33rd Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup concludes in Porto Cervo
September 9, 2023 - Porto Cervo, Italy - The 33rd edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda with the support of title sponsor Rolex and in collaboration with the International Maxi Association, concluded today in Porto Cervo. Winners in their respective categories are: Galateia in Maxi A, Bella Mente in Maxi B, Spirit of Lorina in Maxi C, Allegra in the Multihull Class, Y3K in the Supermaxi, and Svea among the J Class.
The Race Committee was left with no choice but to hoist the AP flag for the Maxi C class and stop racing for all other classes. After about an hour of waiting for any thermal breeze to fill in, at 1 p.m. the Race Committee announced that there would be no new start, thus declaring the 33rd edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup closed.
Y3K, the brand new Wally 101 owned by YCCS member Claus-Peter Offen, won the Supermaxi class scored using ORCsy on her debut outing, ahead of the Swan 115 MOAT and the Briand 108 INOUI.
Karol Jablonski, Offen's trusted tactician of many years, explained how they got there: "We are more than pleased with the result. We only had three days to test the boat and we are very happy with the job Wally Yachts have done. It is all about teamwork and how fast you learn about the new boat. We’ve been improving from day to day. I must admit that conditions in the first three days were perfect for learning about the boat, because it was blowing quite hard. Then we had light breeze conditions, so we had to learn very fast how to sail the boat in the light breeze as well. So it’s a learning process, and we managed well in this first event."
The Multihull Class was scored using ORCmh, included for the first time in this Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. YCCS member Adrian Keller's ALLEGRA triumphed, followed on equal points by HIGHLAND FLING 18 and CONVEXITY 2.
Adrian Keller was naturally delighted: "We couldn't have wished for better, the venue is top class, the first two days were great racing, and I think some of our colleagues on the monohulls have understood that catamarans can also be competitive. Some of them have come on board to see what we are doing. I think we will see more participants next year, we have agreed among ourselves to make a joint effort to attract more boats, so it will be even more exciting in the future. A big thank you to Sardinia and the YCCS of which I am a member, wonderful hosts.”
A packed prize-giving ceremony saw trophies awarded to the top three finishers in the six classes, as well as prizes such as Maxi Yacht Line Honours, which went to Roberto Lacorte's FLYINGNIKKA, for the boat with the best real time in the coastal races.
The Perpetual Trophy in memory of Commodore Alberini was presented to YCCS member Pier Luigi Loro Piana, owner and helmsman of MY SONG.
The Paolo Massarini ORC Challenge Trophy, meanwhile, went to Claus-Peter Offen for Y3K's victory in the Supermaxi class.
YCCS Commodore Michael Illbruck commented: "I would like to thank all the owners and sailors who make this event unique in terms of the standard of the crews and the technological level of the boats, ranging from the majestic J Class yachts to the Multihulls, taking part in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup for the first time this year. It has been a fantastic week, the participants have been able to put themselves to the test in the most varied weather conditions, which have ranged from sustained winds to light breezes."
"Thanks to our partner Rolex for their continued support, to the International Maxi Association for their cooperation, to the Race Committee and to our staff ashore and at sea for contributing to the success of this 33rd edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup.”
