IMA Maxi European Championship 2026 - first inshore day in Sorrento
by Tre Golfi Sailing Week 25 May 13:42 PDT
22-28 May 2026
After the offshore challenge of the 71st Regata dei Tre Golfi, the 2026 IMA Maxi European Championship officially entered its inshore phase today in the waters off Sorrento, with the first coastal race of the series delivering tactical and closely fought racing across all classes.
Organized by the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia, in conjunction with the International Maxi Association (IMA), in collaboration with the Yacht Club Italiano of Genoa and the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia, and supported by Rolex and Loro Piana, the event continues to confirm its status as one of the highlights of the international Maxi yacht season.
The race committee set different start times for the various divisions. The Maxi Grand Prix fleet started together with the Maxi 1 division, the Maxi 3, 4 and 5 fleet started in a separate group as did the Multihulls. The course took the fleets around the island of Capri, leaving it to port before returning towards Sorrento for the finish.
Conditions proved highly tactical throughout the day. The wind, from the west, ranged between 4 and 7 knots, with several holes and unstable pressure areas across the racecourse, forcing navigators and tacticians into continuous strategic decisions.
In the highly competitive Maxi Grand Prix division, Bellamente of Hap Fauth was the top performer of the day. With America's Cup star Terry Hutchinson calling tactics, the American yacht recovered brilliantly after a difficult start to secure the victory. Second place went to Proteus of George Sakellaris, while third was Northstar of Peter Dubens, a CRV Italia member, with tactician Nick Rogers on board.
"Today was a very complex and tactical day," said Bellamente tactician Terry Hutchinson. "The race around Capri was sailed in light and very unstable breeze, conditions that made every phase of the course crucial to interpret correctly. For Bella Mente it wasn't so much about the start, although we had a very good one — but rather about how we managed the final part of the race. We arrived quite far behind near Capri, but we worked really well along the island, recovering a lot of distance on NorthStar and then getting back into the fleet along the shoreline leg.
"Proteus sailed an excellent race and was definitely the benchmark boat of the day, managing to regain the lead. We probably mismanaged one of the wind transitions and found ourselves chasing again. At that point we looked for a tactical opportunity on the right side of the course, where we could see a pressure line coming off Capri. We committed strongly to that option and in the end it proved to be the right call. We managed to reconnect with the new breeze while part of the fleet stayed closer to the shore. Winning on the final leg was extremely satisfying, especially after the coastal race a few days ago. Now we're ready for the next day of racing."
In Maxi 1, the best performance came from Capricorno, owned by Alessandro Del Bono, with legendary Brazilian sailor Torben Grael calling tactics. Second place went to My Song of Pigi Loro Piana, followed by the Wally 100 Galateia, owned by David Leuschen and Chris Flowers, member of the CRV Italia, and winner of Line Honours in the Offshore Race on Saturday.
In Maxi 3, Franz Baruffaldi's Manticore claimed victory ahead of Cippa Lippa 3 of Guido Paolo Gamucci and Kalima, owned by Paul Berger.
"It was a really beautiful and tactically interesting day," said Manticore owner Franz Baruffaldi. "We raced around Capri in light and variable conditions, also watching the choices of the larger 80- and 100-foot Maxis ahead of us to understand which route might work best. In the end we managed to finish ahead of many of those big Maxis and for us that's a huge satisfaction, considering we are only a 62-footer. We don't know when something like this might happen again, so today we are truly enjoying it. Probably the best moment was the start, because our tactician immediately found the right position and allowed us to get away perfectly. This race was also very important for understanding the potential of the boat, which is still new. In 8-10 knots, especially upwind where theoretically we are not at our strongest — being a boat more suited to reaching and downwind sailing — we still managed to stay connected to the fleet and show very strong performance. After doing very well in the offshore race, we hope to keep improving in the coastal races over the next few days."
In Maxi 4 and 5, victory went to H2O of Riccardo De Michele, ahead of Fra Diavolo of Vincenzo Addessi and Yoru of Luigi Sala.
The inshore races will continue tomorrow with windward-leeward or coastal races in the Gulf of Naples, while the offshore race results will officially count towards the overall standings of the 2026 IMA Maxi European Championship, which will conclude on Thursday 28 May.
The regatta is supported by leading partners including Rolex and Loro Piana, alongside North Sails, Wally Yachts, Deloitte, Ferrarelle, Ottogas, Garmin, Banca Patrimoni Sella & C., Caffè Borbone and Azimut Investimenti.