19th Palermo-Montecarlo Regatta starts in August 2024
by Palermo-Montecarlo 4 Apr 2024 17:36 BST
20-25 August 2024
Palermo-Montecarlo Regatta © Circolo della Vela Sicilia / Studio Borlenghi
Just five months away from the Palermo-Montecarlo 2024, the 19th edition of the offshore race organised by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia in collaboration with the Yacht Club de Monaco and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, under the aegis of Italian Sailing Federation, UVAI (Unione Vela d'Altura Italiana) and IMA (International Maxi Association).
First Registrations - About ten boats have already entered the Palermo-Montecarlo 2024, including the TP52 Judel-Vrolijk Red Bandit, of the German shipowner Carl-Peter Forster, the last year Giraglia winner, and the return of Swan 42 Be Wild, owned by Renzo Grottesi from Marche, boat and crew with a remarkable palmares.
A welcome return for the all-female French crew of Moogli, the Marseille skipper Carolin Petit Dufour 36, and for Scheggia, the Sun Fast 3200, of another French owner, Jean-Louis Damble.
Confirmed the presence of a number of Class40, as the race is included in their Mediterranean Trophy organized by Kito De Pavant, the famous French navigator, who boasts numerous Palermo-Montecarlo. For the Class40 boats, it's to point out some latest generation boats and among these the participation of Alberto Riva with Acrobatica, coming from Atlantic enterprises, is announced. You will not miss surprises.
As always, the great expectations concern the big Maxis: after Line Honours Black Jack in the last year, the 100-foot race record holder Esimit Europa 2, owned by Australian Peter Hamburg, could return. Among the possible suitors to the record, there is always the 100-foot Arca SGR of Furio Benussi (Fast and Furio Sailing Team), ready for a new intense season after a boatyard winter. After all the big boats never miss on the Italian seas and the Palermo-Montecarlo.
The online Race Notice, with the possibility to register online on the official website, provides an important novelty: the possibility for a boat that has the double ORC and IRC tonnage certificate, to partecipate in both rankings, whereas in previous years it was necessary to choose one.
The Rosalia 400 Project - The city of Palermo hosts in 2024 an important event, a special occasion at the same time for the race participants: the 400 years after Santa Rosalia's remains discovery, the Patroness of Palermo on Monte Pellegrino. To celebrate the anniversary, the Fondazione Sicilia has created the Rosalia400 project. According to tradition, the remains discovery coincides with the end of the terrible plague that tormented the city (1624).
Today, considering the recent pandemic that afflicted all humanity, leaving deeply traces of social, economic and psychological distress especially in the most fragile and often least involved in cultural participation stratas, the Fondazione Sicilia, Palermo-Montecarlo Race partner for years, wants to contribute to the social, education and sustainable education care with a program of cultural, artistic, literary, editorial initiatives, based on the knowledge, enhancement and dissemination of the Fondazione Sicilia identity heritage, which houses in the extraordinary architectural monument of Monte dei Pegni di Santa Rosalia, Palazzo Branciforte, a complex wooden architecture that extends over an entire wing of the building, within which is exposed a coordinated graphics of "Rosalia 400"sail.
The project involves many city's cultural, religious, social and sports institutions, that all together collaborate in initiatives to promote and deepen the event. Many artists participate to create the project different components and a Scientific Committee was established. The writer Dacia Maraini has written a narrative work on the myth and religious history of Santa Rosalia, that will become a sound installation available inside the titled to Santa Rosalia Monte dei Pegni. An alabaster sculpture of Santa Rosalia exposed inside the Palazzo Branciforte, will accompany the listening of the voice of the writer.
The institutional image is represented by a brand made of three similar and different components that represent tradition, storytelling and technology. The on a sail reproduced symbol of Project Rosalia400, will sail in the Gulf of Mondello during the regatta start. The whole series of initiatives offer participants an opportunity to live unique artistic and cultural moments in the history of Palermo.
The Circolo della Vela Sicilia President Agostino Randazzo, emphasizes the collaboration with the Fondazione Sicilia for the 400 years after the Santa Rosalia's remains discovery commemorations: "The Fondazione Sicilia honours us with the collaboration on the 400th anniversary of Santa Rosalia celebrations, recognising the sport of offshore sailing and our along the Mediterranean race, to be a vehicle of the message and values of a historic event for the city. This represents an extraordinary opportunity to involve our international regatta sportsmen, owners, sailors, in the intense cultural, social and religious life of Palermo moments."
Meanwhile, in the coming months, the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, the Italian Challenge Club of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli at the 37th America's Cup, will go on a Palermo-Montecarlo promotion tour in the main offshore regattas.
Included in the circuit of "long" Italian Offshore Sailing Championship FIV regattas, as one of the highest coefficient for final classification score, the Palermo-Montecarlo 500 miles are also part of the following prestigious circuits: the IMA Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge; the Mediterranean Offshore Trophy; the Mediterranean Trophy for the Class40; and the 2024 edition of the Championnat et Trophées Inshore et Offshore Méditerranée en Équipages-IRC.
www.palermo-montecarlo.it