The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will be sailed over five days between 3 and 9 September - very unusual in the superyacht class, where there are usually fewer sailing days. The consistently high number of 50 boats registered for the 2023 edition shows the importance of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in the rocky waters off the Costa Smeralda. As every year, there is plenty of champagne, precious metal and, of course, watches from the main sponsor to be won.
The new flagship of one of Rolex's competitors will also be there: Swiss luxury watch manufacturer TAG Heuer has joined "FlyingNikka". At a certain speed, the boat is lifted out of the water by the leeward arm using the two swivelling, curved T-foils. This reduces resistance and generates more righting momentum. In addition to sailing with the foiling racer, owner and helmsman Roberto Lacorte is primarily interested in motor racing. The Italian businessman from Pisa owns his own team and often climbs into the cockpit himself. "FlyingNikka" was designed by Mark Mills and built by King Marine in Valencia.
After a six-month refit, the "Leopard 3", a Farr 100, will be back on the starting line for the first time. The result of the refit is remarkable: in addition to a new rig and winch package, the "Leopard 3" has lost a considerable amount of weight. With a displacement of 42 tonnes, the yacht from Farr is "lighter than ever before" according to skipper Chris Sherlock. The ship, which sails under the Dutch flag, reaches ten knots on the cross, with a maximum speed of 35 knots. Incidentally, the monohull can also be chartered from 53,800 euros per week.
Exciting regatta - premieres at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
One of the most exciting multihulls in the field is the "Highland Fling 18", a Gunboat 80. The approximately 24 metre long yacht, which will be racing under the Monegasque flag, belongs to Irvine Laidlaw, a Scottish businessman. She was only pushed out of the hall at the end of June and will therefore celebrate her regatta premiere at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup.
The Wally 101.1 named "Y3K" is also interesting. The German owner, who also has the ship racing under the German flag, is also celebrating its regatta premiere with the "Y3K" at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. After three designs from the pen of Argentinian yacht designer Germán Frers, the client utilised the services of the Bremerhaven office of Judel/Vrolijk & Co for the first time. The regatta specialist Rolf Vrolijk focussed not only on performance but also on maximum comfort.
This fourth Wally follows on from an extremely successful old Wally 100, which is currently for sale following its refit in 2019. The owner has budgeted 4.3 million euros for the 14-year-old ship.
The almost 44 metre long superyacht "Kauris IV" is the longest yacht to take part in this year's Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. She will also be making her regatta debut off Porto Cervo. The Wally 145 was built in the Italian shipyard Persico Marine near Bergamo. The gigantic mast measures 67 metres in height and will carry up to 1,968 square metres of sailcloth. The owner of this imposing projectile is none other than the head of the Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli, Marco Tronchetti Provera.
In the J-Class, last year's winner "Svea" is still the latest and largest yacht in the field this year. Her carbon mast is 53.75 metres long and she displaces 182 tonnes. "Svea" is once again a hot contender for overall victory in the class in 2023. The ship, which sails under the Swedish flag, is owned by Swedish Skype founder and billionaire Niklas Zennström together with his entrepreneurial friends Filip Engelbert and Hjalmar Winbladhein.
