Moonlight II claims Monaco J/70 victory in razor thin Act One thriller
Helmed by Olympic champion Saskia Clark, Moonlight II edged Euro Voiles on identical scorelines in Monaco Bay, with just four points separating the podium across seven races contested by crews from six nations.
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Light winds across Monaco Bay proved the ultimate arbiter in Act One of the J/70 World Series, where twenty two crews from six nations found precision and patience rewarded over raw speed. Seven races completed from nine possible, and the results swung with such volatility that Euro Voiles claimed the opening race only to watch Moonlight II and G Spot trade dominance across the successive starts.
Moonlight II, helmed by Saskia Clark, the 2016 Olympic 470 champion, crossed the line with two race victories and six top four finishes to her name. Crewed alongside Adrien De Belloy, Mario Trindade and Mattis Naud, the yacht demonstrated the consistency that distinguishes champions from merely competitive sailors. Euro Voiles mounted a serious challenge, striking early before the season tightened, whilst G Spot answered with back to back wins in races five and six. When the final scores arrived, Moonlight II and Euro Voiles had finished on exactly sixteen points apiece, an extraordinary synchronicity that speaks to the calibre of competition in the J/70 class.
The podium separated by just four points, a margin so narrow it underscores how decisively the light conditions favoured tactical acuity. Moonlight II claimed victory on countback, while Euro Voiles secured the first Corinthian crew prize, with G Spot rounding the podium on twenty points. Act Two follows from 10 to 13 December, when the story resumes in Monaco Bay.
Imagery courtesy of Yacht Club de Monaco (@yachtclubmonaco).