25th Argentario Sailing Week - Miramis Trophy 2026 - Day 3
by Joseph Sawyer 28 Jun 01:57 PDT
24-28 June 2026
Day 3 of racing at the 25th edition of the Argentario Sailing Week - Miramis 2026 came to a close on 27 June, organised by the Yacht Club Santo Stefano under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Tourism, the Region of Tuscany, the Province of Grosseto, the Municipality of Monte Argentario - which is providing practical support throughout the event - the Italian Vintage Sailing Association and the International Mediterranean Committee.
Support for the event is provided by title sponsor Miramis, official partners Jefferies and Nuncas Marine, institutional partner Banca Patrimoni Sella & C., and technical partners Helly Hansen, Cantiere Navale dell'Argentario and Verdissimo. Almost fifty yachts are taking part, spread across eight classes: Big Boats, Gaff Vintage, Marconi Vintage, Classic, Classic IOR, Cruiser, Spirit of Tradition, and Swan Classic.
Day 3 of the Argentario Sailing Week - Miramis Trophy, in the words of Marco Poma, Commodore of the Yacht Club Santo Stefano and director of maritime activities: "Today's weather initially gave us light winds, so the Race Committee decided to postpone the start, as we waited for conditions to improve. In the early stages, the wind was around 4-5 knots, before gradually strengthening to 6-7 knots. Following these observations, a racecourse oriented at 260 degrees was set up. Subsequently, upon noting that the wind had shifted to 280 degrees, the course was adjusted accordingly by moving the windward mark 20 degrees to the right. At the start, the wind speed was between 8 and 9 knots and the direction had stabilised, ensuring favourable conditions for the smooth running of the third race. The longest course featured an initial upwind leg of approximately two miles on a 280-degree bearing, followed by two downwind legs and a further combination of upwind and downwind legs to the finish, for a total length of 15.5 nautical miles."
The regatta went ahead as planned and, as the fleet gradually stretched out along the course, the Gulf of Argentario once again provided a spectacular sailing performance. The almost fifty registered boats, positioned on the racecourse according to their various strategies and performance levels, set the stage for scenes of rare beauty, showcasing the historical heritage represented by this extraordinary fleet of classic and vintage yachts. The fourth and final race day of the programme will decide the winners of all classes, in many of which the standings are still closely contended.
Yesterday, Italy's first nationwide all-news channel RAI NEWS 24 broadcast a TV report on the Argentario Sailing Week - Miramis Trophy, featuring an interview with Yacht Club President Alessandro Maria Rinaldi. Watch the footage below:
Today's winners:
Big Boats: HALLOWE'EN (Inigo Strez); GAFF VINTAGE: ROWDY (Donna Dyer); SPIRIT OF TRADITION: FLIGHT OF DURGAN (David & Alexandra Grylls); CRUISER: STAR SAPPHIRE (Jacob Glatz); CLASSIC IOR: OJALA' (Susan Carol Holland); CLASSIC: CRIVIZZA (Ariella Cattai); MARCONI VINTAGE: EMILIA PRIMA (Luigi Guarnaccia); SWAN CLASSIC: LITHIAN (Cattaneo & Mascheroni Stianti).
Overall standings after Day 3:
BIG BOATS: HALLOWE'EN (Inigo Strez) holds onto first place. VIVEKA (Keith Mills) holds onto second. MARIELLA (Carlo Falcone) is still in third.
GAFF VINTAGE: ROWDY (Donna Dyer) leaps into first place. SCUD (Patrizio Bertelli) takes seconds. CHINOOK (Paolo Zannoni) still holds onto third.
SPIRIT OF TRADITION: FLIGHT OF DURGAN (David & Alexandra Grylls) maintains her lead, followed by PARELTJE (Pieter Taselaar) in second, shifting FREYA (Luca Celeghini) into third place.
CRUISER: STAR SAPPHIRE (Jacob Glatz) holds onto her lead, followed by another position swap between VISTONA (Giovanni Battista Borea d'Olmo), now second, and EUGENIA V (Samanna Yachting) in third.
CLASSIC IOR: The top three remain the same, with OJALA' (Susan Carol Holland) at the top. AIRONE V (Giuseppe Albano) in second and SAGITTARIUS (Thierry Laffitte) in third place.
CLASSIC: Still top of the class is CRIVIZZA (Ariella Cattai), followed by the two Italian Navy contestants: PENELOPE in second and CORSARO II in third.
MARCONI VINTAGE: JILL (Alessandro M. Rinaldi) surges into first place, followed by new podium entry EMILIA PRIMA (Luigi Guarnaccia) in second place and BOB KAT II (Cristiana Monina) in third.
SWAN CLASSIC: LITHIAN (M. Cattaneo & F. Mascheroni Stianti) holds onto her leadership, while MATCHLESS (Giacomo Bei) and GRAMPUS II (Matteo D'Agostino) remain in second and third place respectively.
Here are the complete overall standings
"The Argentario Sailing Week - Miramis Trophy is so much more than just a regatta; it is a symbol of the excellence that defines our region," commented Arturo Cerulli, Mayor of Monte Argentario as he visited the crews at the end of today's races. "For years, the event has been an international benchmark for classic and vintage sailing, helping to strengthen the image of Monte Argentario as a premium destination, capable of attracting yacht owners, crews and sailing enthusiasts from all over the world. Events such as this showcase our sea, our traditions and our heritage, confirming the Argentario Gulf as one of the leading destinations for international sailing."
Spotted on the docks (Episode 3 - The Event's Winning Women):
We encountered two familiar faces this morning: Alessandra Angelini, sailor and owner of Marilee, which is celebrating her 100th anniversary this year - a milestone marked by a victory in yesterday's regatta, and Cristiana Monina, at the helm of Bob Kat II, who is in contention for the top spots in the Marconi Vintage category.
Happy birthday, CHINOOK (110 years, gaff cutter - 19.8 m)
Celebrating her 110th anniversary, Chinook (1916) returns to the Argentario Gulf as one of the brightest stars of the Vintage fleet. Launched as Pauline, later known as Banshee, she has sailed as Chinook since the late 1920s and arrives this year on the strength of a formidable Argentario Sailing Week record: second in class in 2025, following Vintage-class victories in 2014 and 2024.
Chinook is yachting royalty, of the legendary NY 40 class: the 14 "Fighting Forties" commissioned by members of the New York Yacht Club between 1916 and 1926. Designed by Nathanael G. Herreshoff, she was one of 12 identical sisterships constructed in just six months over the winter of 1915-16.
Purchased in 2010 by Irish skipper Jonathan Greenwood and Sandra Ugolini, Chinook was shipped to Genoa and then Bizerta, Tunisia. Her next owner, Graham Walker, had won the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge's Vintage title many times aboard her sister Rowdy before selling Chinook to London-based Paolo Zannoni.
At this 25th Argentario Sailing Week - Miramis Trophy 2026, Chinook is joining a constellation of three rare NY 40 stars, competing alongside sisterships Rowdy (1916) and Marilee (1926). With Marilee, Chinook is one of only two NY 40s currently rigged as gaff cutters.
One hundred and ten years after her launch, Chinook remains a valuable testament to the historic tradition of international sailing.
Happy birthday, MARILEE (100 years, Marconi sloop - 19.80 m)
Designed by "Wizard of Bristol" Nathanael G. Herreshoff, whose yachts include those which secured six consecutive America's Cup defences between 1893 and 1920, Marilee arrives in Porto Santo Stefano to celebrate a whole century since her 1926 launch.
Unlike sister yachts Chinook and Rowdy, both launched during the First World War, Marilee came to life in peacetime, at the height of the Roaring Twenties, an age synonymous with F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, prohibition, and the notorious Al Capone. Commissioned by Edward I. Cudahy, she was, with Rugosa II, one of the final two NY 40s built. Marilee, however, was given an enlarged cockpit, a distinctive coach house and her own accommodation plan. In 1933, Marilee gained an engine and exchanged her gaff rig for a more manageable Marconi rig. Following a major refit in 2000, she crossed the Atlantic for Cowes's 2001 America's Cup Jubilee Regatta, where she and Rugosa tied for first overall before going on to score podium finishes on the Mediterranean classic-yacht circuit.
Her restoration at French & Webb in Maine, completed in 2016, brought an original Herreshoff drawing for her 1933 Marconi rig to light in MIT's Hart Nautical Collections. This led to her remarkable dual-rig arrangement: Marilee may sail in traditional gaff-rigged form or with a Marconi/Bermudan rig, thanks to concealed bronze fittings that allow two authentic Herreshoff sail plans to suit different racecourses and rating systems.
69-metre tall ship Palinuro joins the 25th Argentario Sailing Week - Miramis Trophy
What makes this 25th anniversary edition even more special is the arrival of Palinuro, an iconic piece of maritime history. The Italian Navy sailing ship, a symbol of the country's seafaring tradition, dropped anchor yesterday, Wednesday 24 June, at the Garibaldi quay in Porto Santo Stefano, where she will remain until Sunday 28 June. Check out the Argentario Sailing Week schedule to see when Palinuro will be open for visits on board during the event.
The Argentario Sailing Week - Miramis Trophy 2026's numbers confirm the regatta's international scope: close to fifty yachts entering from ten countries across three continents, as well as a community of over 1,000 people - from owners to crews, guests, organisers and yachting enthusiasts - who will bring Monte Argentario to life during a week brimming with events and top-notch sailing.
One number stands head and shoulders above all others in highlighting the historical significance and prestige of the stellar fleet of Grandes Dames taking part in this year's Argentario Sailing Week - Miramis Trophy: a sum total of almost 3,500 combined years of sailing and naval architecture history will be represented by the 50 exceptional vintage and classic yachts registered to race against the Gulf's spectacular backdrop. While the event itself celebrates its first quarter of a century, this year's line-up will take sailors and onlookers on a journey spanning well over a century, covering 130 years of maritime tradition: starting with Cariad, launched in 1896 and now celebrating her 130th anniversary, followed by Chinook and Rowdy, both celebrating their 110th anniversaries, and the three centenarians Hallowe'en, Margaret and Marilee.
The event will consist of four days of racing, from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 June. Following the crew briefing, the first warning signal will be given at 11.00 am on Thursday. The races will continue until Sunday, which will end with the award ceremony scheduled for 6.00 pm at the regatta village, located on the Pilarella jetty.
Special Prizes
- The "Trofeo Voscià - Giancarlo Lodigiani" challenge trophy - inspired by the memory of the former President of the Italian Vintage Sailing Association who passed away in 2024 - is awarded to the Yawl-rigged yacht that achieves the highest score in the final standings;
- The Miramis Trophy is awarded to the overall winner in the Vintage classes;
- The Sixters Trophy is awarded jointly to the two yachts whose owners declare at the start of the event that they wish to compete together for the Trophy and who achieve the best combined results in the vintage sails category of the Argentario Sailing Week - Miramis Trophy. In the event of a tie, the trophy will go to the yacht in the category with the highest number of yachts registered and starting in the event.
The 25th edition of the Argentario Sailing Week - Miramis Trophy is organised with the support of title sponsor Miramis, official partners Jefferies and Nuncas Marine, institutional partner Banca Patrimoni Sella & C., and technical partners Helly Hansen, Cantiere Navale dell'Argentario and Verdissimo.
The event is organised by the Yacht Club Santo Stefano, is held under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Tourism, the Region of Tuscany, the Province of Grosseto, the Italian Vintage Sailing Association, and the International Mediterranean Classic Yachting Committee, supported by the tangible contributions of the Municipality of Monte Argentario.
The Argentario Sailing Week: a story of passion, tradition and success
The history of the Argentario Sailing Week begins in 1992, when a group of members of the Yacht Club Santo Stefano organised a regatta for classic yachts called Le Vele d'Argento (The Silver Sails). Over the years, the constant increase in registered boats, the area's hospitality and consistently favourable weather conditions eventually contributed to the event becoming a central date on the international calendar of classic and vintage yacht regattas. In 1999 the event took on the name we know today: Argentario Sailing Week, confirming its role as a high-profile regatta and, at the same time, as a moment of refined culture and hospitality, where passion, history and craftsmanship come together on the Mediterranean, in the sublime setting of Monte Argentario. From 2026 onwards, the event's official title includes that of its title sponsor: Argentario Sailing Week - Miramis Trophy.