Yacht Club Toscana opens its racing season
by Yacht Club Toscana 26 Mar 08:34 NZDT
26-29 March 2026
ClubSwan 50 fleet © Nautor's Swan / Studio Borlenghi
With the official opening of the Swan Tuscany Challenge scheduled for tomorrow morning - the first of a long series of sailing events on the calendar - Yacht Club Toscana is set to inaugurate its new racing season.
From tomorrow through Sunday, yachts from the renowned NautorsSwan shipyard (specifically the Club Swan 28 and Club Swan 50 classes), which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary, will take centre stage at Marina di Scarlino in a series of windward-leeward races. This event marks the beginning of what promises to be an intense season for the Tuscan club, which inherits the legacy of Club Nautico Scarlino, including its extensive experience in organizing and managing high-level regattas.
Established in 2025 and chaired by Ettore Mattiello, Yacht Club Toscana is already a well-established presence on the international sailing scene. It operates within one of the most renowned settings along the Tyrrhenian coast: the Marina di Scarlino complex, owned by entrepreneur Leonardo Ferragamo, widely regarded as one of the safest and best-sheltered marinas in the Mediterranean.
Nestled between the Maremma region and the Tuscan Archipelago, just a few nautical miles from Elba Island, Marina di Scarlino represents a rare example of an integrated offering. It features 970 berths for yachts up to 38 metres, a resort with 30 suites, a shopping promenade, and, of course, Yacht Club Toscana. This makes it an ideal venue for sporting events, further enhanced by a racecourse with unique characteristics that has previously hosted major international championships.
The 2026 calendar includes six events: following the Swan Tuscany Challenge, the Regata Nazionale J70 (10-12 April), the Warm Up Med 52 Class Community (14-18 April), the Natural Parks Regatta (30 April-2 May), organized by Yacht Club Punta Ala, the Med Cape 31 National Regatta (8-10 July), and finally the Italian RS21 Championship (23-27 September), which will conclude the season with at least 50 boats expected in the Gulf of Follonica.
This intensive racing calendar represents only part of the wide range of activities in which Yacht Club Toscana is involved. The club also promotes a renowned sailing school, corporate team-building programs, and numerous cultural and social initiatives connected to the local area. Thanks to the effective combination of passion and expertise within the club's management, its long-standing experience in organizing sporting events, the unique features of its racecourse, and the integrated offering of Marina di Scarlino—capable of meeting all logistical and hospitality requirements—the club, under the leadership of Ettore Mattiello, aims to become a reference point for winter training program and clinics for One Design classes.
"It is with great enthusiasm and satisfaction that we welcome everyone to Marina di Scarlino for the inauguration of this important new chapter for Yacht Club Toscana. I would like to thank those whom I hold in high personal regard and sincere friendship for taking on the leadership roles within the Club: Ettore Mattiello as President, and Enrico Chieffi and Marco Viti as Board Members. My thanks also go to Luca Belenghi and Claudio Cilemmi, respectively Executive Chairman of MdS and CEO of Marina Srl, for ensuring the highest level of coordination with Marina di Scarlino" said Leonardo Ferragamo, the Florentine entrepreneur who has transformed Scarlino into a premier yachting destination.
"We are truly delighted to open the racing season with the Swan Tuscany Challenge, first and foremost because of the strong ties of esteem and friendship that bind us to Nautor Swan and its community of passionate owners and competitive sailors. For Yacht Club Toscana, 2026 marks the beginning of a new chapter, as well as the first in a series of events that will undoubtedly continue to grow in the coming years. Scarlino holds a special place in the hearts of many sailors for several reasons: a racecourse unanimously regarded as one of the finest available, a club organization—whether for regattas or training clinics—unmatched in terms of capability and experience, and an exceptional standard of hospitality, thanks to what is now known as the 'Scarlino system'," explained Club President Ettore Mattiello. "In short, those who come here to race or train have everything at their fingertips within the Marina itself, which represents a significant logistical advantage—an essential factor in a sport such as sailing."
