The Yacht Club de Monaco has won the 2025 Admiral's Cup, claiming victory on debut after one of the tightest finishes in the event's history. The revival of offshore sailing's most prestigious team trophy, absent for more than two decades, formed a centrepiece of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's centenary celebrations and the 100th anniversary Rolex Fastnet Race.
Fifteen two-boat club teams from four continents competed across the RORC Channel Race, six inshore races in the Solent, and the Rolex Fastnet Race. The campaign was led by Pierre Casiraghi, grandson of Prince Rainier III who founded the Yacht Club de Monaco in 1953, alongside skipper Peter Harrison. Despite the club's long history, 2025 marked its first-ever Admiral's Cup entry.
The final standings were decided in the closing miles of the Fastnet. Monaco edged out the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club for the win, and after a dramatic recount the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda completed the podium ahead of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
It was a near thing for the RNZYS. Going into the Fastnet, James Murray's Callisto and Karl Kwok's Beau Ideal (Royal Hong Kong YC) were tied on points in the AC2 class, with Casiraghi's Jolt 6 close behind in third. Gavin Brady, helming Beau Geste for Hong Kong, captured just how close it got on the water: "Our match race with Jolt 3 and Caro was unbelievable, 700 miles and we were never more than a few boat lengths apart. One boat would inch ahead then the others would catch up. It was relentless."
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Carasiraghi was still absorbing the result after the prize giving. "Honestly, I still can't quite believe what we've achieved, it's just incredible," he said. "We had to fight right to the end. Callisto passed us and we had to claw our way back to stay in contention." Harrison called it the highlight of his sailing career: "This is my biggest result in sailing and I don't think there'll ever be a bigger one."
Vasco Vascotto, tactician on Django WR51 for the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, put into words what the event meant to those who competed. "The Admiral's Cup is one of those events you never forget. We've all done thousands of races, but this one is different. It's emotional, rare and unforgettable. We lost by seconds after 695 miles in the Rolex Fastnet Race, but that's the beauty of it."
The prize giving was held in the Rolex Fastnet Race Village in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, where RORC Commodore Deb Fish announced the next edition. The 2027 Admiral's Cup is provisionally set to begin on 17 July in Cowes, with the 52nd Rolex Fastnet Race starting on 24 July 2027.
