G-SPOT Leads Monaco J/70 Winter Series- Act I
(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- As they have since 2013, the Yacht Club de Monaco launched their Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series, offering J/70 teams a window of competition in the middle of winter on one of the most consistent venues in the Mediterranean.
Twenty-five teams from seven nations competed for Act 1 from November 6th to 9th, with YC Monaco members fielding a particularly strong fleet. In fact, YC Monaco currently boasts one of the highest concentrations of J/70s in the Mediterranean, with seventeen boats registered in the J/70 Monaco Class Association. As a result, every year the Principality attracts international teams looking to train under race conditions against a competitive and well-represented fleet. With steady breezes, clear seas, and well-oiled organization, it has become a popular winter training ground to test equipment, rotate crew, and validate tactical decisions ahead of the major competitions.
The series of monthly regattas continues into the spring. Last year saw twenty races completed, testimony to the consistent, yet often technically challenging, weather conditions. The format remains the same, the aim being to launch back-to-back short races with no downtime in between.
The new season opened with a title up for grabs. Last year’s champion, Monegasque sailor Stefano Roberti’s PICCININA, returned to the fleet with one goal in mind: to defend his crown. There is no shortage of contenders, including the French EURO-VOILES team, finalist in the last championship, Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio’s G-SPOT, FRASER YACHTS helmed by Pierrik Devic, Graeme Peterson’s MOONLIGHT II, and a number of foreign teams already very familiar with the Monaco race area.
The suspense was short-lived as YC de Monaco member Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio’s G-SPOT took control from the start to win five of the eight races for a total of 9 pts net. His crew consisted of Franci Alessandro, Karlo Jmeljak, and Tonci Stipanovic. Relentlessly consistent whatever the conditions, the Monegasque G-SPOT team finished nine points ahead of the Italians on ALICE, the only ones to keep pace with them in Saturday’s closely contested races. Taking the silver medal was Federico Leproux’s ALICE and crew of Alessio Marinelli, Nevio Sabadin, Gabrielle Benussi, and Massimo Gherardincci, who managed to win two races in their 18 pts net performance.
The French on EURO-VOILES completed the podium with the bronze medal after a solid performance on the last day. Led by Denis Infante, his French EURO-VOILES team included Louis Barbet, Franciois Barbet, and Theo Di Guglielmo.
The balance of the top five included two more local YC Monaco members, Nico Poons’s CHARISMA V and Pierre Devic’s FRASER YACHTS, in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Corinthians Division
EURO-VOILES also won the Corinthian category, ahead of the two Swiss teams on TARTE-3NUITS.COM and RHUBARBE-3NUITS.COM. Here, too, there was not much between them with tight finishes on several of the races. The second-place TARTE-3NUITS.COM team was led by Lorenz Kausche with a crew of Emmanuel Muller, Pascal Abegg, and Timon Kausche. The third-place RHUBARBE-3NUITS.COM team was led by Max Haensler with a crew of Fred Haensler, David Dillier, and Loic Renevey.
Next regatta
The J/70 fleet will be back out on the water for Act II, December 4th to 7th, 2025. There is everything to play for as the gaps seen this weekend point to an exciting season ahead, where each race could have a significant impact on the final results.
For more Monaco J/70 Winter Series sailing information
https://yacht-club-monaco.mc/en/event/sport-event/monaco-sportsboat-winter-series/