After more than two decades on hiatus, the Admiral’s Cup returned to the Solent this summer. When the final spinnaker dropped after the final Rolex Fastnet Race, it was Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) – competing for the first time in the Cup’s 71-year history – that claimed victory.
The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club sailed into second place, while the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda took third.
In its newly refined format, the 2025 Admiral’s Cup is a modern, hybrid event: a two-boat team competition, organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) as part of its centenary celebrations. Each team fielded one larger yacht (Class 1) and one smaller yacht (Class 2), rated under IRC and pitted against some of the most challenging courses in British waters. The setup rewards consistency, resilience and daring.
"There's no other race that has this format where you can race inshore and offshore, which just makes it so complex, and also so much fun," Pierre Casiraghi told BOAT International. The YCM vice-president was skippering Class 2 boat Jolt 6, while YCM member and CEO of Richard Mille EMEA Peter Harrison led Class 1 stablemate Jolt 3.
For amateur sailors who want to truly test their mettle, Harrison agrees there is little to match the event. "This is unique in the sailing world," he says. "Pierre and I are two of a few amateur helms, the rest of pro drivers. Probably only the 52 Super Series is at that level, where you're racing against ex – or current – America's Cup helms."
A 160-nautical mile Channel Race kicked off the competition, with winds that hit 25 knots and fostered choppy conditions. Six inshore races followed over three days, and the Cup concluded with the Rolex Fastnet Race.
This last holds the potential to really shake up the leaderboard because it yields more points than the other races. It charts a 695-nautical-mile course from the English Channel to the Atlantic via the Fastnet Rock off the southwest coast of Ireland, ending in Cherbourg. It was this final race that propelled the Jolt team into prime position.
The YCM crews held their nerve through a shifting breeze and mounting fatigue, with clean sail changes, well-timed tactical calls and relentless focus. When the corrected times were confirmed in Cherbourg, the team had done enough to clinch the title.
For a club better known for glamour and innovation with events such as the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, YCM’s Admiral’s Cup campaign marked a return to salt and grit.
As for the Cup itself, after years of absence the event feels imbued with new purpose and energy. The mix of offshore and inshore racing, the prestige of the clubs involved, and the fierce rivalry between nations created a rare alchemy – part regatta, part proving ground.
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