Sophia dominates IMA's Caribbean Maxi Multihull Series as teams line up for Med season

by International Maxi Association 21 Apr 03:42 PDT

Sophia with the Gunboat 68 Little Wing which finished runner-up in the IMA's Caribbean Maxi Multihull Challenge © Tidal Pulse / Andrea Azzopardi

The International Maxi Association continues to support the burgeoning maxi multihull fleet with its series for 60+ft owner-driver catamarans and trimarans in the Caribbean and Mediterranean.

This spring's IMA Caribbean Maxi Multihull Series (CMMS) once again comprised four events, starting at the end of January with the Caribbean Multihull Challenge in St Maarten, followed by the RORC Caribbean 600, St Maarten Heineken Regatta and culminating in April's BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival in Tortola.

This year there was a resounding winner in Marcos Sirota's Sophia. The 63ft trimaran not only competed in all four events, but won the multihull class in two and podiumed in all. The defending champions, the Nisbet family's Gunboat 72 Layla, reached the podium but was pipped at the post to second by Rich McKinney's Gunboat 68 Little Wing.

While Sophia is new to Sirota, who acquired her in October 2025, she was originally launched in 2010 as Paradox and raced extensively in the Caribbean under original owner Peter Aschenbrenner who conceived her as a detuned ORMA 60, to race or cruise at high speed shorthanded. Sirota has a long background racing and cruising smaller trimarans and had previously competed in the Caribbean on his Corsair 37 Honey Badger. However it was only on board Sophia that he started to win.

"This year was absolutely incredible," commented Sirota. "The boat is such a pleasure to sail." During the Caribbean 600 they hit 29 knots boat speed. "And extremely safe and strong - the dimensions are just right, in terms of rig, crossarm length, etc. Plus the crew is excellent: I have the privilege of sailing with the captain Adam Davis and the previous captain Jeff Mearing, who was navigator/tactician. I was very honoured to meet some of the big names like Paul Larsen and Brian Thompson who were racing on other boats. I had the privilege of learning about their experiences."

The maxi multihull fleet is now lining up for the IMA Mediterranean Maxi Multihull Challenge (MMMC) which begins with the Tre Golfi Multihull Trophy, part of Tre Golfi Sailing Week. Organised by the Naples-based Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia (CRVI), this takes place alongside the IMA Maxi European Championship over 22-28 May. It is unique in the MMMC for featuring both inshore and offshore races, starting with the CRVI's historic Regata dei Tre Golfi, which celebrates its 71st edition this year. Following this are four days of coastal racing on the Gulf of Napoli, usually including a picturesque lap of Capri.

This year the MMMC comprises six events with the new addition of the Superyacht Cup Palma Richard Mille which will be the IMA challenge's second event, taking place at the end of June. Four multihulls are currently entered including old foes Adrian Keller's 84ft Allegra and Lord Irvine Laidlaw's Gunboat 80 Highland Fling 18, the latter making a welcome return to the race course this season.

As with its Caribbean counterpart, the IMA's MMMC comprises a mix of inshore and offshore events. Of the latter, the MMMC includes the Aegean 600 in July and ends with the Rolex Middle Sea Race in October. Both offshore races have extraordinary courses; the former, organised by the Hellenic Offshore Racing Club, is an anticlockwise lap of the Aegean starting and finishing off the Sounion peninsula beneath the Temple of Poseidon, with Rhodes its southwesterly turning mark. Passing numerous islands well known from Greek history or mythology, the race is renowned for being tough due to the often brutal Meltemi wind.

Run by the Royal Malta Yacht Club, the Rolex Middle Sea Race is effectively an elongated anti-clockwise lap of Sicily, starting and finishing from off the Maltese capital Valletta, taking in the remote Italian islands of Pantelleria and Lampedusa as well as the active volcano Stromboli - the course's northeasterly turning mark.

In September the multihulls will return to Porto Cervo, Sardinia to race on their own courses at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in conjunction with the IMA. With limited dock space, the event has already sold out with six multihulls entered, including the event's first trimaran - the IMA CMMS-winning Sophia.

Lord Irvine Laidlaw's Gunboat 80 Highland Fling 18 (right) with Adrian Keller's 84ft Allegra, the defending MMMC champion, at the 2024 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup - photo © IMA / Studio Borlenghi

The MMMC's sole multihull-only event, the Multihull Cup, takes place at the end of September in glamorous Porto Adriano, just to the west of the Bay of Palma on Majorca. Supported by Allegra's owner Adrian Keller, the event features the cream of the Mediterranean multihull fleet, racing coastal courses.

Both the Caribbean and the Mediterranean Maxi Multihull series have trophies, the former set to be presented to Marcos Sirota for Sophia's CMMS victory at the IMA Members' Dinner in September during the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup.

Highland Fling 18's Lord Irvine Laidlaw looked forward to the season: "Last year was a disappointing time with health issues cancelling most or our 2025 sailing. Now back on form, I am even keener to get on to the race course. It is always good to compete against old friends but it is with special pleasure that I welcome the newcomers to IMA multihull regattas. I wish everyone as much fun as we have on Highland Fling 18."

IMA Secretary General Andrew McIrvine commented: "We're pleased to continue supporting the maxi multihull fleet and it is encouraging to see participant numbers growing this season. The multihulls are very different to our monohull maxis, preferring coastal courses to windward-leewards but they race at a similarly high level and we hope to lure more out into these prestige regattas."

2026 IMA Mediterranean Maxi Multihull Challenge: