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Porto Cervo, July 14, 2024.  After having raced at the YCCS at the end of June, the Smeralda 888 fleet returned to Porto Cervo and the Costa Smeralda for the traditional Coppa Europa Smeralda 888. The event, part of the 888 Class circuit, was held from July 12th until today and saw 11 crews representing prestigious international yacht clubs participating. Django's team, representing the Royal Thames Yacht Club, won the event, followed by Vamos Mi Amor and Canard a L'Orange, both from the the Yacht Club de Monaco, in second and third places respectively.  

Welcoming the visiting teams were the “home” teams representing the YCCS: Giada, owned by YCCS member Germano Scarpa and Be Cool, owned by YCCS members Guglielmo and Vittorio Lombardi Stronati. Charles De Bourbon’s Vamos Mi Amor, winner of the last two editions of the event, tried to achieve their third victory in a row by facing off Bedà (skipper Timofey Sukhotin) fresh from victory at the Invitational Smeralda 888. Among the other participants: Canard a l'Orange (skipper Achille Onorato), Django (skipper Giovanni Lombardi Stronati), Gorilla Gang (skipper Andrea Statori), Kzi Mo D'Eau (skipper Jelena Krasnokhcka), Luigia (skipper Silvia De Longhi), Mathilde (skipper Morten H Kielland) and the Millenium Falcon team (skipper Marco Favale).

Racing at the Coppa Europa Smeralda 888 began on the afternoon of Friday July 12th in light breeze which was still sufficient for the day’s 3 scheduled races to take place. Yesterday, July 13th saw more typical Costa Smeralda conditions and the fleet of Smeralda 888s raced in a Mistral wind between 14 and 16 knots. This morning once again saw a light easterly breeze at around 6-7 knots, just enough to complete the remaining 2 races to reach the event’s scheduled total of 8.     

Ranking during the event saw various changes in the top three positions, with Django and Millenium Falcon, a team representing the Yacht Club de Monaco that had the highest number of victories in the event’s races, alternating at the lead. Today, the final day, Django finished first in the final, decisive race, capping off three days of consistently good performance and winning the 21st edition of the Coppa Europa Smeralda 888. Vamos Mi Amor finished on the second step of the podium just one point behind the leader, followed in turn by Canard a L'Orange team who had moved up from sixth place. The top four teams are all members of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. Giada, also from the YCCS, missed the podium by just one point. After a complicated day today Millenium Falcon slipped back to close the event in fifth place.

At the end of the racing, the teams gathered at the YCCS for the final awards ceremony where the winner also received an inReach Mini 2 satellite communication system offered by Technical Partner Garmin Marine.     

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