Monaco claims Admiral’s Cup
Admiral’s Cup 2025 : Yacht Club de Monaco makes history. After three stages of relentless competition, the Admiral’s Cup returned to the international sailing stage this summer and ended with a historic triumph for the Yacht Club de Monaco. For the first time in its history, Monaco entered the competition – and for the first time, it won.
The decisive moment came in the Rolex Fastnet Race, a gruelling 695-mile offshore challenge that concluded the Admiral’s Cup programme. With Pierre Casiraghi steering Jolt 6 and Peter Harrison skippering Jolt 3, the two-boat Monaco squad navigated the tightest of margins to secure overall victory in the team ranking, ahead of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.
The result propels Monaco into an elite circle of clubs that have managed to engrave their name on the trophy of one of offshore sailing’s most prestigious competitions.
The deciding race pushed both boats and crews to their limits. On corrected time, Jolt 6 took victory in its class, edging out rivals in the final stages after a tense duel across the Channel and back to Cherbourg.
Jolt 3, meanwhile, produced a strong performance in AC Class 1, securing a podium place that proved crucial in the team’s final points tally.
Pierre Casiraghi admitted to being overwhelmed by the scale of the achievement: “To win the Admiral’s Cup in its revival year, and at our first attempt, is something I never thought possible. This was the hardest offshore race I’ve ever sailed. But our crew was flawless. From the moment we left the Solent, every decision was spot on, and we managed to hold off constant pressure from our closest rivals. For Monaco, this is a piece of history.”
His Jolt 6 crew included seasoned professionals such as Ben Saxton, Joey Newton, Will Harris and Cole Brauer, whose collective experience made the difference when fatigue and weather turned against them.
Harris, in particular, was singled out for his navigation – a decisive element in keeping Jolt 6 in front.
On Jolt 3, Peter Harrison shared the sense of disbelief: “This is without doubt the biggest sailing result of my life. Pierre and I believed in the campaign from the start, and the Yacht Club gave us everything we needed. It was about trust and chemistry, and everyone delivered. To bring the Admiral’s Cup to Monaco, at the very first attempt, is extraordinary. I doubt I’ll ever top this.”
A demanding format
The 2025 edition marked the return of the Admiral’s Cup after two decades of absence. Fifteen nations competed, each fielding two boats across three stages. The Channel Race opened proceedings with 160 nautical miles offshore, followed by six short-course races in the Solent, before the Fastnet’s offshore marathon decided the outcome.
The structure rewarded consistency but weighted the decisive Fastnet more heavily, with triple points on offer. Monaco’s ability to combine inshore discipline with offshore endurance proved key. By the end of eight races, Jolt 3 had won AC Class 1, Jolt 6 had taken second in AC Class 2, and their combined tally left Monaco 16 points clear of Hong Kong.
The prize-giving is scheduled for 31 July in Cherbourg, bringing the curtain down on a competition that once again showed why the Admiral’s Cup carries such weight in the sport’s history.
Monaco’s wider presence
Beyond the winning team, other Monaco-flagged entries made their mark in this year’s Fastnet. Remon Vos’s Black Jack 100, helmed by Tristan Le Brun, crossed the line first among monohulls, ahead of Leopard 3. In the multihull fleet, Oren Nataf’s Rayon Vert placed 19th on real time. And at the other end of the experience spectrum, young YCM sailor Didier Schouten completed one of his first major cross-Channel races aboard Ocean Breeze, an initiation into offshore sailing he will not soon forget. For the Yacht Club de Monaco, the victory is both symbolic and practical: it signals the arrival of the Principality as a genuine contender in offshore racing. For Casiraghi, Harrison and their crews, it is the culmination of a campaign built on trust, skill and stamina. And for the Admiral’s Cup, it marks a revival that lived up to its billing – fierce, demanding, and unforgettable.
