September is for sailors, from the 4th – 10th of September sailors flocked once again to Sardinia returning to the sailing Mecca, Porto Cervo. After the success in June of the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta, we welcomed back a bolder, punchier crowd for the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup.
With the support of long-standing title sponsor Rolex, the regatta, organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, in collaboration with the International Maxi Association, promised a week of spectacular racing against the backdrop of the Costa Smeralda and the La Maddalena archipelago, with its beautiful waters and sailing conditions – and it did not disappoint!
Now in its 32nd edition, The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup saw an exceptional line-up of boats. 50 yachts including four J Class yachts and Pier Luigi Loro Piana’s new My Song, a ClubSwan 80 participated in fleet starts, an impressive turnout in these turbulent times showing that superyacht racing is still a firm favourite amongst keen sailors.
Getting off to a perfect start, the Race Committee under the calm and professional guidance of PRO Peter Craig selected a testing 35-mile coastal course that took the competitors from Porto Cervo on an anticlockwise circumnavigation of the islands of Caprera and Maddalena, up to the Secca di Tre Monti shallows in the Saline Gulf, then on a reach to the Monaci island, and from there upwind towards the finish line off Porto Cervo.
Racing started with the intense rivalry we know and love, featuring tight starts and duels at the offset mark, close manoeuvres all along the coastal course, tactical choices to break free of rival cover, and significant speeds on the reach from the Secca di Tre Monti to Monaci island.
Starting as she meant to go on, victory on day one among the J Class yachts went to Svea, ahead of Ranger and Velsheda, while Topaz was delayed by a broken gennaker at the start. After a full three hours of racing, the delta between the first three boats was a nail-biting 2 minutes and 16 seconds, these boats were designed to race after all!
A similar situation transpired among the Supermaxis (yachts measuring more than 100 feet where Shamanna got the better of Spirit of Malouen X and Moat . The largest class, the Maxi division with 13 entries, saw Highland Fling XI take the day ahead of Galateia in compensated time.
After three days of stiff competition, the coastal race set up by the Race Committee for the final day took the fleet upwind to Secca di Tre Monti, then beam reaching to round Isola dei Monaci, then on a long downwind run south around the islets called Mortorio and Soffi then upwind to conclude off Porto Cervo for a total of 27 nm.
There was tension as the J Class yachts duelled it out as if they were in a match race, showing just how well the teams on these classic 40m yachts can sail. Svea once again finished ahead of Ranger and Topaz and was welcomed back to port by blank gunshots, a brilliant seafaring tradition that the J Class yachts are keeping alive.
With no doubt who would be crowned winner among the J Class yachts, Svea took home her well-deserved trophy, followed by Ranger and Velsheda respectively. In the Supermaxi division the Swan 115 Shamanna triumphed over the Spirit Yacht 111 Geist with the Swan 115 Moat 1 in third place.
Bouwe Bekking, tactician on the J Class Svea stated: “We had a fantastic week, we did a lot of training, we sailed well, had good starts and that helped a lot. The crew work was excellent, the boat was well prepared, no breakages which is a big thing with these J Class boats which weigh 185 tonnes. Porto Cervo is a fantastic place. Sailing around the rocks and the mixture of a couple of up and down races as well – good committee, good organisation, fantastic scenery, it’s where you can see the most beautiful pictures of these boats.”
In the Maxi division, the largest with 13 entries, Highland Fling XI took the win ahead of the Wallycento Galateia and the Wally 93 Bullitt. In the Mini Maxi 1 group of pure racing yachts, Vesper claimed victory ahead of Proteus and Bella Mente. The scores were incredibly tight at the top of the Mini Maxi 2 class, where Capricorno got the better of the Mylius 80 Twin Soul B by just one point, with the Wally 78 Rose taking third place.
H2O also earned a clear run of four consecutive wins to triumph with a clear margin in the Mini Maxi 3&4 category. She was followed by the Mylius 65 FD Oscar 3 and the Dehler 60 Blue Oyster.
The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup has always stood out among international yachting events for its high standard of competition, gathering the cream of nautical design and boat building in Porto Cervo together with globally renowned professional sailors, but the 32nd edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will also be remembered as hosting the race debut of FlyingNikka, the first ever Mini Maxi foiler. Given her radically different design compared to traditional boats, FlyingNikka raced in her own class, the Mini Maxi 0, where she was the sole participant.
YCCS Commodore Michael Illbruck reflected on the week during the closing prize giving ceremony stating:
“The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is a special event, unique I would say, which we are proud to organise. Some of the best sailors in the world come to Porto Cervo to sail on J Class boats, designed in the 1930s, as well as maxi yachts at the cutting edge of naval technology. We will continue to raise the bar and follow a path of innovation and excellence. My thanks go to our partner Rolex, the Race Committee, and the International Jury, the YCCS staff and all the owners and sailors who are the real protagonists of this event, and my congratulations go to all the winners of this 32nd edition.”
The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup as always was an unmissable event combining competitive sailing with glamour of the location and social events ashore. Owners and crew from all over the world came together once again in Porto Cervo, renewing ties of friendship and immersing in the fierce competition superyacht sailing in Sardinia brings.
Photo Credits: Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup Copyright Ingrid Abery 2022
