Marco Favale’s Millenium Falcon has done it again. After claiming victory at last year’s Smeralda 888 Invitational in Porto Cervo, the Yacht Club de Monaco team returned to Sardinia’s stunning waters and repeated the feat, edging out a fierce challenge from the home crew. What unfolded across three days of racing was a masterclass in tactical precision, where a single deciding race separated champions from contenders and friendly rivalry turned into genuinely competitive sailing.
Nine boats gathered off Porto Cervo for the invitational, competing in one-design Smeralda 888s, those elegant German Frers creations that have become synonymous with the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s racing calendar. Vittorio Lombardi Stronati’s Stay Rude carried YCCS colours into battle alongside two other club entries, Giada and Mathilde, facing opposition from Monaco, France, and further afield. The fleet included Marie Helene Polo’s Zarina by DAS, Timofey Sukhotin’s V Force, and several other competitive campaigns hungry for success.
Light Mistral winds characterised the opening two days, conditions that suited Millenium Falcon’s crew perfectly. Favale’s boat led the provisional standings after day two, though only marginally. When the wind shifted northeast on the final day, bringing in 6 to 7 knots, the racing intensified. By the time the penultimate race concluded, just two points separated Millenium Falcon from the YCCS challenge. The title would be decided on the water in that final race.
Stay Rude came out firing. Vittorio Lombardi Stronati’s crew immediately challenged Favale’s boat, and for a moment it looked as though the Sardinian team might steal victory. Stay Rude rounded the first windward mark in second place, pushing hard. But Millenium Falcon had other plans. After that mark, the Monaco boat regained control, leaving Stay Rude struggling in their wake. When the final gun fired, both teams had the same points, but Millenium Falcon’s four individual race wins across the event sealed the overall victory. Marie Helene Polo’s Zarina by DAS claimed the final race, while V Force secured third place overall in a tiebreaker with Vamos Mi Amor.
For a class that prides itself on one-design racing and genuine competition among friends, the Smeralda 888 delivered exactly what it promised. There’s no hiding in these boats, no excuses. Just sailors, wind, and the water. The racing proved once more why this class matters, not just in Sardinia but to the broader sailing community watching how one-design boats can remain genuinely competitive year after year.
Millenium Falcon’s crew collected a Garmin OnBoard system as their prize. Meanwhile, the focus shifts to the Smeralda 888 European Cup starting 3 July, where the same class will again take centre stage in Porto Cervo.
