The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is the world’s premier event for the largest racing yachts afloat. Staged annually at Porto Cervo’s Yacht Club Costa Smeralda since 1980, the regatta brings together maxis (60-80 feet), supermaxis (over 80 feet), Wally yachts, and the increasingly popular Mini Maxi division in a week-long celebration of grand-scale yacht racing on the emerald waters of Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda.
The fleet at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is unlike any other in sailing. Boats measuring 100 feet or more share the start line, carbon fibre hulls cutting through the Tyrrhenian Sea under acres of sail area. The spectacle of a supermaxi flying a kite downwind, heeled at 25 degrees with the Costa Smeralda’s granite archipelago in the background, is one of the most impressive sights in all of sailing.
Racing begins at 11:00 CEST (UTC+2) each day. In London, that is 10:00 BST. New York sees 05:00 EDT, early morning territory. Dubai gets 13:00 and Sydney sees 19:00 AEST. The September timing typically delivers good sailing conditions: the summer Mistral has eased, thermal breezes remain active, and the water temperature is at its annual peak.
The Wally division deserves special mention. Wally yachts, designed by the Monegasque company founded by Luca Bassani in 1994, are known for their clean-deck aesthetics, flush hatches, and high-performance cruising capability. The annual gathering at Porto Cervo is the Wally fleet’s unofficial world championship, with boats that might spend the rest of the year in the Caribbean or South Pacific converging on Sardinia for a week of racing.
Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, founded by the Aga Khan in 1967 when he developed the Costa Smeralda resort complex, provides the organizational backbone and the social infrastructure. The YCCS terrace, overlooking the marina where maxis raft up three-deep, is one of the most prestigious viewing spots in world sailing. The club’s regatta dinner, held at the end of the week, is attended by boat owners, designers, and professional crew who collectively represent the highest concentration of big-boat sailing expertise on the planet.