Record number of participants at the opening of the 42nd edition of the West Liguria Winter Championship: nearly 60 boats entered the Trophée Grimaldi, organized together with the Yacht Club de Monaco and the Yacht Club Cala del Forte.
The Grimaldi represents one of the most anticipated events in the autumn calendar of Western Liguria and the French Riviera: a course, characterized by a breathtaking stretch of coastline, which every year attracts a diverse fleet of high-performance boats, cruiser-racers, and cruising yachts. Unfortunately, due to weather conditions, about fifteen boats from Eastern Liguria and Tuscany were unable to reach the race course.
On the first two days, strong Mistral winds of 28-32 knots and short waves of three to four meters—which would have put crews and equipment to the test—prevented the scheduled races from taking place, penalizing the traditional Sanremo–Ventimiglia–Monaco race and the subsequent welcoming in the respective marinas.
On Sunday, long waves and winds averaging 6 knots: thanks to the tenacity of the Committee, it was possible to hold a shortened coastal race, which saw Antonino Venneri’s Swan 42 Suspiria The Revenge triumph in the Overall, ORC, and IRC ranking (with some young athletes from our club on board), reconfirming the 2024 title.
In ORC 2 and ORC 3, the victories went to Gina Zaoli’s Resolute Salmon, helmed by our President Beppe Zaoli, and Gian Piero Francese’s Beatrice of CN San Bartolomeo. In the other categories, victories went to member Dario Gioffredo’s Swan 42 Melissa II in the Cruise category and Alessandro Agosta’s Tofinou 12 Grazia in the FIV Rating category.
The eagerly awaited cocktail dinner for the crews was held at the Yacht Club de Monaco on Saturday evening: a traditional convivial occasion, marked by friendship and a passion for sailing, with music and dancing until late at night.
We thank all the crews, the Race Committee, the staff, partners, and sponsors for their collaboration and support, and look forward to the next stages of the West Liguria Winter Championship: November 15-16 and 29-30 with the Autunno in Regata Championship, which is combined, on the second weekend, with the 5° Gorilla Gang Cup & Giuseppe Statari Trophy.
Overall and ORC 1
- FRA42042 SUSPIRIA THE REVENGE by Venneri Antonino, YC Marina Rafael
- ITA15000 CHANGE TRANSPARENT by Zaoli Andrea, YC Sanremo
- GBR45026 MISS K CHECKMATE by Babando Pier Marco, YC Sanremo
ORC 2
- USA20456 RESOLUTE SALMON by Zaoli Gina, Capo Verde Sailing Club
- ITA21112 THE SEA PINGONE IIII by Stoppani Federico, YC Sanremo
- ITA13933 VEGA by Orlando Francesco YC Sanremo
ORC 3
- ESP5968 BEATRICE by Francese Gian Piero, CN San Bartolomeo
- ITA746J80 JOKER by Castiglia Anna, Porto Maurizio YC
- ITA17467 SMALL by Nasuti Roberto, LNI Savona
IRC
- FRA42042 SUSPIRIA THE REVENGE by Venneri Antonino, YC Marina Rafael
- GBR45026 MISS K CHECKMATE by Babando Pier Marco, YC Sanremo
- ITA15000 CHANGE TRANSPARENT by Zaoli Andrea, YC Sanremo
Cruise
- ITA9427 MELISSA II by Gioffredo Dario, YC Sanremo
- ITA15056 CIRCE by Nasuti Andrea Vele&Vento, CN Vadese Wind
- ITA15877 VIRGINIA by Vinci Salvatore, YC Aregai
FIV Rating
- DRAGLIE8 GRAZIA by Agosta Alessandro
- ITA28 TURNASI by Manuguerra Giovanni, YC Sanremo
- DRAGLIE19 HAKUNA MATATA by Lanteri Olimpio, YC Cala del Forte
All rankings are available online here: https://www.racingrulesofsailing.org/documents/12806/event