Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup at Yacht Club Costa Smeralda - Day 4
by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda 11 Sep 11:46 PDT
6-12 September 2026
Northstar III clinches the Rolex IMA Maxi Grand Prix World Championship with a race to spare
Strong mistral winds once again set the conditions for the fourth and penultimate day of racing at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, with breeze ranging from 18 to 23 knots and gusts of 28 knots.
The Maxi 1 and Maxi Grand Prix class programmes featured two demanding windward-leeward races, while the remaining classes completed a coastal course of approximately 30 miles. After setting off from Porto Cervo, the yachts sailed to a windward mark before taking on a reaching leg to leave the islands of Mortorio and Soffi to starboard, then beating back up to round the Tre Monti shoal and the Isola dei Monaci before returning to the finish off Porto Cervo.
The spoils of the day went to Leopard 3, victorious in both races in the Maxi 1 class, and to Jolt, which also took both races in the Maxi Grand Prix class. Winners of the coastal race in their respective classes were Artemis Bleu in the Maxi 3 class, Yoru in the Maxi 4 class, Lunz am Meer in the Maxi 5 class and Highland Fling XVIII in the Multihull class.
Today, with one race still to go, the first of the two world titles at stake was already decided: Northstar III, owned by YCCS member Peter Dubens, is mathematically unbeatable and claims the Rolex IMA Maxi Grand Prix World Championship 2026. The new JV76, making her debut at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, built an uncatchable lead with four consecutive victories in the opening four races of the series.
Nick Rogers, tactician on Northstar III, on claiming the World Championship title: "I think this is the 11th year in a row I've been competing in this event with Peter [Dubens] and it's the culmination of a lot of work. I think the team have been mega and this project has seen a lot of people working a lot of hours to get here. It's an amazing boat and there's still plenty to come. Plenty we can learn about the boat and how it performs. We're really proud and really pleased with this result."
Jolt responded in the best possible way, winning both windward-leeward races, but Northstar III's fifth and fourth-place finishes were sufficient to secure the championship ahead of the final day. In the first race, Jolt finished ahead of Proteus and the wallyrocket71 Django 7x, while in the second, Balthasar was the runner-up with Django 7x again in third. The overall World Championship standings see Northstar III leading on 13 points, ahead of Jolt on 21 and Balthasar on 23.
All is still to play for in the Rolex IMA Maxi 1 World Championship, meanwhile, where Leopard 3 enjoyed a perfect day, winning both races. The Farr 100 finished ahead of the WallyCento V and Galateia in the first race, while in the second Galateia took second place ahead of My Song. The double victory sends Leopard 3 into the final day at the top of the classification on 12 points, four clear of V with Galateia a further point back in third.
In the Maxi 3 class, James Neville's Artemis Bleu secured her second consecutive victory, finishing ahead of Manticore and Twin Soul B, who returned to racing today after yesterday's retirement due to rudder failure. Artemis Bleu consolidates her overall lead on 8 points, followed by Manticore on 11 and Astra I on 13.
In the Maxi 4 class, Luigi Sala's Yoru claimed a second consecutive win, finishing ahead of Why Not and Fra Diavolo to strengthen her lead in the provisional standings on 6 points. Fra Diavolo sits in second on 9 and Why Not third on 13.
H2O's winning run in the Maxi 5 class was halted today by the Swan 651 Lunz am Meer, which edged the class leader out by just 23 seconds on corrected time, with Shirlaf in third place. Riccardo De Michele's 78-footer nonetheless remains firmly in command on 5 points, followed by Lunz am Meer on 9 and Shirlaf on 11.2.
Highland Fling XVIII completed a hat-trick of victories in the Multihull class, finishing 1 minute and 47 seconds ahead of Allegra on corrected time, with the trimaran Sophia taking third place. Highland Fling XVIII leads the standings on 6 points, ahead of Allegra on 8 and Sophia on 11.
Teams will gather this evening in Piazza Azzurra for the Crew Party. Tomorrow, Saturday 12 September, brings the final day of the 36th Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, with the first warning signal scheduled for 12 noon CEST and north-north-easterly winds of 7 to 12 knots forecast, rotating to the right. No start will be given after 3 p.m.
The prize-giving ceremony for the 36th Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will take place at 5.30 p.m. in Piazza Azzurra.
More information at official event page