Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup: Maximus in the final off the coast of Sardinia

Porto Cervo once again showed a different side to itself for the finale of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. Following a day of racing with strong Mistral gusts exceeding 28 knots, a north-easterly breeze blew on Saturday, initially at around ten knots but later easing off. It held steady for the final inshore race, covering some 24 nautical miles. The course led from Porto Cervo, initially upwind towards Isola dei Monaci, then on a broad reach via the Passo delle Bisce to the island of Soffi and back to the finish. The Maxi 4 and Maxi 5 classes sailed a shortened version of the course. The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS), Rolex and the International Maxi Association (IMA) thus brought to a close a week that offered almost the entire Sardinian wind spectrum, ranging from light to strong winds.

‘Leopard 3’ dominates the Maxi-1 World Championship

In the Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Championship, “Leopard 3” emerged as the clear winner. Joost Schuijff’s Farr 100 held a four-point lead going into the final day. Several direct rivals, including “V” and “Galateia”, were forced to return to the starting line following a false start. “Leopard 3” capitalised on the situation, controlled the field and, according to the calculated time, won with a lead of 3 minutes and 8 seconds.

In the end, “Leopard 3” finished on 13 points. “V” followed with 20 points, and defending champions “Galateia” with 22 points. Five wins from seven races, including the last four races in a row, decided the World Championship. For ‘Leopard 3’, this is their second title in the still-young Maxi-1 World Championship, following their victory in 2024. The Second day of the regatta in Bomb Alley had initially kept the standings close. In strong winds, the crew then managed to pull off the decisive run.

The conditions clearly played into the hands of the boat, which was originally built for gruelling offshore races and has undergone extensive further development. According to the IMA, ‘Leopard 3’ received, amongst other things, a revised aerodynamics package for this season, featuring a new boom, as well as improvements to balance and light-wind performance.

‘Northstar III’ wins at its premiere

The outcome was even more decisive in the Rolex IMA Maxi Grand Prix. Peter Dubens’ “Northstar III” had already been confirmed as world champion before the final race. The 76-foot speedster nevertheless secured another victory to round off a remarkable debut week. Apart from the two up-and-down races on the day of strong winds, “Northstar III” – designed by judel/vrolijk and built by Persico – won every race in its first Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. Tactician Nick Rogers and the crew managed to do so without any damage to the boat, breakages or serious manoeuvring errors. According to the owner, the boat reached a top speed of 27.2 knots in the mistral.

The ‘North Star III’ crew did not have much time to settle in. Persico launched the yacht in June, but that was by no means the end of the work. Since then, there has been a two-week training session in La Ciotat, followed by another in Saint-Tropez with the owner and helmsman, Peter Dubens. The hull shape of the “North Star III” was striking. With its spear-tip-shaped, delta-style bow, the Judel/Vrolijk design is somewhat reminiscent of inland racers such as the Libera or the New Zealanders’ XL monohull from the bizarre 1988 America’s Cup final against the US catamaran ‘Stars and Stripes H 3’.

Strong winds delight Bouwe Bekking

However, ahead of the Maxi Cup final, ‘Northstar III’ had not dominated every race. The report on the first Mistral Day Thursday showed just how much the wind and swell had disrupted the field after all. On the second day of strong winds, ‘Jolt’ won both races. The winners in the other classes were ‘Artemis Bleu’, ‘Yoru’, ‘Lunz am Meer’ and the 80-foot catamaran ‘Highland Fling XVIII’, which clocked 34.7 knots.

There were other crews too who were delighted with the wind conditions on Friday: “We had 25 to 26 knots – it was a really lovely day’s sailing,” commented Bouwe Bekking of the Maxi 72 “Balthasar”. “It was absolutely vital that we sailed today, as it would have been a shame to complete just one race and then head home. I still remember the 1980s and 1990s, when we used to sail here in 40-knot winds …”

Victories for ‘Artemis Bleu’, ‘Yoru’ and ‘H2O’

In the Maxi 3 class, “Artemis Bleu”, owned by James Neville, took the win. The Botin 65, built by Knierim in Kiel, finished ahead of “Manticore” and “Twin Soul B”. “Twin Soul B” was severely hampered by damage to its rudder on Thursday. The Mylius 80 FD had previously been leading the overall standings but dropped down the rankings as a result of the breakdown.

The Maxi 4 title went to “Yoru”. In Maxi 5, “H2O” set the standard: the Vallicelli 78 won four of the five races sailed and finished the series on six points. “Lunz am Meer” came second on twelve points, with “Shirlaf” third on 13.2 points.

In the multihull class, the outcome was only decided in a tie-break. “Allegra” won the final race ahead of the 63-foot Tri “Sophia” and the Gunboat 80 “Highland Fling XVIII”. This left “Allegra” and “Highland Fling XVIII” level on points. “Highland Fling XVIII”’s three race wins on the day ultimately proved decisive in securing the overall victory.

The next challenge awaits in Saint-Tropez

The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup marked the end of the fifth event in the IMA Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge 2026. In the overall series standings, “V” leads ahead of “Leopard 3”. The final events are the Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez from 28 September to 3 October. However, following its World Championship victory off the coast of Sardinia, ‘Leopard 3’ finds itself in a different position there: according to the IMA, it trails by 54 points in the season’s standings.

Final results of the 2026 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

Book recommendations

Winning regattas on dinghies and yachts Fred Imhoff’s book combines sailing technique, trim and tactics with the practical decisions faced by a regatta crew. Among other things, the book explains how wind and current factor into tactics, what roles the equipment and sails play, and how the crew prepares for critical situations.

Tune up to win focuses on speed from the boat. The emphasis is on basic settings, the rig, trimming mechanisms and the adjustment of the sail profile and rig for close-hauled and downwind courses.