ELEGANCE, INNOVATION AND ADRENALINE: THE GREAT SAILING WORLD RETURNS TO PORTO CERVO WITH THE GIANTS OF THE SEA FOR THE 35TH EDITION OF THE MOST ICONIC REGATTA IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
There's a specific moment every year when Porto Cervo transforms. The pace slows, the air smells of salt and the future, and the sea becomes the stage for a meticulous dance between man and nature. It's the moment of Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, and the 2025 edition — the thirty-fifth — promises to be memorable.
From September 7 to 13, 2025, the emerald waters of Sardinia will once again welcome an elite fleet: approximately 50 maxi yachts among the most advanced, spectacular, and fastest ever built. Organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) in collaboration with the International Maxi Association (IMA) With the support of its historic partner Rolex, the regatta is considered the pinnacle of the Mediterranean sailing season. It's more than just a sporting challenge. It's a spectacle of precision and beauty, a meeting point between the finest minds in nautical design and some of the world's best sailors.
Every tack, every upwind, every glide in the Mistral wind tells a story of passion, research, and controlled power.
THE 2025 EDITION: NEWS, RETURNS, AND ANTICIPATION The 2025 edition will be inaugurated with the traditional Welcome Cocktail on the terrace of the YCCS Sunday, September 7th, in a picture-postcard setting overlooking the harbor. The regattas will take place from Monday, September 8th to Saturday, September 13th, spanning five days of competition between the islands ofLa Maddalena Archipelago, with spectacular passages in the famous Bomb Alley, the channel that separates The Magdalene from Caprera. But 2025 will also mark a significant turning point for the YCCS, with the installation of a new Commodore, following the elections to be held at the August general meeting. The Board of Directors has already appointed Andrea Recordati, an entrepreneur and veteran sailor, as the Club's sporting representative. This figure embodies the spirit of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup: an international vision, deep roots, and a genuine love of sailing.
A 35-YEAR-LONG LEGEND Over three decades, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup has seen some of the most legendary yachts in recent history sail the Sardinian sea:
Esense, the 143-foot Wally yacht with which Luca Bassani revolutionized the aesthetics and philosophy of contemporary sailing.
Rambler 88, the ocean-going missile designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian, feared and respected for its aggressiveness and international track record.
Highland Fling XI, several times champion in the emerald waters under the guidance of the charismatic Lord Irvine Laidlaw, an icon of world sailing.
Magic Carpet³, Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones' yacht, regular and impeccable, a constant presence on the circuit.
Velsheda, J-Class from the 1930s revived to prove that elegance never goes out of style. Alongside these giants, well-known faces like Jim Clark, Niklas Zennström, Thomas Bscher, and Andrea Recordati himself battled with talent, vision, and competitive spirit. A true aristocracy of international sailing, they gather in Porto Cervo every September like a grand nautical salon.
PORTO CERVO: MORE THAN A DESTINATION, A LEGEND The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup isn't just the grand finale of the Costa Smeralda summer. It's one of the rare occasions when sport meets legend. The Costa Smeralda isn't just the backdrop: it's an integral part of the narrative. Here, the sea is experienced with an inimitable style, combining precision and poetry, performance and discretion. The regatta is part of a top-level sporting calendar that will also see the return of the Rolex Swan Cup, there Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta, i European J24 Championships And Etchells, and of course theAmerica's Cup in Barcelona, an event that will capture the world's attention on high-level yachting. In the tense silence before the cannon shot, amid the sound of the wind caressing the sails and the reflection of the sun on the hulls, something unique takes shape. The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is a story that is written every year with the wind, carved in the waves, and remembered as an experience that transcends sport.
This is where the legend was born. And it is here that, every September, it returns.
Brighter than ever.
