher mark - Race 4 - Day 3 - 2025 Admirals' Cup - July 23, 2025 © Richard Gladwell - Sail-World.com/nz
The wind and the leaderboard did the big switcheroo on the third day of racing in the 2025 Admirals Cup.
Today's forecast was for light winds in the Solent, with the intention to race two more inshore races, just off the Royal Ocean Racing Club on the Cowes foreshore.
New Zealand (Royal NZ Yacht Squadron) has eased away from Italy to be a clear third overall on 46pts, with Yacht Club Costa Smeralda on 48pts. Sweden is 5th with 59pts, Australia 6th on 65pts and the first of two teams representing the Royal Ocean Racing Club is on 56pts for 7th overall.
Overnight the breeze swung from the south to the north and dropped - with the fleet racing in light winds and a reduced tidal flow. The wind continued to lighten and swing. Race officials attempted to start the second race of the day, however sailing on a near windless Solent came to an inevitable end, with the race being called off just after the lead boat in the 50fters had rounded the John Fisher* mark, and just after the 40fters had started their race.
Again consistency paid a big dividend for the teams, with Hong Kong scoring second on both the AC1 (50fter) and AC2 (40fter) divisions.
Yacht Club de Monaco (MON) who were the overnight points leader in this teams event, won AC1, with Jolt 3 turning in a solid performance in difficult shifty conditions. But their 40fter Jolt 6, finished in fifth place, with the two points differential on the day being enough to reverse the top two places on the leaderboard. They are still just 1pt apart but Hong Kong is now on 31pts (up from 27pts after Day 2) with Monaco now on 32pts (26 after Day 2).
The top individual boat in the 40fters (AC2), Callisto sailing for RNZYS got away to a good start and was leading their division. They were one of the first to tack across, however the soon to be lead group led by the US 40fter Abracadabra (Kerr 43) began lifting on the left hand side of the course, and when they came to cross the fleet, hitched a ride on a second lift, and enjoyed a big advantage at the top mark.
Callisto (NZL) dropped back into the peleton, getting as low as 11th in the 15 boat fleet. Monaco's Jolt 6 and Hong Kong's Beau Ideal struggled at times in the tough racing conditions, but kept in contact with the leaders, despite some massive windshifts, with Jolt 6 finishing 5th and the consistent Beau Ideal (HKG) finishing second for the third time in the four race series. Today's race was won by the Royal Swedish YC's Nola, racing as part of the Baltic team. Nola dropped back to be fifth at one stage on the second windward, but played the breeze to perfection, climbing back to the front of the fleet in the top half of the second beat. Callisto retained the top slot of the 40fter AC2 individual points table, by just 1pt
In the 50fters, the Beau Geste/Jolt3 donnybrook resumed right from the start of the four leg windward leeward course - and continued to the finish with the lower rating Jolt3 sitting on Beau Geste's starboard quarter at the finish and doing more than enough to take first place on IRC. New Zealand's Caro (Botin 52) had a better day finishing third on the water, and fifth overall - lifting the Kiwi team to third overall.
The breeze is predicted to be more substantial on Thursday when three races will be attempted on in the Central Solent - with the venue shifting from Christchurch Bay.
The Rolex Fastnet Race starts on Saturday, with no-one really prepared to predict an outcome, other than to say that historically the outcome of the Admirals' Cup has always depended on the team performances in the triple scoring 690nm race.
Overall Hong Kong tops the Admirals' Cup leaderboard, with Monaco second overall.
Inshore racing continues on Thursday, with three races planned for Central Solent with moderate Northerlies forecast.
* The John Fisher mark was laid in the Solent, off Cowes in memory of John Fisher, British born, but resident in Australia, who was lost overboard, close to Point Nemo, 1400nm from Cape Horn during a 40-45kt Southern Ocean gale in the 2017 Volvo Ocean Race, on March 26, 2018. John was a top sailor and great person, who will never be forgotten.
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