The 2025 Admiral's Cup opened with one of offshore racing's most demanding tests, the Channel Race. A seemingly gentle departure from Cowes on Saturday 19 July quickly became a brutal overnight ordeal. By Sunday's dawn, every crew returned soaked and spent, having battled through 25 knots of breeze, a chaotic cross-channel sea state, and a howling final reach to the finish line. This is offshore yacht racing at its sharpest.
In AC1, Giovanni Lombardi Stronati's Django WR51 claimed corrected-time honours in the Channel Race, edging Karl Kwok's Beau Geste by under six minutes, with Niklas Zennström's Rán completing the podium in third. AC2 went emphatically to James Murray's Callisto, the yacht carrying Kiwi hopes. With Mike Sanderson and Ian Moore steering the campaign, the crew read the overnight shifts masterfully and held off both Jolt 6 and Beau Ideal to secure class honours.
Monday's lay day gave the fleet time to dry out and recharge before the inshore phase opened on Tuesday 22 July inside the Solent. The change in format was striking, trading offshore endurance for close-quarters tactics where precise execution and boat-on-boat pressure would decide outcomes.
Tuesday morning delivered 16 knots of shifty breeze, classic Solent conditions that reward timing and finesse over raw power. Two short-course races were on the schedule, with points firmly up for grabs.
Callisto does it again, and again!
In the first inshore race, Black Pearl bounced back sharply from a tough Channel Race. The crew nailed their start, maintained composure throughout, and won by just six seconds on corrected time. Jolt 3 pushed them hard all the way, with Django WR51 taking third. Abby Ehler, sailing mid-bow aboard Black Pearl, reflected on what had made the difference:
“There’s a lot of laughter, a lot of trust, and we know how to regroup and go again.”
In AC2, Callisto was in commanding form. The crew launched off the pin and led every leg, taking a dominant victory. Beau Ideal gave chase but could not close the gap, while Baraka GP slipped into third by just one second over AMP-lifi. Even Jolt 6, which tore a spinnaker during the race, showed enough determination to claw back and finish seventh.
The second inshore race brought more distance and sharper conditions, with gusts topping 20 knots and leaving little room for error. In AC1, Jolt 3 made a clean start, held their lane, and committed early to a shift that paid handsomely on the downwind legs while rivals gybed too soon. Zen and Django WR51 surged as the breeze built, and Beau Geste also loomed as a threat, but Jolt 3 held on to win by 29 seconds over Zen, with Django WR51 again in third. Navigator Andy Green offered his assessment:
“We stayed committed to our side downwind, riding a pressure vein while others gybed away—we gained big there.”
AC2 produced another absorbing contest between Beau Ideal and Callisto. Beau Ideal crossed the line first, punching through the spray, but IRC time correction told a different story. Callisto claimed victory by 70 seconds, completing a clean sweep of the day's racing in class. Back to Black took third, edging Jolt 6 by just three seconds.
After three races, the overall standings remain tight at the top. Yacht Club de Monaco leads by a single point from Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, while Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda are locked together in third on equal points.
Top 5 teams after Race 3
- 🇲🇨 Yacht Club de Monaco — 27 pts - 🇭🇰 Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club — 26 pts - 🇳🇿 Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron — 34 pts - 🇮🇹 Yacht Club Costa Smeralda — 34 pts - 🇸🇪 Royal Swedish Yacht Club — 44 pts
The shift from offshore to inshore racing has reshuffled the scoreboard and made plain just how much versatility this regatta demands. Django WR51 and Callisto showed what offshore grit looks like, while Jolt 3 and Black Pearl delivered the kind of inshore precision that the Solent rewards. No single formula covers all of it, and with a fleet this deep and sharp, any lapse in concentration is punished immediately. Racing continues on Wednesday 23 July with further inshore challenges, and with the standings this compressed, every second carries weight.
