Maxi Yachts courtesy of International Maxi Association
The eight maxi and super yachts participating in the Transatlantic Superyacht Regatta – Transatlantic Maxi Yacht Cup crossed the starting line off Santa Cruz de Tenerife at 1 p.m. (GMT) today. The fourth edition of the event, this year organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the International Maxi Association, will see the fleet of sailing giants navigating approximately 2700 miles to reach the finish line in Virgin Gorda where the YCCS is putting the finishing touches to its new Clubhouse, set to complement the Club’s existing superyacht marina on the island. Depending on weather conditions during the Atlantic crossing, the yachts may be expected to complete the course in approximately 8 to 10 days. Live tracking on the websites www.yccs.it and www.internationalmaxiassociation.com will show each yacht’s progress in real time.
Racing got underway today in 10 to 12 knots of north north-easterly breeze and only the Wally 107 Kenora chose to head south of the Island of Tenerife while the remainder of the fleet left the island to port. The race start, set against the backdrop of the Santiago de Calatrava Auditorium and the island’s volcanic peak Pico de La Teide, was a sight to behold thanks to the dimensions of some of the competing yachts such as the 66 metre Hetairos and the 50 metre Zefira, both recently launched. The remainder of the fleet is composed of two Wally yachts (Indio and Kenora ), two Swans (the Swan 60 Emma and the Swan 82 Grey Goose of Rorc); the Farr Sojana and the X-Yachts Karuba 5 .
“We are pleased that this regatta is bringing new life to the idea we had in 2007 when we chose Tenerife as the starting point of the first edition of the Transatlantic Maxi Yacht Cup. The finish line has been moved from Sint Maarten to Virgin Gorda thanks to the collaboration with the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, which is inaugurating its new Clubhouse in the British Virgin Islands.” Commented Gianfranco Alberini, Secretary General of the International Maxi Association.
“Having eight such magnificent maxi and super yachts on the starting line for the first crossing from Tenerife to Virgin Gorda is fantastic,” underlined Edoardo Recchi, Sports Director of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. “Despite the difficult economic situation we have an exceptional fleet here, including the new Hetairos which is making its racing debut. We hope that our new Clubhouse and Marina in Virgin Gorda will fast become a reference point for maxi and super yachts in the Caribbean in the way that our base in Porto Cerva has been for many years.”
Last Year's winner Sojana (Photo courtesy of International Maxi Association)
Hetairos In Maxi Yacht Rolex Race 2008 (Photo by Rolex / Kurt Arrigo)
When the 20th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup gets underway in two weeks, expect nothing less than a medieval scrap between various latter day warlords and their trusted retainers. The mightiest contest is expected in the Mini Maxi division where eight of the latest exponents of this growing class will be brushing up on Sun Tzu’s Art of War ahead of the season’s highlight Maxi yacht event, which begins on 6 September and is organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. Equally, compelling contests will unfold elsewhere in the forty-four boat fleet, which features some battlefield goliaths including Albert Buell’s 45.19 metre (148 foot) Saudade (MLT), only marginally outstripped on the size front by Hasso Plattner’s 45.52 metre (149 foot) Visione (GER).
Only one division champion from 2008 is returning to the scene of their triumph. Lindsay Owen Jones’ 28.8 metre (94 foot) Magic Carpet 2 (GBR) will be defending her Wally Yachts’ title. Owen Jones has won his division at this event on four occasions with two different yachts, but even he will be anticipating a tough few days. Jean Charles Decaux and the 24.4 metre (80 foot) J One (FRA) (the former two-time winning steed of Owen Jones) vanquished all opposition in 2007, whilst Claus Peter Offen, a victor in 2005, is returning with a brand new 30.5 metre (100 foot) Y3K (GER). This latest Y3K features a trim-tab fixed keel, PBO rigging, a high modulus carbon-fibre mast and a three-metre bowsprit. Weighing in at 57 tonnes she incorporates a luxurious interior and is no stripped-out flyer, but Offen is a competitive yachtsman and looked to the America’s Cup Class design world when selecting the keel and rudder combination.
Y3K will not be the only yacht making its Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup debut. There are a host of Mini Maxis getting ready to engage in battle on the waters off Porto Cervo for the first time. Niklas Zennstrom’s 21.9 metre (72 foot) Rán 2 (GBR), flush with success from the 2009 Rolex Fastnet where she took the overall win, is heading into the fray. Zennstrom will expect no quarter from Patrizio Bertelli’s all-star cast on the STP 65 Luna Rossa (ITA) or Udo Schütz’s STP 65 Container (GER) – both newcomers too. Schütz is a former Admiral’s Cup winner and is unlikely to be fazed by any of the other formidable weaponry on display. Hap Fauth’s 21 metre (69 foot) Bella Mente (USA) is another freshman hoping to prove her mettle along with Sir Peter Ogden’s Jethou (GBR). At 18.3 metres (60 foot), Jethou is the smallest combatant amongst the IRC oriented Mini Maxis and the crew will have their work cut out to keep pace on the water with some of their competitors. However, first home is not first on the podium. Corrected time is the all-important determinant of who receives the spoils.
Whilst the newest Mini Maxis are expected to replicate an on-water cavalry charge around the courses, a 2006 division winner will be taking the contest at a more leisurely pace. The 38.25 metre (125 foot) Hetairos (CAY) was built in 1993, but is absolutely classic in appearance. Often, at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, she appears to adopt a field-marshal’s role observing the mêlée from afar and then delivering the crushing blow come results time. Another expected to follow this model is the 39.92 metre (131 foot) Maria Cattiva (MLT). Launched in 2003 by the Dutch yard Royal Huisman, Maria Cattiva is a Bruce King design, just like Hetairos, and is also a modern interpretation of a bygone era.
This year’s Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup also forms the final showdown in the Swan Maxi Class. The 2008 circuit winner, Roel Pieper’s Swan 80 Favonius (NED) (winner of the Rolex Swan Cup in the same year), comes to the arena with a solid track record on the Costa Smeralda. Pieper will expect no quarter from the Swan 90s Solleone (ITA) or DSK Pioneer Investments (ITA), the Swan 82FD Grey Goose (GER) or the Swan 601 @robas (FRA) all of whom will be looking to unseat him.
Ranger In Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2008 (Photo by Rolex/ Daniel Forster)
Leaving aside the warlike analogies for the moment, the event is shaping up to be memorable one particularly if the wind plays its part and allows organisers the chance to put on a full-week of competition. With competing yachts from 16 different nations, including Karl Kwok with Beau Geste from Hong Kong and Neville Crichton with Alfa Romeo 3 from New Zealand, it will be an international occasion. One other thing for certain, the intensity of activity on the water will be matched by the intensity of the social schedule ashore, as owners and crews mix together to trade war stories each evening.
The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2009, organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda takes place from 6 to 12 September. Racing commences on Monday, 7 September and concludes with the final prizegiving on Saturday, 12 September. From the most luxurious, through the most traditional, to the most advanced monohulls afloat today, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is nothing if not an astonishing line up of sailing power.
Alfa Romeo 3 and Rosebud In Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup 2008 (Photo by Rolex/Daniel Forster)
Entry List For Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup 2009
Robas
Aegir
Alegre
Alfa Romeo
Aniene
Beau Geste
Bellamente
Container
Coral
Dark Shadow
DK Pioneer Investments
Favonius
Gala
Genie
Gliss
Good Job Guys
Grande Orazio
Grey Goose
H2O
Hamilton II
Hetairos
Idea
Inti
J One
Jethou
Ladisea
Luna Rossa
Magie Carpet 2
Maria Cattuva
Maya
Open Season
OPS 5
Ran
Rosebud / Tean DYT
Sagamore
Saudade
Solleone
Valkyrie
Varsovie
Velsheda
Viriella
Visione
Whisper
Y3K
