Monaco Yacht Club figures strongly in America’s Cup final
Left to right Bernard d'Alessandri, Prince Albert II, Pierre Casiraghi in Barcelona for the final / Photo courtesy YCM on Instagram
The series of head-to-head races was won 7-2 by the Emirates Team New Zealand, skippered by Matteo de Nora of the Yacht Club de Monaco, against Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Britannia crew.
The final of the 27th America’s Cup took place this week off Barcelona. Despite the name, the winning Emirates Team New Zealand was in fact skippered by a member of the Monaco Yacht Club’s Steering committee, Matteo de Nora. The director of the NZ Defender, Grant Dalton, is also a member of the Yacht Club, as of course is Sir Jim Ratcliffe, whose Ineos Britannia crew were the runners-up.
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The competition
The Kiwis rapidly took a commanding lead, winning the first four races. Clement weather conditions appeared to suit the NZ team better than the Brits, led by Ben Ainslie, whose two successful races were on the only day when the wind and waves were up. With the New Zealanders 4-2 ahead, the Ineos crew knew they faced an uphill struggle in the best-of-13 race format. But the New Zealand crew took the next three races, meaning they couldn’t be caught. They sealed a historic third consecutive win in this elite competition, which they have now won a total of five times.
Prince Albert II in support
The Sovereign, who is President of the Yacht Club, along with nephew Pierre Casiraghi, YCM Vice-president, made the trip to Barcelona for the final. Club secretary general Bernard d’Alessandri attended too, expressing his “pride” to have two Club members on the winning team. “I salute the determination of the New-Zealanders who are the best team this competition has ever seen. But we should also stress the talent of Ineos Britannia.”
The club stated on its Instagram account: “It was impossible not to come and support the two YCM members in the @americascup final. A historic moment: @emiratesteamnz wins the Cup for the third consecutive time. Congratulations also to @ineosbritannia, winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup, for their exceptional performance.”