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Toronto Star
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Yachting: maxi monohull Black Jack 100, member of Yacht Club de Monaco, triumphs at the Fastnet
MONACO, July 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Black Jack 100 claimed victory in the 51st Rolex Fastnet Race in a breathtaking finale. The maxi monohull owned by Remon Vos, member of the Yacht Club de Monaco, crossed the finish line in Cherbourg on Tuesday 29 July at 00:21, after 2 days, 12 hours, 31 minutes and 21 seconds at sea. At the helm, Tristan Le Brun - member of YCM's Captains Club - led the crew to win the Erivale Trophy, awarded to the first monohull across the line in real time. The outcome was decided only in the final miles, after an intense duel with SHK Scallywag. The two 100-footers battled through a series of tactical tacks, often just two boat lengths apart. The turning point came off Fastnet Rock, in winds exceeding 20 knots. The crew aboard Black Jack 100 responded with three rapid sail changes—from jib to J0 and then to A2 spinnaker—gaining a decisive edge. 'Last year they beat us by 20 minutes at the Middle Sea Race. This time we were a bit faster,' said Le Brun. 'You need a good boat, strategy… and a bit of luck. We were the underdogs against some very established teams.' Even the final stretch offered no certainty. The strong Raz Blanchard currents allowed their pursuers to close in. 'Everyone was catching up,' he added. 'With Max Deckers, we spent two hours refining our route in the dark, very close to shore. A delicate manoeuvre—but decisive. Winning today, after just a year and a half working as a team, exceeds all expectations.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW SHK Scallywag crossed the line at 01:19, followed five minutes later by Leopard 3, skippered by Joost Schuijff, also racing for Monaco. This triumph doesn't mark the end of the racing season for Black Jack 100: the boat is now heading to Palermo to compete in the 20th Palermo-Montecarlo, which starts on 19 August at 11:55 off Mondello, organised by Circolo della Vela Sicilia in partnership with the YCM and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. Meanwhile, the Fastnet also serves as the final leg of the revived Admiral's Cup, back on the calendar after over two decades. The 2025 edition includes a Channel Race (coefficient 2), six inshore races in the Solent, and the Fastnet itself (coefficient 3), which can upend the standings. In AC Class 2, Jolt 6, helmed by Pierre Casiraghi, vice-president of YCM, is currently second just miles from Cherbourg. Jolt 3, in AC Class 1 and skippered by Peter Harrison, is expected slightly earlier. Every minute counts in the bid to beat the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, now leading, while Yacht Club Costa Smeralda remains in striking distance. YCM is also active on other fronts. Oren Nataf, at the helm of the Pulsar 50 Rayon Vert, continues in the multihull class alongside Vincent Riou. Giovanni Lombardi Stronati competes under the Italian flag with two boats—Django WR51 and Django JPK—in different classes. Both are expected between the night and 30 July. Finally, promising signs from young Didier Schouten of YCM's Sports Section, tackling his first major cross-Channel race aboard Ocean Breeze. He is expected to reach Cherbourg early on 30 July. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Yet the true winner of the 2025 Fastnet is still unknown. Final rankings will be determined by corrected time under IRC rules. With narrow gaps and many boats still at sea, nothing is decided. As ever, the Fastnet lives up to its reputation: no victory is certain until the last boat finishes. For more information: Press Office LaPresse - A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
Hamilton Spectator
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Yachting: maxi monohull Black Jack 100, member of Yacht Club de Monaco, triumphs at the Fastnet
MONACO, July 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Black Jack 100 claimed victory in the 51st Rolex Fastnet Race in a breathtaking finale. The maxi monohull owned by Remon Vos, member of the Yacht Club de Monaco, crossed the finish line in Cherbourg on Tuesday 29 July at 00:21, after 2 days, 12 hours, 31 minutes and 21 seconds at sea. At the helm, Tristan Le Brun - member of YCM's Captains Club - led the crew to win the Erivale Trophy, awarded to the first monohull across the line in real time. The outcome was decided only in the final miles, after an intense duel with SHK Scallywag. The two 100-footers battled through a series of tactical tacks, often just two boat lengths apart. The turning point came off Fastnet Rock, in winds exceeding 20 knots. The crew aboard Black Jack 100 responded with three rapid sail changes—from jib to J0 and then to A2 spinnaker—gaining a decisive edge. 'Last year they beat us by 20 minutes at the Middle Sea Race. This time we were a bit faster,' said Le Brun. 'You need a good boat, strategy… and a bit of luck. We were the underdogs against some very established teams.' Even the final stretch offered no certainty. The strong Raz Blanchard currents allowed their pursuers to close in. 'Everyone was catching up,' he added. 'With Max Deckers, we spent two hours refining our route in the dark, very close to shore. A delicate manoeuvre—but decisive. Winning today, after just a year and a half working as a team, exceeds all expectations.' SHK Scallywag crossed the line at 01:19, followed five minutes later by Leopard 3, skippered by Joost Schuijff, also racing for Monaco. This triumph doesn't mark the end of the racing season for Black Jack 100: the boat is now heading to Palermo to compete in the 20th Palermo-Montecarlo, which starts on 19 August at 11:55 off Mondello, organised by Circolo della Vela Sicilia in partnership with the YCM and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. Meanwhile, the Fastnet also serves as the final leg of the revived Admiral's Cup, back on the calendar after over two decades. The 2025 edition includes a Channel Race (coefficient 2), six inshore races in the Solent, and the Fastnet itself (coefficient 3), which can upend the standings. In AC Class 2, Jolt 6, helmed by Pierre Casiraghi, vice-president of YCM, is currently second just miles from Cherbourg. Jolt 3, in AC Class 1 and skippered by Peter Harrison, is expected slightly earlier. Every minute counts in the bid to beat the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, now leading, while Yacht Club Costa Smeralda remains in striking distance. YCM is also active on other fronts. Oren Nataf, at the helm of the Pulsar 50 Rayon Vert, continues in the multihull class alongside Vincent Riou. Giovanni Lombardi Stronati competes under the Italian flag with two boats—Django WR51 and Django JPK—in different classes. Both are expected between the night and 30 July. Finally, promising signs from young Didier Schouten of YCM's Sports Section, tackling his first major cross-Channel race aboard Ocean Breeze. He is expected to reach Cherbourg early on 30 July. Yet the true winner of the 2025 Fastnet is still unknown. Final rankings will be determined by corrected time under IRC rules. With narrow gaps and many boats still at sea, nothing is decided. As ever, the Fastnet lives up to its reputation: no victory is certain until the last boat finishes. For more information: Press Office LaPresse - A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
Straits Times
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Black Jack hits the jackpot in centenary Fastnet thriller
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Monaco's Black Jack 100 played its hand perfectly on Tuesday to take monohull line honours in the centenary Rolex Fastnet Race, rounding off a fiercely contested few days that saw record fleets, tight margins, and underdogs pushing giants all the way across 695 nautical miles of testing waters. Remon Vos's Black Jack, skippered by Tristan Le Brun, crossed the finish line in Cherbourg after two days, 12 hours, 31 minutes and 21 seconds of racing, leading home a competitive monohull fleet that showcased the global appeal of offshore sailing's most prestigious contest. Hong Kong's SHK Scallywag finished second in the monohull division, followed by Monaco's Leopard 3 in third. U.S. entries Pyewacket 70 and Tschuss 2 rounded out the top five in Tuesday's finish, underlining the international flavour of a race that has grown from seven boats in 1925 to a record-breaking 444-strong fleet. The monohull honours came a day after France's SVR Lazartigue had already claimed overall line honours, the sleek blue 32-metre Ultim trimaran slicing through the darkness to become first to reach Cherbourg on Monday - a reminder that in offshore racing, line honours go to the first boat home, typically the fastest and most technologically advanced yacht in the fleet. But it was the Ocean Fifty class that has delivered perhaps the most compelling racing drama of the centenary edition. France's Inter Invest claimed victory in that category, finishing in two days, eight hours, 38 minutes and 13 seconds as dusk settled on Monday, with Koesio following just 31 minutes and 16 seconds later and Viabilis Oceans another 20 minutes behind. The tight competition proved remarkable across the entire Ocean Fifty fleet - the top seven trimarans arrived within two hours of each other despite the race's epic distance. These double-handed boats even gave the bigger classes a serious challenge, with Inter Invest reaching Fastnet Rock on the stern of the MOD70 Argo, while even the mighty Ultims struggled to shake off the Ocean Fiftys before rounding Plymouth. While still relatively unknown outside France, the Ocean Fifty class (formerly Multi50) is gaining momentum, with nine boats taking part in this centenary edition as part of their annual racing calendar. The biennial contest traces a challenging course from Cowes on England's Isle of Wight around Ireland's famous Fastnet Rock before finishing in Cherbourg — a test that has challenged sailors' skill and endurance for a century. While line honours go to the first boat home, the overall Fastnet Race winner receives the Fastnet Challenge Cup based on corrected time under the International Rating Certificate (IRC) handicap system, meaning a well-sailed 12-metre yacht can still beat a 30-metre racing machine once handicaps are applied. Administered jointly by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in Britain, and the Union Nationale pour la Course au Large (UNCL) in France, IRC assigns a rating based on a boat's measurements and predicted performance, producing a time correction factor used to calculate results after a race. REUTERS
