The 28th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup concluded with a crescendo. Most classes were open until the last race of their respective series and competition remained intense until the last. The 2017 edition of the most important event of the Maxi racing season was expertly delivered by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1967. At the final prize giving in the Piazza Azzurra, in front of the YCCS clubhouse, the major class winners received the spoils: the plaudits of their peers, a trophy and the specially-engraved Rolex timepiece - the unequivocal symbol of excellence in the sport of yacht racing. See also: At the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Sailing Into the Past for Bragging Rights - The New York Times
Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2017 – The Prize Is In Sight
Video published September 8, 2017: The 50 yachts gathered in Porto Cervo for the 28th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup are beyond the halfway point of the event. The standings are beginning to filter the likely winners and, for a few, thoughts may be turning to the prizes on offer should they cement victory.
September 8 UPDATE Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup: perfect weather and hard fought races--Winners of the day were Cannonball, Rebel, Nefertiti, Nahita, Jethou, Wohpe, Shirlaf--News - Yacht Club Costa Smeralda: "Tonight the shipowners and their guests are expected at the Rolex Gala Dinner at the Cala di Volpe hotel. Tomorrow, September 9th and Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup's final day, the program features stick races for the Maxi72 and Mini Maxi Racer classes, while all other classes will be engaged in a coastal regatta starting at 11.30 am."
Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2017 - Inspired by Sailors
Video above published Sep 6, 2017: The 28th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup got underway on Monday, 4 September. The 50 yachts gathered in Porto Cervo for this annual festival of big boat sailing pay fitting tribute to the host, organizer and founder, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda was founded in May 1967 by H.H. the Aga Khan, Andrè Ardoin, Giuseppe Kerry Mentasti and Luigi Vietti as a non-profit making sporting association for fellow sailing enthusiasts and with a view to promoting related activities. 50 years on it has kept true to that vision and this year’s Maxi Yacht Rolex is proof positive of its success in doing so.
UPDATE 7 Sep 2017: Warm weather forecast in Porto Cervo, where the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup & Rolex Maxi72 World Championship is being held, organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda with the support of the Rolex and Rolex sponsor 'International Maxi Association. The program originally provided a day off at the race committee for any recovery races. So it was for the Wally and Maxi 72 classes, coming out of the harbor today to "recover" Tuesday's races, canceled because of the bonaccia. At 11.30 the race committee has started the start-up procedures with north-west wind of about 18 knots, then steadily climbed above the 20 at the buoy, eventually increasing in the final stage of the racing with 25-knot gusts. In the Maxi 72 class, leader at the first buoy was Caol Ila R but Momo won. In the Wally Class Wallycento Galateia increased its lead on Nahita (today fifth) and Lyra (today second). Due to the steady rise in wind intensity, the Principal Race Officer, Peter Craig, sent yachts to the yacht after the first test. This evening there is a large Crew Party in the Blue Square, in front of the Clubhouse of the YCCS. The standings for the other classes remains unchanged with Ribelle (SuperMaxi), Rambler 88 (Maxi), Jethou (Maxi Racing), Supernikka (Mini Maxi RC 1), H2O (Mini Maxi RC 2).
UPDATE 5 Sep 2017: Today was the second day of racing at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the event organized annually by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in collaboration with Title Sponsor Rolex and the International Maxi Association. Current standings see Ribelle at the head of the Supermaxis, Highland Fling XI leading the Maxis, Jethou leading the Mini Maxi Racers, Wallyño leading the Mini Maxi Racing Cruising 1 Class and H2O the Mini Maxi Racing Cruising 2 Class. The Maxi72s and the Wallys, saw their race called off after the start, so Bella Mente and Magic Blue are both still in first place--read more here.
YCCS Porto Cervo, Italy, Tracking | TracTrac.com
Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup & Rolex Maxi 72 Worlds results
‘A Portrait of the Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup’ by Riccardo Bonadeo
Video above published on Aug 31, 2017: Commodore of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Riccardo Bonadeo, presents the Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup, a celebrated event on the international yachting circuit. The greatest names in sailing partake year after year in this high-intensity race, aboard an ever-impressive fleet of Maxi yachts, representing the ultimate in sailing design and technology. Italy’s Costa Smeralda provided a stunning setting and a variety of challenging conditions for this highly anticipated annual regatta where class winners are awarded with Rolex timepieces, the iconic reward for excellence on the water.
Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2017 Preview
Video above published Aug 16, 2017: 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. One its greatest gifts to the sailing world is the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, which has been running since the early 1980s. A gathering of the world’s most impressive monohulls, the event offers up a week of intense battles between yachts that defy perceived boundaries of design, innovation and technology. Widely regarded as a showcase for the latest thinking, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup takes place on the Costa Smeralda, a stunning setting offering testing conditions. This annual event is eagerly anticipated, and attracts an awe-inspiring fleet of yachts all over 60 feet (18.29 metres) in length. 2017 marks the 28th edition of the competition, which includes the Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship, Sep 4-9, 2017.
Websites / Twitter:
LIVE Twitter Feed:
Tweets by YccsPortoCervo
more about sailing below (@ web version link below for mobile)
Follow @johnthecrowd
