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MAXI YACHT ROLEX CUP: CLASS PERFORMANCES

Porto Cervo, 09 September 2023 – Since the early 1980s, maxi yacht owners and sailors have been drawn to the Costa Smeralda and specifically the annual Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. Considered the perfect sailing package the event unites first-class organization, a majestic sailing environment and the world’s leading maxi yachts and professional crews.

Rolex and event organizer the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) have enjoyed a close partnership for nearly 40 years. The longevity of this collaboration has been at the heart of the event’s continued success and evolution. Support for the organization of the week-long regatta is provided by the International Maxi Association (IMA).

The 2023 edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will be considered a special vintage. Four days of racing offered the full repertoire of the Costa Smeralda sailing experience, from the strong breeze, big waves and robust sea state of the regatta’s initial exchanges to the light, unstable conditions which closed proceedings.

The Maddalena Archipelago’s myriad of race courses feature numerous narrow passages and rocky outcrops. On such testing fields of play, sailing powerful yachts at high speeds requires total synergy in teamwork and deft boat handling skills.

Sailors, drawn from the cream of professional sailing talent, were left enthralled by the week’s competition. Former Rolex World Sailor of the Year, Mike Sanderson, part of the afterguard on  Bella Mente , was one such example: 

“The location is so special. Sun, big waves and big breeze. For so many teams this is the pinnacle event of their year. We have worked all year to develop the boat to be ready for this regatta.”

For Mitch Booth, two-time Olympic medallist, overall Rolex Middle Sea Race winning skipper in 2021 and tactician on Leopard 3 , the event is without equal:

“Coming together in such an iconic place, it is a real season highlight and a clash of the titans, the best against the best in perfect sailing.”

Accolades went to the six class winners who showed great consistency and expertise in dealing both with the vagaries of the conditions but equally the formidable nature of the opposition. Proving triumphant were:  Galateia  (Maxi Class A),  Bella Mente  (Class B),  Spirit of Lorina  (Class C), Y3K  (Supermaxi),  Svea  (J Class) and  Allegra  (Maxi multihull).

Since its foundation, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup has been the showcase for the evolution in maxi yacht design and technology. The 48-strong fleet at this year’s 33rd edition was one of the most eclectic to date. From the largest entrant,  Svea  (43.6m/143-ft) through to the smallest  Blue Oyster (18.3m/60-ft), an eye-catching range of yachts were on display.

Innovations for the 2023 edition included the first ever appearance of the maxi multihulls. As YCCS Commodore Michael Illbruck explains this aligns with the event’s perennial commitment to be at the forefront of developments: 

“Change is a constant in the world of yachting, and continuous evolution has been the key to the success of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, right from the first edition in 1980 up to the present day. The inclusion of multihulls fits perfectly with this perspective, a natural development of an event that has always been characterized by cutting-edge technology. Opening up to other categories allows owners to continue to pursue their passion and may inspire others to do so.”

The oldest competing yachts included the J Class  Velsheda  and the recently restored  Baruna , both dating back to the 1930s. Thomas Bscher’s Baltic 68  Open Season  proved a highlight amongst the newer launches and one which symbolises a movement within sailing design to consider even more closely the environmental impact across all aspects of boat building and performance. Creating fair and exciting competition across such a diverse fleet requires significant race management organization, one the event has long been renowned for. The rating system and division of classes is constructed with this in mind and to provide owners and sailors with the platform to pursue their passion for the sport.

On the water, one of the closest divisions was the eight strong Maxi B group where American yachts  Bella Mente  and  Proteus  broke away to contest the title. Going into what proved to be the regatta’s final race, they were tied on points.  Bella Mente  finished first to cap an impressive week on the water which saw the stellar crew, predominantly together for the past decade, claim two bullets and three second places. Delight for owner Hap Fauth:

“We come every year and it is the pinnacle of our season. This is our fourth victory in eleven years and the hardest fought.”

Even closer was the Supermaxi competition. Only three points separated the top three yachts –  Moat ,  Inoui  and eventual winner  Y3K , the recently launched Wally 101. It marked a return to Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup success for owner Claus-Peter Offen:

“I have been racing here for 25 years. For us it is the highlight of the regatta season. This is where we want to be thanks to the beauty of the area and of the yacht club.”

For the class winners, crowned at the final prizegiving, victory at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is reward for overcoming world-class competition, an intense and challenging racing programme and having prepared in peak form for the pinnacle event in the maxi yacht calendar. The overriding sentiment was an appreciation for an event which always delivers on excellence.

ROLEX AND YACHTING Rolex has always associated with activities driven by passion, excellence, precision and team spirit. The Swiss watchmaker naturally gravitated towards the elite world of yachting six decades ago and the brand's enduring partnership now encompasses the most prestigious clubs, races and regattas, as well as towering figures in the sport, including ground-breaking round-the-world yachtsman Sir Francis Chichester and the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, Sir Ben Ainslie. Today, Rolex is Title Sponsor of 15 major international events from leading offshore races such as the annual Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race, to grand prix competition at the Rolex TP52 World Championship and spectacular gatherings at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup. It also supports the exciting SailGP global championship in which national teams race identical supercharged F50 catamarans on some of the world's most famous harbours. Rolex's partnerships with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Royal Ocean Racing Club, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Yacht Club Italiano, New York Yacht Club and Royal Yacht Squadron, among others, are the foundation of its enduring relationship with this dynamic sport.

ABOUT ROLEX AN UNRIVALLED REPUTATION FOR QUALITY AND EXPERTISE Rolex is an integrated and independent Swiss watch manufacture. Headquartered in Geneva, the brand is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products – symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. The movements of its Oyster Perpetual and Perpetual watches are certified by COSC, then tested in-house for their precision, performance and reliability. The Superlative Chronometer certification, symbolized by the green seal, confirms that each watch has successfully undergone tests conducted by Rolex in its own laboratories according to its own criteria. These are periodically validated by an independent external organization. The word ‘Perpetual’ is inscribed on every Rolex Oyster watch. But more than just a word on a dial, it is a philosophy that embodies the company’s vision and values. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of the company, instilled a notion of perpetual excellence that would drive the company forward. This led Rolex to pioneer the development of the wristwatch and numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism, invented in 1931. In the course of its history, Rolex has registered over 600 patents. At its four sites in Switzerland, the brand designs, develops and produces the majority of its watch components, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Furthermore, the brand is actively involved in supporting the arts and culture, sport and exploration, as well as those who are devising solutions to preserve the planet.

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Virginie Chevailler

33rd Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup concludes in Porto Cervo

September 9, 2023 - Porto Cervo, Italy -   The 33rd edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup , organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda with the support of title sponsor Rolex and in collaboration with the International Maxi Association, concluded today in Porto Cervo.  Winners in their respective categories are: Galateia in Maxi A, Bella Mente in Maxi B, Spirit of Lorina in Maxi C, Allegra in the Multihull Class, Y3K in the Supermaxi, and Svea among the J Class.

The Race Committee was left with no choice but to hoist the AP flag for the Maxi C class and stop racing for all other classes. After about an hour of waiting for any thermal breeze to fill in, at 1 p.m. the Race Committee announced that there would be no new start, thus declaring the 33rd edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup closed.

Y3K , the brand new Wally 101 owned by YCCS member Claus-Peter Offen , won the Supermaxi class scored using ORCsy on her debut outing, ahead of the Swan 115 MOAT and the Briand 108 INOUI . 

Karol Jablonski , Offen's trusted tactician of many years, explained how they got there: "We are more than pleased with the result. We only had three days to test the boat and we are very happy with the job Wally Yachts have done. It is all about teamwork and how fast you learn about the new boat. We’ve been improving from day to day. I must admit that conditions in the first three days were perfect for learning about the boat, because it was blowing quite hard. Then we had light breeze conditions, so we had to learn very fast how to sail the boat in the light breeze as well. So it’s a learning process, and we managed well in this first event."

The Multihull Class was scored using ORCmh , included for the first time in this Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. YCCS member Adrian Keller's ALLEGRA triumphed, followed on equal points by HIGHLAND FLING 18 and CONVEXITY 2 . 

Adrian Keller was naturally delighted: "We couldn't have wished for better, the venue is top class, the first two days were great racing, and I think some of our colleagues on the monohulls have understood that catamarans can also be competitive. Some of them have come on board to see what we are doing. I think we will see more participants next year, we have agreed among ourselves to make a joint effort to attract more boats, so it will be even more exciting in the future. A big thank you to Sardinia and the YCCS of which I am a member, wonderful hosts.”

A packed prize-giving ceremony saw trophies awarded to the top three finishers in the six classes, as well as prizes such as Maxi Yacht Line Honours , which went to Roberto Lacorte's FLYINGNIKKA , for the boat with the best real time in the coastal races. 

The Perpetual Trophy in memory of Commodore Alberini was presented to YCCS member Pier Luigi Loro Piana, owner and helmsman of MY SONG . 

The Paolo Massarini ORC Challenge Trophy , meanwhile, went to Claus-Peter Offen for Y3K 's victory in the Supermaxi class.

YCCS Commodore Michael Illbruck commented: "I would like to thank all the owners and sailors who make this event unique in terms of the standard of the crews and the technological level of the boats, ranging from the majestic J Class yachts to the Multihulls, taking part in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup for the first time this year. It has been a fantastic week, the participants have been able to put themselves to the test in the most varied weather conditions, which have ranged from sustained winds to light breezes."

"Thanks to our partner Rolex for their continued support, to the International Maxi Association for their cooperation, to the Race Committee and to our staff ashore and at sea for contributing to the success of this 33rd edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup.”

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Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup - Impressive fleet expected in Porto Cervo for 33rd edition

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Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup: A feast for the eyes

• November 3, 2022

Porto Cervo is one of the most spectacular venues in the world, and this year’s Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup was a feast for the eyes. Andi Robertson reports

Walk the hallowed docks of Sardinia’s Yacht Club Costa Smeralda during the Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup and it was impossible to get anywhere fast. The collection of maxi yachts this year was truly mesmerising, each meriting more than a passing glance. Correspondingly, the army of top professional sailors assembled was literally a who’s who of generations of America’s Cup , Ocean Race and Olympic sailing stars.

To leave the real world and immerse yourself in the Porto Cervo bubble is something special. Even the grizzled, white-haired pros who recall the formative years of the ‘Maxi Worlds’ and who come year in, year out, show no complacency. They love it and always will because it is the pinnacle event of maxi racing.

Post-pandemic, more than ever, there is a renewed appreciation for this spectacular event. Here there are no distractions beyond the wind blown rugged granite scenery, the turquoise waters and the rocky network of islands forming the La Maddalena archipelago.

The 32nd Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup was not the biggest ever, mustering 46 racing maxis in six classes, but it was almost certainly the most competitive event for many years, with quality in depth through each of the divisions.

The fleet was also more diverse than ever. For the first time since 2014 there were four J Class yachts competing under their own JCA handicap – an elegant step back in time contrasting sharply with the debuting foiler Flying Nikka , which raced in its own class, and the just launched powerful ClubSwan 80 My Song which lined up in the 13-boat maxi fleet.

Rambler off Isola delle Bisce lighthouse north of Porto Cervo. Photo: Luca Butto

A different league

“For sure after the pandemic there seems to be more people wanting to sail big boats than ever before and being able to afford to do so. And this regatta was in a different league to previous events in terms of quality,” noted the International Maxi Association’s secretary general Andrew McIrvine.

“One interesting development is now having absorbed the Wally class – which had a bunch of 80-footers and a bunch of 100-footers racing together – and getting them into performance, rather than size related classes, we have a good 13-boat maxi class. That is definitely better.

The foiling Flying Nikka raced in a class of its own

“And we have a more race orientated fleet, there used to be cruising maxis, and we have more professionals, whether or not you consider that a good thing. We are still very strict on the owner-driver rule, except in the Super Maxi fleet where in fact the two top owners are young and steer their boats anyway.”

In a typical September week at Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup there will be days of light winds and very often days lost to the Mistral. A fixed Thursday layday may seem like an anomaly but many owners – and their crews – start to feel their age mid week. This edition was no different, early starts made the best of the building Mistral on Friday, but Saturday proved unsailable.

Without question the standard of boat and sail handling gets higher every year. To see the J Class rivals tacking up ‘Bomb Alley’, as the rock-strewn passage north of Porto Cervo through the La Maddalena and Caprera archipelago is known, in 18 knots of breeze and flat water – seemingly within touching distance of the shore – is incredible.

Lord Irvine Laidlaw’s Highland Fling XI. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

Running downwind America’s Cup rival helms Peter Holmberg and Ed Baird showed a precision in their boat placement akin to sailing a Laser, all while choreographing nearly 30 crew. Are there elements of brinksmanship or bravado? Maybe, but the truth is many of the afterguard crew will have raced on these waters dozens of times, and laying one corner when others can’t will reap a dividend of several boatlengths.

The Super Maxi division victory was the biggest win yet for a ‘young’ (at just turned 50) Swedish owner on his Swan 115 Shamanna .

He also owns the well known Spirit 100 Gaia and Gerdney , a classic Swedish Skerries 95ft cruiser. He races Shamanna with eight of his long time friends – among them a cardiac anaesthetist, a pal who was ‘The Bachelor’ on the Swedish reality show of the same name – and a posse of good pros managed by British former Volvo/Whitbread, America’s Cup ace Guy Barron.

The 82ft custom Wally Highland Fling XI. Photo: Luca Butto

Raising the standards

Barron has sought to keep raising the standards of the ‘amateurs’ so they are fully integrated and respected by the pros, rather than allowing a ‘them and us’ scenario develop. Barron sailed with the owner and his friends originally in Sweden and was able to impart his knowledge and involve them in a way which has become important on the big Swan. “We sat down and said let’s make sure your guys get trained up and are part of it. So between Shamanna and Gaia we share the same pros, the same group and we’re all used to sailing with each other.”

Barron reckons – after some counting – that he has now raced from Sardinia 34 times, the first time being at the 12 Metre Worlds in 1987. “It is one of the best venues in the world and I never ever tire of racing around through Bomb Alley. It is breathtaking. I remember I was on Boomerang and we had THE crash.

Close fleet action. Photo: Luca Butto

“We hit a rock going 9.5 knots, having just got full speed on we stopped dead. We pulled the engine off the mount, cracked every frame in the boat, blew the terminals off the top of the batteries, flattened the wheel, the pedestals, seized the mainsheet and the runner winch. I ended up in an ambulance with George Coumantaros the owner. He’d fallen over and inverted his cheek. I slid forward, hit the solid stainless reaching stanchion and very luckily did not break my leg. I sail past there and still hear the noises in my head. It is a truly wonderful place to sail!”

Mini maxi rivalry

The six boat Mini Maxi 1 division is the domain of what were previously the Maxi 72 class. Now only Jim Swartz’s Vesper and George Sakellaris hull sister Proteus are close to Maxi 72 trim, all of the other four boats have had extensive modifications. Ironically the top two overall were Vesper , with Gavin Brady as tactician, and Proteus .

The changes across the rest of the fleet have been various: Peter Dubens’ North Star is the first boat to now use stored power for running rigging and sails with seven fewer crew – which at the Maxi Worlds gives a four-point rating credit. Spirit of Jethou (23.5m), Cannonball (22.86m) and Bella Mente (22.55m) have all been lengthened and have deeper keels. Bella Mente has a taller rig, as has Cannonball which can also now carry 1,000kg of water ballast per side.

Despite their differences, this was a very competitive class of boats which were conceived as the last word in maxi racing and richly laden with talent.

Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup fleet racing in Sardinia’s La Maddalena Archipelago. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

“We were fortunate to be consistent. We did not screw up,” smiled Gavin Brady after racing. “In fact the boat is arguably the same as when it won the World Championships five years ago (as Momo ). It is cool, I think, for Vesper to win the World Championship with the same keel, the same mast, the same sails.

“Our sport needs to see some sustainability and it is a good message that if you have something that works and you just go and sail well you don’t need to change the mast and the keel. That is something special for Jim as he does not want to go down the ‘arms race’ route. He wants to go and race, and may the best team win.

“This fleet of seven boats have evolved. It’s clear the owners want to develop their boats in the way they want and not be told what to do by a box rule. You have Jethou at one end and North Star at the other and we all went round the top mark within 30 seconds of each other. It’s not the Maxi 72 box rule of old but it is working and we have happy owners.”

Crew on the rail of the iconic J Class Velsheda. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

Water ballast, and how it is treated under rating systems, is one factor many grand prix teams are watching carefully, in readiness to adapt their boats. “The water ballast is the elephant in the room right now,” Brady explains.

“Everyone is trying to be secretive but we all know what is going on. Everyone has drawings to put water in everything from a TP52 to a maxi but we just don’t know what the rule is going to do. I think it is a good way, a clean way to make boats go faster. Salt water is in abundance and if we want to pump water into the boat to make it faster and more fun it is a lot more sustainable than carbon fibre and sails that will go to landfill.”

Lord Irvine Laidlaw bade farewell to his faithful Reichel Pugh 82ft custom Wally Highland Fling XI with a swansong win in the 13-boat maxi class. Cameron Appleton calls tactics alongside navigator Andrew Cape: “Porto Cervo is a unique place usually offering a real range of conditions, inshore racing and navigational type courses, and you have to be good at every part of it,” Appleton recalled.

“You get to know the tricks of the place and where the wind bends are but it is how you get there to use them that is the skill.”

With co-owner Niklas Zennström driving his first regatta on Svea , flying the flag for his native Sweden, the J Class title was never really in doubt, though the racing was always close.

Svea seems to have a speed edge and has a great crew marshalled by Bouwe Bekking. The J Class are looking towards a World Championship in Barcelona during the 37th America’s Cup with potentially seven or eight boats. Next to return to the fold will be Rainbow , bought by Kiwi owner Neville Crichton, who is refitting the boat in Palma to be ready for the later part of next season.

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For the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the Multihulls Are Here

For the first time, the regatta, which has always been for monohulls, will include big catamarans. Capsizing could be an issue.

By David Schmidt

Call it a game of speed, tactics, underwater rocks and double the number of hulls.

For the first time in its 43-year history, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup , which begins on Monday in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, will include up to five maxi multihulls. These fast and powerful catamarans, which measure at least 60 feet, bow to stern, can often sail faster than monohulls, but they don’t carry capsize-preventing keels.

This presents a challenge at the Maxi cup. The regatta is known for its coastal courses. These often wend past the Maddalena archipelago’s islands and submerged rocks, and, critically, through Bomb Alley.

This stretch of water, about 15 miles long, separates the archipelago from Sardinia’s north-northeast flank. When the strong northwesterly winds — called the mistrals — blow, Bomb Alley can get boisterous, which should yield exciting, if not scary, racing.

“This is an experiment, really,” said Andrew McIrvine, secretary general of the International Maxi Association , which organizes the regatta with the hosting Yacht Club Costa Smeralda . He said the decision was initiated by a member’s request.

“A lot of Maxi owners are getting a bit long in the tooth, and it will probably extend their racing life by a few years if they can race on a catamaran, rather than hanging on to the back of a Maxi,” he said.

Catamarans have two hulls to create stability, rather than a single narrow hull and a heavy keel. Critically, they generally lean over — or heel — less than a monohull, which makes it easier to move across the yacht during maneuvers. But if the sails are not adjusted to match the wind gusts, multihulls can lose their balance and capsize.

“There’s the old saying about running aground that sometimes gets applied to capsizing big multis: There’s two clubs, those who have and those that will,” said Paul Larsen, who is the race skipper of Allegra, an 84-foot catamaran. “It’s no joke.”

While the risks are real, regatta organizers were clear that they wanted to attract sophisticated racing-focused multihulls.

“There are a lot of horrible caravan multihulls,” McIrvine said, referring to cruising-oriented catamarans. “We won’t just take anything because it’s big, that’s for sure.”

Regatta organizers said that the multihulls would compete in their own class. However, weather depending, the catamarans could sail similar or separate coastal courses as the monohulls, potentially setting up passing situations with the slower-moving monohulls.

“I see the opening up to multihulls as a natural thing, a natural development of an event that has always been characterized by cutting-edge technology,” said Michael Illbruck, commodore of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. “This type of boat entirely fits with the Maxi world.”

Five Maxi-size catamarans initially entered the regatta, the maximum under the event’s rules, but one had a catastrophic fire and another capsized, sustaining season-ending damage.

Unless other Maxi multihulls enter the regatta at the last minute, that leaves three of the multihulls that will race, two of which will be making their racing debut on the Maxi cup’s coastal courses.

Regatta veterans describe these courses as aesthetically pleasing and tactically challenging, and regatta organizers said the islands could also modulate sailing conditions.

“The various courses around the archipelago of La Maddalena offer an area with limited waves when the prevailing mistral wind blows,” said Edoardo Recchi, the club’s secretary general and sports director. “This kind of course fits the characteristics of multihulls better.”

The archipelago’s often flat waters can make for fast sailing, but navigation can also be confined.

“The proximity to land puts real pressure into the decision-making as the consequences could be of far more importance than simply the race result,” Larsen said. “It’s challenging, thrilling and spectacular.”

This places a premium on crew choreography, especially when the mistrals howl.

“All the teams are working with big gear and very high loads, and mistakes can be very costly sailing amongst the archipelago,” said Kinley Fowler , an America’s Cup winner and the sailing team manager of Convexity², a Gunboat 68, describing the forces exerted by the big sails. “This will be exaggerated on the multihulls as we will be going faster, so it means that we will need to be thinking one or two steps ahead the whole time.”

Despite these scrawny margins, multiple teams are hoping for the mistrals.

“I’d prefer a windy regatta,” Larsen said. Of Allegra, he said, “The boat has proven itself to be strong and fast, and the crew know her well.”

Others are also confident about their boat-handling abilities.

“We have a really strong team and are not afraid to push the limits,” Fowler said. While the Maxi cup is the debut regatta for Convexity², Fowler said that the core team had sailed together for years. “Fingers crossed we get to light it up.”

While the three multihulls are fast and powerful, Lord Laidlaw’s Highland Fling 18, a new Gunboat 80, is built for speed. It should be able to sail at more than 30 knots in certain conditions.

“We are definitely on the edge of speed, loads, systems — and my helming ability,” he said, adding that helming a Maxi multihull is much different than a monohull. “Great to be learning something new at 80.”

As for racing the boat through Bomb Alley in a mistral, Lord Laidlaw, who has won his class at this regatta multiple times aboard his previous Highland Fling monohulls, was candid.

“A bit scary, if I am honest,” he said, explaining that the team had taken precautions to prevent capsizing. They include incorporating sail-handling equipment that automatically releases the ropes that control the sails if certain thresholds (loads or heel angle) are surpassed.

As for dealing with a possible capsize, the teams — and the regatta organizers — are prepared.

“We will also be wearing helmets and Kevlar vests with built-in life jackets, something we have never done before,” Lord Laidlaw said.

Recchi, of the yacht club, said safety boats would be on the racecourse. He also said the event would mitigate risk by monitoring weather forecasts and real-time reports, and by selecting courses that best match conditions.

“Additionally, in the event of a major issue, the Coast Guard is on standby with their boats to help, and a towing boat will be also on standby in Porto Cervo,” he said.

There are the submerged rocks to consider, too.

“It is very easy to ground around the northeast of Sardinia,” Lord Laidlaw said. “Many people who cut corners have regretted it.” He admitted that he had twice hit those rocks.

Unlike monohulls with fixed keels, multihulls can retract their daggerboards, which are the vertical underwater foils that enable the boats to sail a straight course. When the daggerboards are down, multihulls often draw as much water as their keelboat counterparts.

When the daggerboards are retracted, multihulls become shallow-draft vessels, which can create tactical advantages on courses that wend past islands and submerged rocks.

“The fact we can raise the boards — where keelboats can’t — might allow us to cut a few corners where there are outlying shallows,” Larsen said. “But this is a high-stakes game.”

Lord Laidlaw said raising the daggerboards on the Highland Fling 18 took seven seconds. But then you can go “sideways, maybe further into the rocks,” he said.

While all teams want a safe regatta, they also want to win.

“Let’s see how tight the racing is,” Fowler said about sailing near the rocks. “We may have to push the limits to get a jump on the competition.”

This wasn’t a one-off assessment.

“When the racing is tight,” Larsen said, “all cards are on the table.”

Published on July 31st, 2024 | by Editor

Maxi yachts to compete for World title

Published on July 31st, 2024 by Editor -->

The 2024 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will feature the very first World Championship for ‘Maxi 1’ when racing takes place on September 8-14 in Porto Cervo, Italy. As part of the main event, the Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Championship will be open to maxi yachts with an IRC TCC of 1.700-2.200 and up to 100 feet in length.

The International Maxi Association (IMA) is responsible for overseeing and nurturing the sport of maxi racing, and is permitted officially to hold two world championships each year. In 2010, the first Rolex Mini Maxi World Championship was held during the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, and since then world championships have been held for the Maxi 72 and J Class under the auspices of the IMA, the latter taking place out of Newport, RI in 2017.

“The International Maxi Association endeavours to adapt its world championships to wherever across the maxi fleet there is the greatest competition,” explains IMA Secretary General Andrew McIrvine. “Over recent seasons, we have seen the 100 footers increasingly ramping up their programs with boats that were once cruiser-racers now becoming more thoroughbred racing yachts with all the development, sail programs, and elite level crews that that entails. As a result we are expecting at least ten Maxi 1 yachts to be competing at our new World Championship.”

Already entered for the Maxi 1 World title is 100 footers Leopard 3; a trio of former Wallycentos – Magic Carpet Cubed, Galateia and V; SHK Scallywag – Seng Huang Lee’s David Witt-led campaign returning to race in the northern hemisphere for the first time since the pandemic. Then there is the 93-foot Bullitt, last year’s Rolex Middle Sea Race winner; the 85-foot racer Deep Blue; the 82-foot Django HF in her first race since receiving some major modifications; the ClubSwan 80 My Song; and the brand new 80-foot Capricorno for which the Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Championship will be the first regatta in which she will race.

While yachts larger than 30.51m (100ft) compete in their own Super Maxi class, the IMA Maxi fleet today encompasses yachts of 18.29m (60ft) to 30.51m (100ft), as published annually in the IMA Maxi Class Rules. In recent seasons, the IMA has shed monickers from its classes such as Racer/Racer-Cruiser/Cruiser-Racer and Mini Maxi, in favor of dividing up the Maxi fleet solely by IRC rating.

For example at the 2023 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Maxi 1 was for yachts with a TCC of 1.700< (ie 100 footers); Maxi 2 1.600-1.700 (ie the former Maxi 72s); Maxi 3 1.400-1.600 (the former Mini Maxi Racer-Cruiser class), Maxi 4 1.260-1.400 (the ex-Mini Maxi Cruiser-Racer class, but including a Swan 80 and a Southern Wind 82) and Maxi 5 <1.260 (the former Mini Maxi Cruiser class, ie Swan 65).

“The aim of this is entirely to encourage yachts of a similar performance to race against one another to ensure the best possible competition, rather than rely on any highly subjective terminology,” explains McIrvine.

Maxi yacht world championships have long been associated with the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and Porto Cervo. From the early 1980s, the International Class A Yacht Association (ICAYA – the IMA’s previous name) regularly held here World Championships for the ‘Class A’ ; the name of the maxi class as defined by the IOR rule of that era. It is because of this that, to this day, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is still referred in sailing circles as ‘the Maxi Worlds’.

The last World Championship held at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup was for the Maxi 72 class in 2018 when it was won by Dieter Schön’s Momo. The World Championship for this class was withdrawn due to dwindling numbers and the Maxi 72s increasingly racing out of class. Despite no longer racing within the confines of their box rule, the remaining former Maxi 72s continue to enjoy the best racing with four currently entered in September – Jethou, plus Jolt, Proteus, and North Star, which will be competing in their own class in Porto Cervo in September.

Event details: https://www.yccs.it/regate-2024/maxi_yacht_rolex_cup-3314.html

Source: IMA

Tags: International Maxi Association , Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

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News Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. Old faces and new gather in Porto Cervo

Maxi yacht rolex cup. old faces and new gather in porto cervo.

After a year s hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 43 of the world s largest and most advanced racing boats have gathered in the jewel of northeast Sardinia that is Porto Cervo, for tomorrow s start of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. First staged in 1980, the world’s premier event for 60+ft monohulls is run by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in conjunction with the International Maxi Association, the body officially tasked by the sport’s governing body, World Sailing, to oversee and develop maxi yacht racing internationally. The event has been supported by Rolex since 1985. Returning are many past winners. The Super Maxi class for boats longer than 100ft (30.51m) has been dominated in recent years by the magnificent J Class. In 2019 Ronald de Waal’s Velsheda prevailed while the previous year it was the turn of Topaz, the 1935 vintage Frank Paine design, launched in 2015. Both boats return this year, their owners and all-star crews keen to continue their heavyweight match racing. Unprecedented is scale of competition at the top end of the Maxi Class for yachts of 24.09-30.5m (80-100ft). This comprises six 100 footers plus Becool, the first of Nautor’s new Swan 98s. But stars of the show among the Maxis will be highest rated boats under IRC – the VPLP-Verdier designed Comanche, raced here previously under original owners Jim and Kristy Hinze Clarke, will face the highly seasoned crew of America’s Cup veterans led by Brad Butterworth on George David’s Rambler 88. For Comanche, this will be her first event under her new Russian owner, for whom, remarkably, this is his first boat. The crew is led by Australian Olympic Tornado medallist Mitch Booth, who explains: “We have spent a month in Antibes. It’s been fun sailing and giving the owner an introduction to his new boat. This will be the first time we have sailed with the full race team. We have some new guys, all top level sailors. It is all going really well.” The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will be a prelude to a winter spent racing offshore; the preferred environment for the 8m wide, canting keel monster. Given the relatively light forecast this week, the smart Maxi class money is on the Trieste-based Arca SGR, campaigned by Furio Benussi and Guido Miani, which this year has already claimed line honours in the Rolex Giraglia and Palermo-Montecarlo. Despite having once won Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours as Skandia, her present owners have optimised her for the light wind regattas typical of the northern Adriatic.

The Wallycentos, Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones' Magic Carpet Cubed and David M. Leuschen's Galateia, will also enjoy a welcome return to competition. Both are previous Wally class winners here, the former claiming the title in 2014, the latter in 2017, however this year they have been incorporated into the Maxi fleet. Magic Carpet Cubed is the more race fit having been second home behind Arca SGR in the Rolex Giraglia, while it is the first event for Galateia in two years. For Kiwi six time America’s Cup winner Murray Jones, this personally will only be his third sailing event in that time, but he is looking forward to returning to Galateia:  “We have a few different guys, but a good crew. It will be fun.”

One Maxi that has enjoyed past success at this event is the Farr 100 Leopard, winner of the Maxi Racing division in 2016 under original owner Mike Slade. She is being campaigned now by Dutch internet entrepreneur Joost Schuijff, but with many of her original crew including skipper Chris Sherlock and round the world veteran Paul Standbridge. However in the Maxi fleet none have achieved as much success as Irvine Laidlaw’s Highland Fling XI. This Reichel Pugh 82 is not only the defending Maxi class champion, but also claimed the title in 2017, 2014 and 2011.

Likely to be leading the charge in Mini Maxi 1 is Hap Fauth’s Botin 72 Bella Mente, the newest of the ‘former Maxi 72s’ fitted with a deeper fin and a new bulb since her last visit in 2019. However sistership, Dario Ferrari’s Cannonball was the popular winner here two years ago. She is back, with many of her pro-laden, largely Italian crew including Vasco Vascotto and Michele Ivaldi.    “I am very happy to be here,” said Ferrari. “We have done a couple of little practice races here and it has been very, very close between three boats. The Americans are very strong: Bella Mente, and even Proteus and Vesper have done very well. But they have been sailing all the time, whereas we have been stopped for exactly two years now. It will be a tough competition and we will not be in a position to really compete in the right way, but we will enjoy it. What is important is to be here and to start again and that is a good feeling. Finally we are breathing air and we are on the sea. So if we don’t win it is the same and this is the first time I say that, because normally if I don’t win…” Many past winners are to be found across the Mini Maxi classes. Notably Riccardo de Michele's Vallicelli 80 H20 is a serial winner here having claimed Mini Maxi Racer Cruiser Division 2 for the last three editions. She is now racing in Mini Maxi 3 where she will face Terry Hui’s formidable Wally 77 Lyra, winner of the Wally class for the last two editions with a talented crew led by Kiwi former Olympic Star and America’s Cup sailor Hamish Pepper. In Mini Maxi 2, IMA President Benoît de Froidmont’s Wally 60 Wallyño will be trying to repeat her success of 2016 when she won the Mini Maxi Racer-Cruiser division. However Wallyño will face stiff competition from the Swan 601s Gerard Logel’s @robas and Jean-Pierre Barjon’s Lorina 1895 as well as Alessandro Del Bono, racing with a seasoned crew aboard his longer ILC maxi, the Reichel-Pugh 78 Capricorno. De Froidmont is particularly keen to do well here as it will help position him to defend his title in the International Maxi Association’s Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge 2021. This will be the third event of five in this year’s Challenge, which will continue with Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez and conclude in late October with Palmavela. There is also much new hardware racing this week with all eyes on the very latest grand prix racer, Deep Blue, the Botin 85 of Wendy Schmidt competing in the Maxi 1 class. According to Deep Blue’s tactician and project manager Rob Macmillan, co-founder and President of Schmidt's non-profit organisation, 11th Hour Racing, to race off the Costa Smeralda is why Deep Blue exists. “We love sailing here. It is our favourite place to sail, arguably in the world.” The boat is essentially an enlarged Maxi 72, based on Botin Partners’ work on their successful Bella Mente and Cannonball. It is also perhaps the most finely race-tuned yacht that never raced, having been launched in February 2020 at the start of the pandemic. “This is our first regatta, our coming out party,” says Schmidt, who previously was best known in sailing for campaigning her Swan 80 Selene. “I am really excited to see what this boat will do against other boats. “This is a fantastic event. It is so well organised and well designed, it is the most perfect race course you could have in the world for this type of racing - the pinnacle of competition. It is super exciting.”  

In addition to the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s experienced race management team, American Peter Craig is the Principal Race Officer. Of this event compared to previous years, he says: “The courses will be a little different. With COVID and the ability to have smaller crews, the organisers months ago decided to place an emphasis on coastal races. So all of the classes will be sailing coastal races except for Mini Maxi 1 where there will be one day of windward-leewards.” Craig is pleased with the turnout: “Talking to folks, a couple of months back and they would have been happy with 20-25 boats based on what is going on in the world. To have more than 40 racing is just terrific.” Tomorrow the first warning signal will be at midday local time with the forecast currently showing 7-10 knots of wind. Racing runs until Saturday with a layday on Thursday.  

(James Boyd / International Maxi Association)

Official event' website: www.yccs.it

International Maxi Association Legal Headquarters: c/o BfB Société Fiduciaire Bourquin frères et Béran SA - 26, Rue de la Corraterie - 1204 Genève - Switzerland

THIS IS PORTO CERVO

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

Highly competitive coastal race in Porto Cervo

Every year in September the best yachts, sailed by some of the best sailors in the world, meet in Porto Cervo, because here they have the opportunity to measure themselves against peers in a highly competitive sporting context. Organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda with the support of longstanding partner Rolex and in collaboration with the international Maxi Association, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is an unmissable event.

+39 078 990 2200

[email protected]

www.yccs.it

Via della Marina, 07021 Porto Cervo SS, Italy

Best Of The Best

An impressive fleet of boats, with a minimum length of 60 feet, at the cutting edge of yacht design and construction are taking part, with internationally renowned sailors on board. The race is set on coastal courses around the islands of the La Maddalena Archipelago and along the infamous "Bomb Alley" strait between the islands and Sardinia. To make the race even more competitive a sort of handicap is assigned to each boat and scores are then styled based on compensated time.

Back On Land

While a competitive aspect of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is undoubtedly at the utmost importance, the event is also a favourite with owners and crews thanks to the special program back on land, including the renowned owners dinner offered by partner Rolex. In addition conveniences like the skippers briefing or a welcome cocktail are offered by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. Last but not least the spectacular setting is just one of the reasons many maxi owners return to Porto Cervo year after year.

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34th Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup at Yacht Club Costa Smeralda - Overall

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Video: Highlights from the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo

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By Katia Damborsky   11 September 2018

Between 2-8 September, Sardinia’s Porto Cervo saw exhilarating action from two international regatta events.

Last week, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship commenced on the northern coast of Sardinia at Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.

A fleet of yachts took to the water to compete in thrilling races around the coastline of Porto Cervo, exhibiting quality performance and expert precision.

Yachts sliced through the water head-to-head through Bomb Alley, one of the most favoured locations for racing, and rounded the island of Spargi before heading back towards La Maddalena Archipelago.

In each class respectively, Momo, Topaz, Grande Horace, Lyra, Supernikka and H20 took home first place trophies.

One of the most remarkable victories came from the Wally 77 Lyra, whose scorline comprised five wins and two seconds, despite this being the first time her owner-driver has competed in a regatta.

A fleet of yachts took to the water to compete in thrilling races around the coastline of Porto Cervo

This year marks the 29th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, which hosted 41 yachts classified according to their technical abilities competing to take home various titles.

Now, between 9-16 September, a fleet of 115 Swan yachts will gather in Porto Cervo to celebrate the 20th edition of the Rolex Swan Cup.

A gem of the Mediterranean, Porto Cervo has long established its reputation as a superior destination for luxury yacht charters and regattas. Home to a fine selection of superyachts available for charter, Porto Cervo blends authentic Italian culture with the buzz of refined glamour and luxury.

You can view all luxury yachts available for charter in the Mediterranean or in Porto Cervo specifically.

Alternatively, find out more about regatta charters .

Luxury sailing yachts available for charter in Porto Cervo:

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Rolex Swan Cup: i vincitori e le foto della regata evento a Porto Cervo

• Settembre 25, 2024
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Settembre è il mese delle grandi regate a Porto Cervo e, dopo la Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup , si è appena conclusa un’altra edizione memorabile della classica regata raduno dedicata alle imbarcazioni del cigno: la Rolex Swan Cup . Con un totale di 101 imbarcazioni iscritte , l’edizione del 2024 ha visto protagoniste barche di diverse classi del cantiere Nautor’s Swan, dagli scafi racing, con la gamma ClubSwan One Design, a quelli più orientati alle lunghe navigazioni , con i modelli heritage fino ai più moderni blue water cruiser e maxi.

I protagonisti della Rolex Swan Cup

La Rolex Swan Cup è una regata dalla doppia anima . Sulle banchine di Porto Cervo c’era una flotta variopinta composita da Swan del passato e maxi più recenti. Si va dal 36 piedi tedesco Isabella , primo scafo ad essere uscito dal cantiere del cigno nel 1967 e disegnato da Sparkman & Stephens, al 65 piedi olandese King’s Legend , che giunse secondo alla Whitbread Round the World Race del 1977-78, al moderno Swan 98 Drifter Cube di 30 metri , lo yacht più grande presente alla regata con a bordo Mauro Pelaschier e Tiziano Nava , rispettivamente timoniere e tattico di Azzurra. Altrettanto differenti erano gli approcci degli armatori alla Rolex Swan Cup: tra equipaggi familiari o di amici e grandi nomi internazionali della vela , come Vasco Vascotto o Paul Cayard , per citarne alcuni.

Se gli equipaggi sono arrivati a questo appuntamento da tutto il mondo, la maggior parte delle barche proveniva dall’Europa , ma va sottolineata la presenza di concorrenti asiatici, americani, australiani e anche dal continente africano : due armatori giapponesi (ClubSwan 28 Swing e Swan 68 Defiance), due dall’Australia (S&S 65 Eve e Swan 53 Bedouin), uno dagli USA (ClubSwan 28 Play Bigger), uno dall’Argentina (Swan 45 mod. From Now On), uno dall’India (Swan 58 Aquarius) cui si è aggiunta l’armatrice egiziana del ClubSwan 36 Lady Ghada.

Com’è andata la Rolex Swan Cup

Durante i cinque giorni di regate , il Comitato ha tracciato una serie di percorsi tra le isole dell’arcipelago di La Maddalena . Un successo ottenuto nonostante le condizioni meteo non sempre favorevoli, tra temporali improvvisi e venti sempre più deboli col passare della settimana. Fortunatamente l’ultima giornata di regate, sabato 21 settembre, ha regalato un leggero vento da est cresciuto dagli 8 ai 12 nodi , consentendo il regolare svolgimento di una prova costiera per le classi a rating e due prove a bastone per gli Swan One Design. Si è chiuso quindi nel migliore questo appuntamento biennale ospitato dallo Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.

I vincitori delle classi rating…

Tra i vincitori, nelle classi a rating è stata molto combattuta la Divisione B S&S Classic dove lo Swan 36 tedesco Isabella ha prevalso per un solo punto sullo Swan 57 finlandese del 1978 Lintu . Altre classi a rating hanno visto la superiorità di un singolo yacht con una sequenza di primi posti , come nel caso dello Swan 90 Freya  ( Divisione A Maxi ) e dello Swan 60 CR Sea Quill ( Divisione A Mini Maxi ), con a bordo Andrea Fornaro e un equipaggio di giovani velisti tra cui Ettore Botticini e Maddalena Spanu , atleta di Young Azzurra.

“Dopo tanto lavoro abbiamo regatato in questa Rolex Swan Cup in maniera impeccabile, senza sbagliare nulla infatti abbiamo collezionato solo primi posti : una performance davvero di altissimo livello. Grazie ad una preparazione meticolosa sia da parte mia come team manager e tattico della barca, sia di tutto l’equipaggio che nei suoi punti chiave ha come randista Ettore Botticini e Lorenzo De Felice come trimmer ” è stato il commento di Andrea Fornaro .

Nelle restanti classi il vincitore si è imposto con un margine di soli due punti: lo Swan 38 modificato Mascalzone Latino XXXIII ( Divisione B S&S Racing ) sullo Swan 48 Elan, lo Swan 54 Katima ( Divisione C Cruiser ) sullo Swan 53 CB Bedouin, arrivato dall’Australia. Infine lo Swan 45 modificato From Now On su Tengher , un altro Swan 45 modificato ( Divisione C Grand Prix ).

E i vincitori delle classi one design

Il nuovissimo ClubSwan 28, al suo debutto in questa regata , ha svolto quattro combattutissime prove a partire da giovedì 19 settembre. A vincere questa prima Rolex Swan Cup è stato Marcello del socio YCCS Philippe Ligot con Andrea Cherin alla tattica , ma a pari punti con Anya Race di Giulio Gatti che si è avvalso di Enrico Zennaro per le chiamate tattiche. La discriminante sono stati i due primi posti parziali di Marcello, rispetto alla singola vittoria parziale di Anya Race. Terzo posto con due punti di distacco per Django dei fratelli Guglielmo e Vittorio Lombardi Stronati .

Colpo di scena nella classe ClubSwan 50, dove Moonlight di Graeme Peterson, con Hamish Pepper alla tattica, scalza di un solo punto Olymp , che fino all’ultimo giorno era stato nettamente al comando. Terzo posto di classe a pari punti con Olymp per Hatari di Marcus Brennecke .

Tra i ClubSwan 36 Fra Martina dei fratelli Pavesio, con Lorenzo Bressani alla tattica , vince nettamente la classe, davanti a Cuordileone di Edoardo Ferragamo,  con Diogo Cayolla come tattico. Terzo posto per Black Seal .

Canopo di Adriano Majolino, con Michele Regolo nel ruolo di tattico, si impone tra i ClubSwan 42 permettendosi il lusso di scartare, come peggior risultato, il secondo posto dell’ultimo giorno. Secondo è Pez de Abril di Jose Maria Meseguer, terzo lo yacht belga Andante 4 .

Tra gli Swan 45 Ulika di Stefano Masi, con Edoardo Mancinelli Scotti alla tattica , ha avuto la meglio per un solo punto su Ex Officio di Georgios Petrochilos con l’ex olimpico di 470 Panagiotis Kampouridis nel ruolo di tattico. Terzo posto per Thetis di Luca Locatelli .

La Rolex Swan Cup chiude così la stagione sportiva dello Yacht Club Costa Smeralda , iniziata lo scorso maggio.

Giacomo Barbaro

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