More than 40 maxi yachts have gathered in Porto Cervo for the 36th Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, with two world titles on the line and a strong New Zealand presence through the fleet.
The regatta, run by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda with the International Maxi Association and title sponsor Rolex, got underway on Sunday 6 September with the Skippers' Briefing and Welcome Cocktail. Racing starts Monday 7 September at noon CEST and runs through to the prize-giving ceremony on Saturday 12 September.
Every boat in the fleet exceeds 60 feet. Six multihulls join the line-up this year, racing under the ORCmh system while the Maxi classes compete under IRC handicap. The courses are set against the demanding waters of the La Maddalena Archipelago and off Porto Cervo.
A crew bonus provision allows teams to carry up to two extra sailors beyond the maximum specified on their IRC certificate, provided those sailors are female or aged 21 or under at the date of the prize-giving. It is part of a deliberate push to widen participation and bring more women onto the race course.
For the second year running, two world titles are up for grabs: the Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Championship and the Rolex IMA Maxi Grand Prix World Championship. In Maxi 1, defending champion Galateia returns with New Zealanders Murray Jones and Kelvin Harrap in the afterguard. The challengers make for a serious line-up too: Magic Carpet E, owned by Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, with Francesco de Angelis on tactics; My Song, with Paul Cayard and Manu Weiler aboard; and Capricorno, whose crew includes Flavio Favini, Alberto Bolzan and five-time Olympic medallist Torben Grael.
Two female owners will compete in that top class: Pascale Decaux at the helm of Tilakkhana and Wendy Schmidt on Deep Blue.
The Maxi Grand Prix fleet runs just as deep. Reigning champion Django 7x returns with Vasco Vascotto and Guillermo Parada in the afterguard, while Terry Hutchinson, Brad Butterworth and Hamish Pepper each take tactics roles on rival boats, Bella Mente, Jethou and Proteus respectively. New Zealander Dean Barker is aboard James Neville's Artemis Bleu, winner of the Range Rover Sardinia Cup in Porto Cervo in June.
New for 2026 is a multihull division of six boats, including Sophia, a 19-metre trimaran designed by Nigel Irens and the first of her type to compete at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup.
Also worth watching is Giuseppe Puttini's Swan 65 Shirlaf, marking 50 years since her launch this year, before heading on to the Rolex Swan Cup the following week.
YCCS Commodore Andrea Recordati said the regatta "embodies the values that the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda seeks to express through its regattas: tradition and innovation in yacht design, owners driven by genuine passion, crews of the very highest calibre and a race course that always demands the best." He thanked Rolex and the International Maxi Association for "sharing this journey with us", and welcomed "all the owners and crews who have returned, once again, to Porto Cervo."
The programme mixes coastal races with windward-leeward courses, with up to seven races scheduled for the two World Championship classes: three coastal and up to four windward-leeward, spread across two days. Thursday 10 September is a scheduled rest day, held in reserve for any racing lost to weather. Light easterly winds are forecast for the opening day of racing.
