Image: Rolex

The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary, in conjunction with the International Maxi Association, an organisation that in turn can trace its roots back nearly four decades.

The 48 entries range in size from 18.3 metres to a mighty 36 metres. The combined length of competing craft once again exceeds a kilometre and when racing starts on 4 September, the sailing world will look forward with relish to another week of intense battles between yachts that defy perceived boundaries of design, innovation and technology.

As usual, this year’s Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup fleet will be grouped into classes depending upon several factors, including size, rating and racing capabilities. Within the smaller participating yachts, between 18.29 metres and 24.08 metres, the sub-division promotes close and fair racing under the prevailing handicap systems.

The all-out racers, the Maxi 72s, will contest the Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship, while the more cruising oriented Mini Maxis will compete for their own trophies and traditional Rolex timepieces. Top picks from this segment of the fleet include three-time world champion, Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente, in the Maxi 72s; Mini Maxi Racer defending champion, Carlo Puri Negri’s Atalanta II, and, the 2016 Mini Maxi Cruising winner, Benoît de Froidmont’s Wallyno.

Over the thirty-plus years of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the average size of the competing yachts has increased steadily in correlation with the massive developments in material-science and technology. Regular competitor Vittorio Moretti’s Viriella is currently the biggest entry at 36 metres, and will compete in the Supermaxi class reserved for craft over 30.50 metres.

Last year’s explosive Supermaxi, Win Win, the dual-purpose cruiser-racer drawn by Javier Jaudenes and constructed by Baltic, returns to defend her title, joined by the brand new, 32.50 metre fully-carbon Ribelle, designed by Malcolm McKeon Yacht Design and built by Vitters. Ribelle is an example of the trend for collaboration between various specialized elements of the yacht-building industry. Green Marine in the UK built the hull and superstructure, while Rémi Tessier conceived the interior design.

Wally yachts burst onto the Maxi racing scene in the late 1990s, introducing an elegance, versatility, sophistication and timeless design to the high-octane world of big boat racing. Some fourteen are expected at this year’s Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. J One marks 20 years of competition including several wins at this event. The Wallycentos – Magic Carpet Cubed and Galateia – will represent the very latest concepts in modern high-performance cruisers, with designs that are both luxurious and fast. The majority of attending Wallys will race in their own class, with the winner receiving a special trophy alongside a Rolex timepiece.

 

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