22nd Primo Cup - Credit Suisse Trophy

Crews head to Monaco for two weekends of keelboat racing

Each year, during the two first weekends of February, the Yacht Club de Monaco organises the traditional opening of the Mediterranean Yachting Season by hosting the Primo Cup – Credit Suisse Trophy. The 2006 edition is the 22nd running of the event.

Numerous professional and amateur sailors are participating in eleven selected one-design categories. Competing classes are : Dragon, Bénéteau 25, J24, Mumm 30, Smeralda 888, Star, Surprise, Melges 24 and First Class 7.5 – with a minimum of 8 entries per category. This year, two new categories have been added: the Laser SB3 and the First 40.7.

In order to facilitate time-schedules for the ever more numerous crews from abroad, each competitive series is grouped, with racing held over three consecutive days:
Friday 03 to 05 February 2006 : Star, Surprise, J/24, Laser SB3, and Dragon
Friday 10 to Sunday 12 February 2006: Mumm30, Melges 24, First Class 7.5, First 40.7, Bénéteau 25, and Smeralda 888

Such a schedule encourages competitors from all over Europe. Strong contingents from Germany, Sweden, Finland, Holland, Ireland, Austria, and Russia are entered. In all, for the two weekends, 200 boats have registered, representing 15 nationalities, and crewed by about 1000 sailors.

As is customary for the Primo Cup, the above traditional series open the event. Friday 3rd February will see around a dozen Bénéteau 25s, fifteen Stars, and about forty Surprises take to the water for their first rounds.

Also present will be some twenty J/24 craft – a particular favourite with YCM members, who sail J/24s every Saturday as a leading category in the Monégasque Sailing Championships. Registered in this category for the 2006 competition is the Swedish sailor Marianne Schoke-Hölzer, President of the Swedish J/24 Association, who took second place in the 2004 Primo Cup.

For a second consecutive year the Yacht Club de Monaco hosts a fleet of thirty or so Dragons. Among entries is Munegu, a Dragon presented to H.S.H Prince Albert II during the 2005 Monaco Classic Week - she will be crewed by YCM members. 2006 also sees a good showing of British and Irish competitors; to be watched is Michael Cotter ( Whisper), double Olympic medallist and winner of the 2005 Primo Cup.

The freshly selected Laser SB3 craft are new one-design keelboats designed by Tony Castro. They are crewed by a maximum of four people, and sport an asymmetrical spinnaker.

The second weekend’s regattas in the Bay of Monaco promise to be competitive too. This year’s Melges 24 World Championships are due to be held at Hyères - crews will want to get off to a good start to the season. Around forty vessels are registered for this Primo Cup, including French title-holder for the category Monégasque Benjamin Cohen, skipper of Sogeti, and Maxime Paul, a 470 European Champion, now skipper of Tè Sail.

The Mumm 30s are steadfast competitors of the Primo Cup – fifteen vessels are so far registered, and crewed by top sailors: Fabien Henry ( Toulon Provence Méditerranée - Coych), winner of the 2005 Tour de France à la Voile, Jimmy Pahun ( Ile de France), Julien Di Biase ( Olympic) and Bernard Mallaret, French one-design champion, who has teamed up with Vincent Portugal, aboard Nouvelle Calédoni e.

Smeralda 888s are experiencing increasing popularity, and they are again featured in this 22nd Primo Cup. The German Frers design is quick and lively craft, and customarily handled by a crew of no more than four. There are already seven Smeralda 888 yachts currently at home in Port Hercule, and a further two are under construction. There is also a rapidly growing fleet in Sardinia. Prince Charles de Bourbon Siciles has been appointed to the Presidency of the Smeralda 888 Monegasque Delegation.

Entirely new for this 2006 Opening of Season event is the first one-design regatta outing for the Bénéteau First 40.7. Fifteen yachts have so far confirmed their registrations. As a significant prize for the winners in this category, the Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot is donating examples of its Hublot YCM/Tuiga Chronograph.

Credit Suisse (Monaco), a partner of the YCM and of this event of some fifteen years standing, will organise its traditional annual lottery draw, donating a 100-gramme gold ingot for the lucky winner.

For a list of entries on PDF click here