Class 0 owners in the ORC fleet are about to get something they've never had: a proper season-long campaign across the Mediterranean, built specifically for the fastest boats in the fleet.
The Offshore Racing Congress has joined forces with three host clubs, Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia, Yacht Club Toscana and Real Club Náutico de Palma, to create the International Med Circuit for 2027. It brings together three very different venues under one series, aimed squarely at ORC Class 0 yachts.
The circuit links Tre Golfi Sailing Week in Sorrento, a brand new Coppa Toscana in Scarlino, and the well-known Copa del Rey MAPFRE in Palma de Mallorca. Three stops, three distinct styles of racing, one trophy at stake.
The timing makes sense. Class 0 has been building momentum for a couple of seasons now. The 2025 ORC European Championship, sailed at the 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE, drew 17 boats in Class 0. In 2026, 15 Class 0 yachts lined up for the ORC World Championship during Tre Golfi Sailing Week, and 14 fronted for the 44th Copa del Rey MAPFRE not long after.
Organisers clearly took note of that trend, prompting them to formalise a Mediterranean pathway rather than leave these regattas as standalone fixtures.
For 2027, entry is open only to Class 0 yachts holding a valid ORC International certificate, with full eligibility details to come in the Notice of Series. Sorrento runs 4-8 May, hosted within Tre Golfi Sailing Week. Scarlino's new Coppa Toscana follows 21-27 June. Palma caps it off 31 July to 7 August, inside the Copa del Rey MAPFRE.
Prize-giving happens in Palma once the Copa del Rey wraps up. The overall circuit winner takes home the ORC Challenge Paolo Massarini Trophy.
Tre Golfi traces back to 1954 and the original Regata dei Tre Golfi, starting in the Bay of Naples. The 2026 edition, hosting the ORC Worlds, saw the American TP52 Summer Storm crowned world champion among 15 Class 0 entries.
Copa del Rey MAPFRE has run from Palma since 1982 and hosted the ORC European Championship for the first time in 2025, drawing 117 boats from 24 countries. Seventeen of those were Class 0, with the American TP52 Vesper taking the European title. Class 0 returned strongly in 2026 with 14 entries, including ten TP52s or TP52-derived yachts, and victory went to Mauro Gestri's Vudu.
For NZ sailors following the top end of ORC racing, the new circuit is a clear signal of where the TP52-style grand prix fleet is heading internationally, and a measure of the standard awaiting anyone who takes a Class 0 boat offshore.
