Please select your home edition
Edition
C-Tech 2020 Battens 2 728x90 TOP

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship underway

by International Maxi Association on 2 Sep 2014
2014 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup - Alegre Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi http://www.carloborlenghi.net
Sponsored by Rolex since 1985 and organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) and International Maxi Association (IMA), the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship, started today in the beautiful waters of the Costa Smeralda.

The Costa Smeralda is blessed with one of the best race tracks in the world and today, at the start of the 2014 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship, it lived up to that reputation.

The start was delayed as a strong westerly wind, gusting over 30 knots ripped through in the morning but by the afternoon this was replaced by a north westerly wind of about 17 knots. The significant sea state remained, as racing got underway at shortly after 1300 ECT. A coastal course through the beautiful waters of the La Maddalena archipelago was set for all classes.

The first start was for the eagerly anticipated Mini Maxi Racing Class, the strongest fleet in the five year history of the class. Featuring highly IRC optimised yachts of 72 feet and under, the yachts are bristling with top professional crew from all over the world. Most of the teams have been training on the race track for a week and the tension was evident in the pre-start, with yachts jockeying for position, especially at the pin end. After a race lasting three and a half hours, less than four minutes separated first from last after time correction.

Andres Soriano, racing Mills 72, Alegre won the first encounter by just one minute and 46 seconds on corrected time from Hap Fauth's JV72, Bella Mente. Niklas Zennström's JV72, Rán 5 was just 11 seconds behind Bella Mente in third. All three Mini Maxi owners are members of the IMA.

Andres Soriano spoke dockside after the finish. 'It's only the first race of what I am sure will be a highly competitive series but I was delighted how well the boat performed today. The wind forecast showed 20 knots or more, so we went with the smaller main and to get to the top mark first was an excellent performance. In this fleet, getting there first is always a top priority. Rán and Robertissima were just behind us, but got into a one-on-one, and had to tack to make the turn. With our spinnaker up, we were just gone. However, the fleet came back at us on the run back and that is always expected with this quality of competition.'

The Wally Class is the largest class racing at the 2014 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, with nine magnificent Wallys taking part. Today's first race was won by Jean Charles Decaux's J One, the reigning Wally champion. IMA member, Sir Lindsay Owen Jones' Wally Cento, Magic Carpet 3 was in second place and Claus-Peter Offen's Wally 100, Y3K was third. IMA President, Claus-Peter Offen is a veteran of the championship, winning the Wally Class in 2011 and spoke candidly about the event.


'Whilst there have been slightly larger fleets racing in the past, I don't think we have had a more spectacular fleet than this year. First of all we have never had a fleet of five J Class yachts and and we have the most competitive world championship for the Mini Maxi Class there has ever been.

'The Wally class is also very strong' continued Claus-Peter Offen 'with the two Wally Centos and many other well sailed yachts, so it will not be easy for Y3K to win the Wally title back, but we are working on it. The crew have been training to improve manoeuvres and sail handling. Also we have made some technical modifications such as a flat head main and a deeper keel. Part of the fascination for me is to see how we can increase the performance of the boat and we have to, because there are new boats coming to race and if we do not improve we will not be able to keep up with them. I think there is great expectation for a tremendous week of racing.'

The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship provides the largest gathering of IMA members in the world. The prestigious IMA Dinner will take place on Wednesday 3 September, with the IMA Annual General Meeting on Thursday 4 September.

For more information, click here.

Mackay Boats 728x90 BOTTOMC-Tech 2020 Battens 2 728x90 BOTTOMRooster 2025

Related Articles

All smiles among first finishers of the AEGEAN 600
The fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion As the fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion and made their way to the harbour at Olympic Marine, there were exhausted smiles all around.
Posted on 10 Jul
British Classic Week day 4
It was a classic Solent day in Cowes for the OneSails inshore race It was a classic Solent day in Cowes for day 4 of British Classic Week with hot temperatures, sunshine and no breeze in the morning before the sea breeze kicked in from the west and it was time to go racing.
Posted on 10 Jul
iQFOiL Worlds a Aarhus day 5
Finalists locked in for new Medal Series format With the sea breeze stubbornly refusing to make an appearance, Day 5 of the iQFOiL World Championship turned into a long waiting game both ashore and on the water.
Posted on 10 Jul
Jazz Turner Video Interview
How she Faced Everything And Rose during Project FEAR I travelled to Brighton Marina to catch up with Jazz, talking about her own sailing, the challenges she faced during the circumnavigation, how the money raised will be used, and a glimpse of her future projects!
Posted on 10 Jul
CYCS SailMV's Vineyard Cup Preview
The regatta will feature stunning classics racing around the beautiful island of Martha's Vineyard. The second Classic Yacht Challenge Series (CYCS) event of the 2025 season gets under way on Friday, July 11 with the Vineyard Cup organized by Sail Martha's Vineyard (SailMV).
Posted on 10 Jul
America's Cup: Luna Rossa to sail for Naples club.
Italian Challenger Luna Rossa will contest the next America's Cup as the team of a Naples club. Italian Challenger Luna Rossa will contest its seventh America's Cup as the team of the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia of Naples, as club that is new to the America's Cup.
Posted on 10 Jul
International Moth Worlds at Lake Garda Day 3
Big breeze in the morning, calm in the afternoon The third day of racing at the 2025 Moth World Championship kicked off early, with the first warning signal for the Blue fleet scheduled for 8:30 AM. Due to strong northerly winds, however, the fleet's departure was postponed to 9:00.
Posted on 10 Jul
Introducing the Micro Gateway from Cyclops Marine
Live load data, simplified - smaller, smarter, even more connected At Cyclops Marine, we're driven by the pursuit of precision, performance, and progress. As the marine industry continues to embrace digital transformation, our technology is evolving rapidly.
Posted on 10 Jul
Everything to know about The Ocean Race Europe
One month to go to the race start in Kiel One month out from the start of the 2025 edition of The Ocean Race Europe seven mixed-gender crews made up of sailors from across 13 nations are in the throes of their final preparations for the Race start in Kiel, Germany.
Posted on 10 Jul
The countdown to the Race to Mackinac
2025 is a landmark year for the Chicago Yacht Club 2025 is a landmark year for the Chicago Yacht Club and the Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust Financial Corporation.
Posted on 10 Jul