Yachting: Monaco Triumphs at the Admiral’s Cup, Historic Victory for the Yacht Club

Yachting: Monaco Triumphs at the Admiral's Cup, Historic Victory for the Yacht Club GNW

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MONACO, Aug. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — First participation and first historic victory: Yacht Club de Monaco wins the 2025 Admiral’s Cup with a nail-biting finale. Led by the YCM’s vice-president, Pierre Casiraghi (Jolt 6), and Peter Harrison (Jolt 3), the two Monegasque teams dominated the Rolex Fastnet Race, the final and decisive event (coefficient 3) of the trophy, surpassing the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.

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In its very first appearance, YCM claimed victory in a revived edition of the Admiral’s Cup after more than twenty years, which saw 15 nations compete across three stages: the Channel Race (160 miles, coeff. 2), six inshore races in the Solent, and finally the Rolex Fastnet Race. It was over the final 695 miles that the overall standings were decided.

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Pierre Casiraghi, at the helm of Jolt 6, won his class on corrected time. “Honestly, I still can’t believe what we’ve achieved. Winning the Admiral’s Cup in its revival and on Monaco’s debut, is indescribable. I’m not a professional helm, and this was the most exhausting race I’ve ever done.” He went on to praise the entire team: “We knew the Fastnet would be decisive and our team executed it flawlessly. Will Harris, our navigator, was phenomenal, he didn’t miss a beat. From the moment we exited the Solent, everything went to plan. We held the lead, fought off relentless pressure from Callisto (RNZYS) and Beau Ideal (RHKYC), and made every move count. It was truly a collective effort, from the sailors to the shore crew. I hope this inspires the new generation of young sailors at YCM – they followed our every move. Right now, I’m exhausted and can’t imagine doing another offshore on a 42-footer anytime soon, but it’s been a magical journey.”

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Jolt 3 also delivered a strong performance with Peter Harrison, finishing third in real time in the AC Class 1: “This is without a doubt the biggest result I’ve ever had in sailing and I doubt it will ever be topped. Helping bring Yacht Club de Monaco its first Admiral’s Cup victory at the first attempt is simply extraordinary.” He added: “From the start, Pierre Casiraghi and I believed in this campaign. The Club was fully behind us, and with Matt Adams coordinating and a world-class team around us we built something truly special. It’s a huge moment for Monaco and I believe it firmly establishes YCM as a force in offshore sailing. The event was impeccably run and every race completed. Full credit to the RORC team.”

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With Jolt 3 placing first in AC Class 1 and Jolt 6 second in AC Class 2, Monaco secured the team trophy with a 16-point lead over the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. The award ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, July 31 at 6:00 p.m. at the Rolex Fastnet Race Event Village.

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Other YCM crews also posted strong results: Black Jack 100, skippered by Remon Vos (with Tristan Le Brun), won the Monohull Line Honours ahead of Leopard 3; Rayon Vert, helmed by Oren Nataf, finished 19th among multihulls. Young sailor Didier Schouten completed his first major Channel crossing aboard Ocean Breeze.

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Focus now shifts to The Ocean Race Europe (August 10 – September 21): Will Harris and Cole Brauer will return to sea aboard Malizia-Seaexplorer, with stops in Kiel, Portsmouth, Porto, Cartagena, Nice, Genoa, and a final arrival in Montenegro.

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