Following a tough Channel Race and 6 inshore races in the Solent, the teams in the 2025 edition of the Admiral’s Cup joined 400+ other crews in the Rolex Fastnet Race.
Starting from Cowes on Saturday 26th July, the 15 teams in the Admiral’s Cup, which is organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), battled their way from the RYS start line to The Needles, then on to Lands End, rounding the Fastnet Rock and on to the finish in Cherbourg.
With a reference to the 100 years of the Fastnet Race and the formation of the RORC a flypast from the Red Arrows took place as the Cuppers started their race.
Bigger and quicker boats in the Rolex Fastnet Race arrived in the French port in a day and a half or so but the Cuppers took longer to finish their race. However, as with the Channel Race, sailed on the first weekend of the Cup, there were some fine battles for the trophy which was last contested 22 years ago.
Prior to the Rolex Fastnet Race the standings in the Admiral’s Cup were as follows: 1st Royal Hong Kong YC 36 points, 2nd YC de Monaco 44 points and 3rd. YC Costa Smeralda on 59 points. Uk interrest saw RORC Red and RORC White in joint 7th place with Royal Maas YC all on 99 points.
Following their arrival in Cherbourg and rating corrections the RORC was delighted to announce the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) as the winner of the 2025 Admiral’s Cup with 68 points.
Runner-up for the Admiral’s Cup is the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club- (81 points). Completing the Admiral’s Cup series podium is the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (110 points).
Vice-President of the Yacht Club de Monaco and co-skipper of Carkeek 42 Jolt 6 (YCM) is Pierre Casiraghi, who spoke about the historic win:
“Honestly, I still can’t quite believe what we’ve achieved. To win the Admiral’s Cup in its revival year and with Monaco’s first ever participation is beyond words. I’m not a professional helm and this was the most exhausting race I’ve ever done. But we knew the Fastnet would be decisive and our team executed it flawlessly. Will Harris, our navigator, was just phenomenal, he didn’t miss a beat.
“From the moment we exited the Solent everything went to plan. We held our lead, fought off relentless pressure from Callisto (RNZYS) and Beau Ideal (RHKYC) and made every move count. The team showed incredible resilience, character and trust in each other. This was a true team effort, from the sailors to the shore crew.”
