47 boats gather in Porto Cervo for 35th Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda 7 Sep 19:32 BST
7-13 September 2025
Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi
The 35th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) with the support of the International Maxi Association and title sponsor Rolex, officially opens today with the skippers' briefing, followed by a Welcome cocktail on the YCCS terrace overlooking Porto Cervo marina.
Racing will get under way tomorrow at 12 midday and will run through Saturday 13 September, with the prize-giving ceremony in Piazza Azzurra bringing proceedings to a close.
This year's event welcomes a total of 47 maxi yachts - with a minimum length of 60 feet (18.29 metres) - and marks the 40th anniversary of Rolex's sponsorship of the regatta. The Swiss watchmaker began its longstanding collaboration with maxi racing at the YCCS in September 1985, supporting what would become the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup.
The regatta attracts some of the world's most renowned professional sailors, with an increasing number of female sailors among the crews. The fleet is characteristically diverse, ranging from cutting-edge racing machines to performance cruiser-racers that enable owners to combine comfort with competition at the highest level.
Competitors will also be challenging for two World Titles during the event: the Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Championship and the Rolex IMA Maxi Grand Prix World Championship. The Maxi 1 class has nine entries ranging from approximately 80 to 100 feet. Among those vying for the title will be the innovative 100-foot Magic Carpet E, owned by YCCS member Sir Lindsay Owen Jones, with Francesco De Angelis calling tactics. Launched in 2024 and designed by Guillaume Verdier, Magic Carpet E features ultra-light interiors by Axel de Beaufort for Hermès. The three Wallycento yachts - Galateia, Tilakkhana and V - will also be in the running, as will Pier Luigi Loro Piana with his ClubSwan 80 My Song and Alessandro Del Bono with JV82 Capricorno - both YCCS members. Wendy Schmidt's Botin 85 Deep Blue, Joost Schuijff's Farr 100 Leopard 3 and YCCS Commodore Andrea Recordati's Wally 93 Bullitt complete the strong field here.
In the Grand Prix class, eight of the pure racing yachts that previously belonged to the Maxi72 class will go head-to-head. Among the high-profile owners competing are YCCS members Peter Harrison with Jolt and Giovanni Lombardi Stronati with Django 7X, fresh from their respective first- and third-place finishes at the revived Admiral's Cup, which returned to British waters in style this summer. Balthasar, Bella Mente, Jethou, North-Star, Proteus and Vesper round out an impressive fleet contending the world title in Porto Cervo. The Grand Prix class boats completed a series of training sessions in Porto Cervo in the week leading up to the event, underlining the calibre of the competition.
The programme for the two classes competing for their World Championship includes three days of coastal racing in the La Maddalena Archipelago and two days of windward-leeward races, with a maximum of two races to be held each day. The remaining classes will face five days of coastal courses, chosen daily by the Race Committee based on wind conditions. The IRC rating system will be used, with the exception of the Supermaxi class, which will race under the ORCsy rating system, specially designed for this type of yacht.
The Maxi 3 is the largest division, with 14 yachts entered, and features three Baltic 68 Café Racers: Open Season, Ganesha and Scorpione Hormar, launched this year. The Maxi 4 class counts nine entries, including the Swan 601 boats @robas and Durlindana IV, the Vallicelli 78 H2O owned by YCCS member Riccardo De Michele and the Swan 651 Lunz Am Meer.
The Supermaxi class fields four yachts - Inoui, Inti, Moat and Viriella - all but Inti belonging to YCCS members. Owner Vittorio Moretti never misses an edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, and his Viriella is the largest yacht in the entire fleet at 36 metres. Italian sailing royalty Mauro Pelaschier will be at the helm, with Maddalena Spanu - an athlete from the YCCS Young Azzurra sporting programme and European WingFoil Racing champion - joining the crew for several days to broaden her sailing experience.
The spectacle on the water will be matched by exclusive occasions ashore. Owners and their guests will gather for the Rolex Gala dinner at the YCCS terrace restaurant on 11 September, followed by the Crew Party in Piazza Azzurra for all participants on 12 September.
The first starting signal is scheduled for tomorrow, Monday September 8, at 12 midday CEST with a forecast for light south-east breezes.