Please select your home edition
Edition
Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca 2025

Spirit of Portopiccolo - Ca’ Sagredo secures second maxi victory at Venice Hospitality Challenge

by International Maxi Association 21 Oct 2018 04:58 PDT
Maxi fleet takes to the St Marco Basin for the 2018 Venice Hospitality Challenge © Matteo Bertolin

There are a few places in the world where maxi yachts truly 'belong' – Porto Cervo, St Tropez, St Barts, Newport, etc. Today Venice provided a firm reminder of why it too is on this exclusive list, when 12 maxis competed on the St Marco Basin at the annual Venice Hospitality Challenge.

This weekend's event, the fifth edition of the Venice Hospitality Challenge, was supported by the International Maxi Association, the officially-recognised body that oversees and promotes maxi boat racing globally. The event ties together maxi boat racing with Venice's world-famous hotels, such as the Gritti Palace, Cipriani and Hotel Danieli.

Eleven of the maxis entered this year were each backed by a hotel:

The twelfth was Viriella, the Maxi Dolphin 118 of IMA member Vittorio Moretti, which was backed by the city of Venice while flying the flag for both the International Maxi Association and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda's One Ocean Foundation.

Today's race took place in light 4-6 knots winds, the fleet divided into two classes, according to their size.

The bigger class was won by Spirit of Portopiccolo. Impressively this maxZ86 canting keel racer, once Dr Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory, for a second year running won not only the Venice Hospitality Challenge, but also the Barcolana the week before in Trieste.

Supported by the Ca' Sagredo hotel, located on Venice's Grand Canal, Spirit of Portopiccolo won the Venice Hospitality Challenge's 'Doge Hat' trophy, crafted in glass by leading Murano artisan F. B. Signoretti.

Tactician on board, Furio Benussi, said: "The team is very proud of today's result. This is a very important project and we are improving every year thanks to special people within the team. Racing in Venice is unique. I am sorry my brother Gabriele could not join us today, but, even so, we had a very exciting tacking duel with Way of Life..."

Way of Life and Anemos picked up the remaining places on the Class One podium.

Way of Life's tactician was Slovenian Olympic Finn sailor Gašper Vincec, who observed: "Racing in Venice is some how romantic, not just exciting! This may have been a short race, but we worked a lot with the keel and we hoisted the gennaker at least three times. Our start was not very good, but at the end we had very good match race with Portopiccolo."

Partnered with Way of Life was The Gritti Palace. Manager Paolo Lorenzoni said: "I am very pleased the Way of Life team have represented the Gritti Palace for the last three years. My dream would be to see ten important yacht clubs joining our hotels next year, also twinning themselves with maxi yachts."

In the smaller class Pendragon VI won ahead of Any Wave. The remaining maxis were unable to complete the course in the allocated time. Sadly Viriella was among them, as owner Vittorio Moretti explained: "Viriella is a big heavy boat, so in light winds we weren't expected a terrific result."

On board Viriella today was Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Commodore Riccardo Bonadeo and Italian sailing legend Mauro Pelaschier, there to promote the YCCS' One Ocean environmental sustainability project.

While the Venice Hospitality Challenge has helped to put Serenissima/the City of Canals back on the maxi boat community's map, the tie with the International Maxi Association goes back much longer.

Italian corporate titan Raul Gardini based his Il Moro di Venezia challenge for the 1992 America's Cup here. While best known for winning the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup and lining up against the US defender in the America's Cup, Gardini was also a keen maxi boat racer and back in 1980 had been a founder member of the International Maxi Association.

In 1990, the first of Gardini's IACC yachts was launched, spectacularly surrounded by gondolas in Venice, where he also based his challenge out of the Magazzini del Sale (salt store). Appropriately this was the venue for today's briefing.

Mirko Sguario, President of Yacht Club Venezia, noted: "I conceived this event some six years ago. First of all I proposed the idea to Paolo Lorenzoni [Manager of the Gritti Palace] and then he called the managers of each of the 5-Star hotels in Venice. And here we are: With 12 magnificent boats and a unique race course, with the help of local authorities. The briefing this morning was held where Raul Gardini first dreamed of the presence of Venice in the maxi boat sailing world. That place is, for those of us from Venice, a kind of temple to sailing. I am so proud to see such talented crews gathered here today."

For more information on the Venice Hospitality Challenge visit venicehospitalitychallenge.it/eng.

For more information on the International Maxi Association visit internationalmaxiassociation.com.

Related Articles

IMA Maxi Europeans overall
Bella Mente successfully defends her IMA European Championship title The 20 remaining yachts competing in the IMA Maxi European Championship, organised by the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia in conjunction with the International Maxi Association, took part in a final coastal race today in a 8-14 knot southwesterly. Posted on 22 May
IMA Maxi Europeans day 3
Maxi Grand Prix class turns up the pressure as courses go to windward-leeward Following an overnight offshore race and two days of coastal courses, the IMA Maxi Europeans, run by IMA and Naples' Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia out of Sorrento, for its penultimate day staged two windward-leeward races on the Gulf of Naples. Posted on 22 May
IMA Maxi Europeans day 2
Small boats to the fore after formidable coastal course The second coastal course of the IMA Maxi European Championship in Sorrento, Italy was an action-packed affair, taking the maxis on a complex course visiting local hotspots including the Amalfi Coast and lapping Capri. Posted on 21 May
IMA Maxi Europeans day 1
Jolt takes the lead The International Maxi Association's European Championship, run by Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia out of Sorrento, began its second phase today with four days of windward-leeward and coastal racing on the Gulf of Naples. Posted on 19 May
Record falls in Regata dei Tre Golfi
The tone was set with a magnificent downwind spinnaker start in 15 knots of wind While summer time Mediterranean offshore races can often be windless affairs, this was not the case for the 70th Regata dei Tre Golfi, the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia's 156 mile offshore race that formed opening part of the IMA Maxi Europeans. Posted on 18 May
IMA Maxi Europeans gets underway
70th Regata dei Tre Golfi starts the offshore stage The fourth edition of the International Maxi Association's Maxi European Championship sets sail today with the start of its offshore component, the Regata dei Tre Golfi. Posted on 16 May
IMA challenges resume with Sandberg PalmaVela
The event has traditionally started the Mediterranean maxi yacht racing season There was huge anticipation from within the maxi community with Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones' new Verdier 100 Magic Carpet E making her debut at Sandberg PalmaVela that concluded yesterday. Posted on 5 May
First time wins for Yoru and Six Jaguar maxis
As Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez concludes Inadequate winds meant no racing on Friday for the maxis competing at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. However today there was more success for the concluding races laid on by the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez. Posted on 5 Oct 2024
New faces at the top at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez
All change on the Bay of Pampelonne Following Wednesday's layday it was all change on the Bay of Pampelonne for the third day of maxi racing at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez organised by the Société Nautique de Saint Tropez, with the competition between the 41 maxi yachts. Posted on 4 Oct 2024
More perfect conditions & perfect Maxi scorelines
At Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez After two days of racing at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, the final event of the International Maxi Association's 2024 Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge, the leaders remarkably hold perfect scorelines in all four classes. Posted on 1 Oct 2024
Doyle_SailWorld_728X90px_SY BOTTOMSea Sure 2025Lloyd Stevenson - AC ETNZ 1456x180px BOTTOM