Please select your home edition
Edition
sMRT AIS Man Overboard Beacons AUS / NZ

Record fleet gathered for 2016 Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta

by Jill Campbell on 8 Jun 2016
Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2015 Carlo Borlenghi
2016 Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta - Porto Cervo has been renowned as a big-boat sailing destination since the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda began organising international events in this idyllic corner of Sardinia in the 1970s. However even for this world famous yacht racing mecca, the fleet lined up at the docks of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is a record breaking one.

No less than 30 superyachts ranging from 24 to 50 metres in length are today putting the finishing touches to registrations and finalising preparations, making ready for four days of racing among the granitic islands of the La Maddalena archipelago. Proceedings are set to kick off tomorrow, Wednesday 8th June at 11.30 p.m. The event, organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in collaboration with Boat International Media, has been running annually in Porto Cervo since 2008 and is now complemented by the Caribbean edition which takes place at the YCCS clubhouse in the British Virgin Islands every spring.

The competing superyachts have been split into divisions based on their dimensions and speed producing characteristics. Class A groups together the largest yachts in the fleet and includes the 49.7-metre Ohana, a regular competitor in Loro Piana regattas in both Porto Cervo and Virgin Gorda, as well as the new, 2015-launched Unfurled (46-metres), which recently scooped the Sailing Yacht of the Year title at the World Superyacht Awards. Also amongst the giants of the fleet is last year's overall winner Saudade, a 45-metre Tripp design.

Class B hosts several yachts new to the event, such as the 26-metre Oyster 885 Firebird, launched this year and making her regatta debut in Porto Cervo, and the Southern Wind 82 Ammonite, owned by a an experienced racer who will be looking to make an impression during his inaugural Loro Piana event. The newcomers will be able to benchmark themselves against proven performers such as Grande Orazio, division winner in 2015, and of course Mr Pier Luigi Loro Piana's own My Song.

The 12 strong Wally fleet is very evenly matched considering the size range spans from the 24.40m J One to the 32.55m Open Season. Consider that in March at the Palma Vela curtain-raiser in early May the top three places overall were only decided on the last leg of the last race, and at the end of the series there were just 1.5pts between the winner J One and the third-placed boat. During that regatta one race even finished with the top two positions tied on exactly the same corrected time.

As might be expected, top sailing talent is not lacking on the quays of Porto Cervo Marina with a posse of America's Cup veterans, Olympic champions and round-the-world sailors assisting many highly competitive owners on board. America's Cup winner and four times Olympic medallist Jochen Schuemann will be calling tactics on the 32.5-metre Wally sloop Open Season and continuing a friendly rivalry with Ian Walker, double Olympic medallist and winner of the last Volvo Ocean Race, who sails as tactician on Magic Carpet 3.

As always with the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta, on-the-water action will be complemented by a glittering social programme including welcome cocktails and the gala Loro Piana Owner's Dinner at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, with a beach-side sunset party held at the nearby Phi Beach.
Excess CatamaransVetus-Maxwell 2021 v2 FOOTERB&G Zeus SR AUS

Related Articles

2025 Formula Wing Worlds Sardinia day 1
Tactical minefield confuses even the best Four long-distance races on day one set the tone for a competitive Formula Wing World Championships. 93 competitors from 22 countries are racing each other for the first ever Formula Wing world title.
Posted on 24 Sep
Cure Marine and McConaghy join forces
Leveraging McConaghy's world-class manufacturing and advanced composite technology Cure Marine has always been synonymous with high-quality, high-performance cruising catamarans, and we are excited to share news that will elevate our brand even further.
Posted on 24 Sep
52 Super Series 2025 Porto Cervo day 2
Immaculate Sled on song in breezy Sardinia With a race win which they delivered with a near perfect execution in brisk Mistral conditions, Takashi Okura's Sled today moved further ahead at the top of the leaderboard at the 52 SUPER SERIES Porto Cervo Range Rover regatta on Costa Smeralda.
Posted on 24 Sep
The latest in fleet monitoring and tracking
Join us on October 22nd for an in-depth exploration of the latest in tracking technology Fleet monitoring and tracking are essential for efficiency, safety, and compliance with real-time visibility into fleet movements critical.
Posted on 24 Sep
Record fleet set for 13ft Skiff 2026 Championships
The biggest fleet in the event's history is set to line up in January The pain of handing over the national 13ft crown after owning it for a year is driving Manly's Theo Franklin to recapture the title when the biggest fleet in the event's history lines up for the 2026 Australian Championships in January.
Posted on 24 Sep
2025 Six Metre World Championship Day 2
Eau Vive and Jill claim first victories in Oyster Bay After the disappointment of a wind and raceless day one, the 2025 International Six Metre World Championships at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club finally got under way in warm sunshine and a south-westerly of around 6-8 knots.
Posted on 24 Sep
46th Cannes Royal Regatta day 2
A dream day! If we had to give a score for the entry of the "classic " and 5.5 m on Tuesday 23 September, we would hesitate between an 18 and 19/20... knowing that you never put a 20/20!
Posted on 23 Sep
Middle Sea Race set to attract exceptional fleet
Royal Malta YC has 118 entries already At midnight on Friday, 19 September the 46th Rolex Middle Sea Race had amassed a fleet of 118 yachts. The entrants represent 30 countries and territories: from Australia and New Zealand to Finland and Norway, and from the United States to Romania.
Posted on 23 Sep
52 Super Series 2025 Porto Cervo day 1
Solid Sled earn early lead in Sardinia Takashi Okura's Sled lead the 52 SUPER SERIES - Porto Cervo - Range Rover regatta after the first two windward leeward races.
Posted on 23 Sep
Melges 24 Worlds 2025 at Trieste, Italy Day 1
No racing possible on the first day Good things are worth waiting for, and that was the adage at the opening day of the Melges 24 Worlds, which ended without any races in the scoreline. The weather in Trieste proved too unstable, with storms in the morning followed by a lack of wind.
Posted on 23 Sep