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Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

The Costa Smeralda provides a stunning setting and a variety of challenging conditions for the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, one of the highlights of the Mediterranean yachting season. The first Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup (known then as the Maxi World championship) was held in Sardinia in 1980. The brainchild of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and its president, the Aga Khan, the regatta is now an eagerly anticipated annual event attracting a sizeable fleet of majestic maxi yachts to Porto Cervo each September.

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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.”

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Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup - Third day of perfect conditions

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2023 IMA Maxi Rolex Cup

Doyle-powered teams are making last minute preparations ahead of the pinnacle Grand Prix sailing event of the season, the IMA Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, in the spectacular surroundings of Porto Cervo. 

The fleet of internationally acclaimed maxi yachts are due to race from the 3rd to 9th of September for the 33rd edition of the event across a variation of courses ranging from coastal courses through the islands of the La Maddalena Archipelago to windward-leeward courses.

Once again, Doyle Sails is proud to be the sailmaker of choice for the majority of the high-performance race yachts that will be on the start line this week, with more than 75 Doyle sails delivered specifically ahead of the event. For Doyle Sails, it is always the busiest event of the year with a significant number of Doyle-powered yachts and Doyle Sails people on the ground including Mike Sanderson, CEO of Doyle Sails International. This year Mike returns to sail with long-time Doyle Sails supporter and friend Hap Fauth onboard his Botin 75 Bella Mente. “It’s wonderful to be sitting on the plane after several years of “testing times” for the world. Even though last year was pretty much back to normal I was forced out due to a very disappointing skiing injury and so super excited to be back with our Bella Mente family for another crack at the big prize of the year for boats like Bella, “ said Mike, who is currently enroute to Porto Cervo. “For Doyle Sails this will be our biggest and most competitive line up of boats throughout the divisions and we look forward to working with our owners and teams over the coming two weeks with their local Doyle experts and their new sails to really maximize each team’s potential”, he continued. 

Finishing the 2022 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in third place, Bella Mente are looking to fight back and claim the top spot this season. The team will also be trialing Doyle Sails’ latest technology in the lead up so it will be all eyes on the 75ft racing machine ahead of the event. “This year we have made some pretty bold changes to the boat with twin rudders, water ballast and lots of smaller developments in hydro and aero world, so really exciting to see how those all play out over the next two weeks,” said Mike.

Farr 100 Leopard 3 will be back in action with Chris Sherlock at the helm. Sherlock, of Doyle Sails Palma, and his team have had worked hard in the lead up to the event with a successful Palma Superyacht Cup result before winning the 2023 Aegean 600. After a major refit this year, the yacht is in fighting form with a new rig, rigging and winch package, along with a new Doyle Sails inventory. 

Contention for the title in Maxi Class 1 will be tight as Leopard will be lining up against fellow Doyle-powered maxi’s Deep Blue, Galateia and Bullitt. Luke Molloy, also of Doyle Sails Palma, is sailing onboard long time customer Andrea Recordati’s Wally 93 Bullitt, who, after finishing 3 rd  at the 2022 event will be looking to climb up the podium.

David M. Leuschen’s WallyCento Galateia will once again line up alongside other maxi’s in Maxi Class 1 after a successful start to the season winning the 2023 Palma Vela regatta. Daniel Fong, professional sailor and Grand Prix sail designer for Doyle Sails, will be onboard this year supporting the team as a sailor, but also as the sail designer behind the new high-performance Stratis J1 and full suite of downwind flying sails that has recently been delivered to Galateia. 

With 10 new Doyle Stratis sails onboard for the event, it will be Dario Ferrari’s Botin 72 Cannonball, looking to continue their run of successful results in what is arguably the most intense division of the event, with eight yachts in Maxi Class 2. Doyle Grand Prix Sail Designer and professional sailor Jordi Calafat is onboard as tactician. 

David Duff of Doyle Sails International will sail with Wendy Schimdt and their tight knit crew on the Botin 85 Deep Blue and Doyle Sails Italy will support Manticore, Franz Wilhem Baruffaldi Preis’s Mylius 60 fd, which will line up in the Maxi Class 4, the largest division for the regatta.

Recently launched Cafe Racer Open Season, owned by Thomas Bscher, will be making her long awaited debut in the racing scene after spending the inital part of the summer in Palma. Open Season will showcase her brand new race inventory of Doyle Structured Luff headsails, Cableless Code Zero and staysails this week. Senior project manager and sailmaker Antoine Thullier, is onboard with the race team this week. The project has been led by Luke Molloy who has been an integral player from design phase through to commissioning – recently spending time with the yacht to complete the sea trials last week and a training block with race team ahead of their first racing event. The 68fter has spent the earlier part of the summer cruising, designed to  sail without backstays in cruising mode allowing the owner to sail simply and safely with minimal crew.

George Sakellaris’s maxi yacht Proteus returns for another year and will be looking for redemption, last year they were the winners of the Maxi European Inshore series, and posted a second overall at the Maxi European event. While luck wasn’t on their side at the Aegean 600 in July with a rigging issue pre-start, the yacht is back in mint condition ahead of the event with Richard Bouzaid onboard as primary trimmer. 

The highly anticipated 101 Y3K, the latest launch from Italian yard Wally test yacht out of the Italian Wally yard will also be making her racing debut this week, having recently completed a successful round of sea trials in Italy where a full suite of Doyle Structured Luff sails were fitted alongside Mainsails, Cableless Code sails and downwind flying sails. 

With Doyle Sails now firmly the sailmaker of choice to the world’s most high-performance race yachts, events like the 2023 Maxi Rolex Cup are a true testament to the by sailors, for sailors ethos which sees Doyle Sails home to not only the best sailmakers in the world, but the best sailors. 

For further information visit the  YCCS website , the  section dedicated to the event , or contact the  Press Office .

ABOUT DOYLE SAILS //   Doyle Sails strives to deliver success through high-performance, high-quality, custom sails that continue to redefine the boundaries of sailmaking technology and innovation; whilst connecting sailors to inspire, support and encourage sailing.

Our obsession with sailing takes us to every corner of the world and onboard every yacht. We become part of teams, share in the adventures of friends and families, sharing our knowledge and experience with those with the same passion. Sailing is in our DNA, and we are the custodians of a legacy that has been supporting sailors for four decades and counting.

By sailors, for sailors.

Published on September 9th, 2023 | by Editor

PHOTOS: 2023 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

Published on September 9th, 2023 by Editor -->

The 33rd edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup , held in 2023 on September 3-9 in Porto Cervo, Italy. Photos by Max Ranchi .

Tags: Max Ranchi , Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

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Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2023

One of the most important events on the international yachting calendar, the annual Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is synonymous with excellence.

The regatta and its organizer, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS), have been partnered by Rolex since the mid-1980s. A partnership of such longevity is rare in sport and lies at the heart of the event’s continuing evolution and ability to maintain the highest of ‘standards’

Rolex Testimonee Paul Cayard, the legendary yachtsman from the United States and a past competitor at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, explains how the close partnership between the Swiss watchmaker and the YCCS is fundamental to the continued success of the event: “For four decades, Rolex and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda have forged a privileged relationship. These two partners stand for the highest quality and excellence in everything they do, and as a result, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup offers the ideal platform for owners and their crews to enjoy elite competition in a striking and demanding location.”

YCCS Commodore Michael Illbruck agrees with Cayard that the historic partnership is at the heart of the event’s continued appeal: “The YCCS and Rolex have always worked together to evolve an event created with a very clear vision: to become one of the world’s most important and spectacular sailing events, one which entices the best sailors to compete and inspires maxi yacht owners and designers to continue to drive the sport forward.”

The regatta is renowned for its professional organization, excellent sailing conditions and a first-class schedule of events off the water. In 2023, the 33rd edition commences on Sunday, 3 September and concludes with the final prize-giving on Saturday, 9 September.

The event typically attracts about 50 yachts measuring from 18.29 metres (60 feet) in length to more than 40m (131ft). Divided into classes based on size and performance, and crewed by the world’s leading sailors, the yachts are a sublime combination of power, speed and elegance when racing. Thanks to the YCCS race management team, supported by the International Maxi Association, a recognized leader in its field, the week of competition is impeccably conducted.

Cayard confirms why sailors are perennially drawn to the event: “The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is the very essence of superlative yacht racing – the most impressive yachts, sailed by the best sailors in the most perfect sailing environment. Victory at this regatta is one of the most coveted successes in the sport. The winners have overcome determined and skilful opponents across a demanding week of racing.”

Since its foundation, the event has been a showcase for both the potential and the evolution of yacht design and technology. It is considered the foremost proving ground for new launches and a place where designers, owners and sailors can meet to discuss innovations, developments and future projects. Success at the regatta confirms that passion and commitment have been well directed.

Completing the attractive package is one of the world’s most impressive sailing environments. The emerald waters, rocky outcrops and islets of north-east Sardinia’s Maddalena Archipelago offer an exceptional arena for yacht racing, with varied conditions and testing courses.

Across five days of intense competition off Porto Cervo, crews tackle a programme of windward/leeward and inshore racing through and around the archipelago. Consistency in performance is critical, teamwork essential. For the top performers, recognition comes in the form of class victories and the associated trophies.

Rolex Testimonee and four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Ben Ainslie, another past competitor, highlights the event’s distinct spirit: “The setting inspires excellence. From a sporting perspective, precision is critical to successful performance in sailing. This is never more so than at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, which has long showcased the world’s elite sailors using their skill and expertise to get the very best out of powerful, technically complex yachts.”

For close to 40 years, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup has provided the perfect platform for the world’s most powerful monohull yachts to perform to their full potential. And, thanks to the close and careful partnership of the YCCS and Rolex, it appears set fair to continue delivering for many years to come.

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Palermo-Montecarlo line honours and record for Black Jack; maxi prize for Lucky

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One of the windiest and most competitive Palermo-Montecarlo races concluded for the maxi yachts today with Remon Vos’ 100ft Black Jack claiming line honours and setting a new race record. Finishing 43 minutes and 11 seconds later, after a tight race, Bryon Ehrhart’s 88ft Lucky (the former Rambler 88) won the Maxi Class under IRC corrected time.

Organised by the Circolo della Vela Sicilia (CVS) in partnership with the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS), the Palermo-Montecarlo was the concluding event of the International Maxi Association’s 2023-24 Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge (MMOC), which began last autumn with the Rolex Middle Sea Race.

Five maxis competed in this 19th Palermo-Montecarlo among the full fleet of 50+ that set sail on Tuesday 20 August from Mondello, just west of Sicily’s capital. The boats crossed a mandatory scoring gate off Porto Cervo before continuing on past Corsica to the Montecarlo finish. While Louis Balcaen’s former Maxi 72 Balthasar come home a worthy third both on the water under IRC corrected time, with the VO65 Sisi still to finish at the time of writing, all eyes were on the tight battle for the line honours between Black Jack and Lucky.

Black Jack joined the race with new owner Remon Vos stepping on board for the first time ever (Black Jack won line honours in June’s Loro Piana Giraglia but Vos was not on board). She was sailing with a mix of French and Dutch plus some of previous owner Peter Harburg’s Australian crew, including former skipper Mark Bradford.

Meanwhile Lucky this year has competed in the Aegean 600 but this was only the second outing for her brand new rig, following her unfortunate dismasting in last year’s Rolex Middle Sea Race.

Both Black Jack and Lucky have canting keels but otherwise their designs are chalk and cheese: the shorter newer Lucky (launched in 2015 as Rambler 88), having a lineage based on VO70s with a beamy, powerful hull, while Black Jack is longer, slender and older (launched in 2005 as Alfa Romeo II) and, sporting a tiny dense tungsten bulb, is the better light wind machine. This played out in the Palermo-Montecarlo with Lucky prevailing upwind and reaching when the breeze was up and stability required while Black Jack came into her own when the wind dropped and finally swung aft in the latter stages.

With a mistral raging to the west of Sardinia, over the first night the Palermo-Montecarlo fleet erred east of rhumb line to the Porto Cervo turning mark, else risking falling into the lee of Sardinia. For the most part Lucky had the upper hand here. “Our plan was to be north of them,” explained her Brazilian tactician Joca Signorini. “We knew it would be tricky. On starboard on the final approach to Sardinia, we were in a good position and then got the best out of the big left hand shift there.”

Lucky crossed the Porto Cervo gate at around 1600 on Wednesday with Black Jack seven minutes astern. The two headed up Bomb Alley, between the Maddalena archipelago and the Sardinian mainland and it wasn’t until they started tacking up southwest Corsica that finally Black Jack passed her rival.

Before the start the weather forecast indicated the possibility being marginal of breaking the race record of 47 hours 46 minutes and 48 seconds that Black Jack had set in 2015 (as Igor Simcic’s Esimit Europa II). But as the race progressed, conditions between Corsica and Monaco improved for the leaders. They experienced 25-28 knots and a lumpy sea once through the Strait of Bonifacio, but then experienced similarly strong winds off northwest Corsica that permitted Lucky to recover miles on her rival.

Ultimately Black Jack made it through the last transition first and extended away to finish at 08:34:14 this morning, in an elapsed time of 44 hours 34 minutes 14 seconds, taking more than three hours off the record. Lucky finished at 09:18:57 but won under IRC corrected time by 46 minutes.

“What more could we ask for?!” commented a delighted Tristan le Brun, skipper of Black Jack. “This was the first race with the new owner and we put on an amazing show. He is over the moon.”

Of their race with Lucky, le Brun continued: “We were hanging on to them – we knew they were going to be faster in these conditions upwind and reaching and they were for the first two thirds of the race. We knew it was all about staying close to them – we couldn’t pull away because we don’t have their righting moment and as soon as there is 15 knots they go like a rocket. When the wind got complex, we had our opportunity and pulled away from them… twice. They came back when the wind picked up but the second time we did it in a way that they couldn’t come back…”

On board Lucky, Signorini, American owner Bryon Ehrhart and their all-star cast of America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race legends enjoyed the close competition. “It is always great when you have these big boats in long battles,” said Joca Signorini. “We are very happy. The crew did a fantastic job. We managed to sail our boat very accurately and in the way we needed to – Black Jack sailed well and deserved their win. We were trying our best to get in their way but the last transition zone was difficult for us to manage in the light breeze.”

After the heinous conditions Lucky experienced in July’s Aegean 600, the Palermo-Montecarlo weather was comparatively sedate with the wind into the mid-20s once passing along the weather shore of Corsica.

“We are very happy,” continued Signorini. “Congratulations to Bryon [Ehrhart] who put a lot of effort into getting the boat together for this season. We are all pleased with the effort we put in, setting up the boat to be competitive against Black Jack. It was very good race.” Compared to their Aegean 600 set-up Lucky was fitted with her longer canting keel and lighter bulb configuration for this race.

The winner of the IMA’s MMOC will be announced shortly with the winner set to receive their prize at the IMA Members’ Dinner during September’s Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup.

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

August 23, 2023 - Porto Cervo, Italy -  A fleet of around 50 maxi yachts is due to gather in Porto Cervo from 3rd to 9th September for the 33rd edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup , organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in collaboration with title sponsor Rolex and the International Maxi Association.

As always, the fleet will be a varied one, ranging from cruising yachts to pure racers, all with a minimum length of 60 feet (18.3 metres). The boats will be divided into different classes according to type and performance characteristics, with each class producing its own Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup winner.  ORCsy ratings and scoring will be used in the SuperMaxi Class.

Courses will be structured to allow competitors to race around the islands of the La Maddalena Archipelago, enjoying a unique natural backdrop, while the schedule for the more technical classes will also feature windward-leeward courses. Each day, based on the forecast winds, the Race Committee will choose the most suitable course, usually differentiating the length for the various classes so that all competitors end up racing over a similar amount of time. Once the fleet has returned to the docks and completed the usual post-race operations, a range of social events are scheduled ashore for both crews and owners with their guests.

Completely new to the event for this year will be a division reserved for the increasingly popular class of multihull yachts. Enrolled for this debut outing are: ALLEGRA , a custom design by Nigel Irens owned by YCCS member Adrian Keller and winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race in her class, the Gunboat 80 HIGHLAND FLING 18  owned by YCCS member Lord Irvine Laidlaw, and the Gunboat 68 CONVEXITY 2 .  ORCmh ratings and scoring will be used for this new class.

The 33rd Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will also host the regatta debut of Y3K , a brand new Wally 101 owned by club member Claus-Peter Offen, which will compete against fellow supermaxi yachts such as the Swan 115 MOAT , the Spirit 111 Geist, the Maxi Dolphin VIRIELLA , and Inoui, all topping 30 metres in length and regular participants in YCCS regattas.

The magnificent J Class yachts will once again return to grace the waters of the Costa Smeralda for the occasion. Measuring over 40 metres in length, these classic designs were the stars of the America’s Cups of the 1930s. Their elegant, slender forms embody the classic idea of a sailing yacht in the collective imagination, and “the Js” always attract a great deal of admiration whether on the quayside or the race course. This year SVEA , TOPAZ and VELSHEDA will be sailing on the waters off Porto Cervo.

Classic lines are not reserved solely to the J Class, however, as this edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will feature BARUNA OF 1938 , a 22-metre hull designed by the renowned Sparkman & Stephens studio, fresh from a major and lengthy restoration.

Moving from the world of yachting of the past to that of the present and a flurry of recent projects, the entry list includes the Wally 93 BULLITT , owned by YCCS member Andrea Recordati, and the ClubSwan 80 MY SONG  owned by another YCCS member, Pier Luigi Loro Piana, which returns to Porto Cervo after her debut at the event last year.

As always, such high-profile yachts are crewed by top-level sailors including some of the yachting world’s greatest champions. During the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the docks at the YCCS are guaranteed to present a veritable who’s who of the elite of international sailing, attracting not only owners and sailors, but many of the leading names in international yacht design.

The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will conclude on 9th September, while the YCCS season will continue with two events dedicated to the International 5.5 Metre Class, the Scandinavian Gold Cup, which is part of the historical fabric of this former Olympic class, followed by the World Championship from 24th to 29th September.

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Written by Zuzana Bednarova

Two important events saw the Mangusta Maxi Open by the prominent Italian builder Overmarine again protagonist on the nautical scene: Marine Max exclusive partner for the United States attended the Palm Beach Boat Show , running from March 22 to 25 with the spectacular motor yacht Mangusta 92 and the Mangusta 130 superyacht on display. Burevestnik Group, on the other hand, was the star of the Moscow International Boat Show , taking place from March 20 to 25 exhibiting the scale models of the luxury yacht Mangusta Oceano 148, the superyacht Mangusta 92, the Mangusta 165 as well as Mangusta 130 yachts.

Mangusta 92 Superyacht

MANGUSTA 92 ( an example of Mangusta 92 is the motor yacht ILLUSION ) Stylish and fast luxury motor yacht Mangusta 92 represents perfect proportions. She offers an ambitious layout that permits for 3 beautiful staterooms and a relax room or 4 staterooms, each with high-tech entertainment centers. Run by twin MTU 16V2000M94 of 2600Hp each and Kamewa 56S3 jet drives, the Mangusta 92 achieves the exciting speed of 37 knots.

Luxury motor yacht Mangusta 130

MANGUSTA 130 ( for example the charter yacht Ability ) Mangusta 130 superyacht combines pleasure and performance. Her lower deck provides 4 lovely staterooms and a salon or 5 staterooms. When the twin 3640-hp MTU16V4000 M93L are fired up and bring the vessel to a full speed of 39 knots, the peaceful as well as relaxing feeling remains, as there is no noise or vibration.

Megayacht Mangusta 165

MANGUSTA 165 ( an example can be the luxury charter yacht ZEUS ) The biggest fiberglass Open Yacht ever built, the luxury megayacht Mangusta 165 brings together state of the art technology with extreme comfort. With a speed of 39 knots, the Mangusta 165 exceeds all expectations in terms of performance, with the stabilizers that provide the smoothest ride. This majestic and elegant vessel offers extraordinarily spacious interiors with four or five staterooms and a living space.

Superyacht Mangusta Oceano 148

MANGUSTA OCEANO 148 Mangusta Oceano 148 superyacht is built to provide her Owner with the utmost in luxury and comfort aboard by integrating the latest technology processes with the most advanced marine equipment available in the market. Her interiors can be built in any kind of wood and with the style (design) selected by the Owner.

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "Maxi-Open Mangusta Yachts presented at Boat Shows in Palm Beach and Moscow".

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