The final award of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will be held at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda on Saturday, September 11.

Four decades of epic naval battles make the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup a world reference for large-length races. Following the 2020 parenthesis caused by the global pandemic, the Esmeralda Coast again receives 44 representatives of an exclusive club reserved for more than 60-foot monocascos to compete until next Saturday.

The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup was founded in 1980 and has had the unconditional support of Rolex since 1985. The 31st edition is held from 5 to 11 September and has managed to bring together an imposing fleet of 44 vessels of length between 60 and 140 feet

In this special edition, marked by the adaptation of its organizers and participants to the global health situation, the competition menu will consist of five days of coastal races that will allow the crews to enjoy some of the most beautiful, challenging and technical tours in the world. The surroundings of Porto Cervo and the spectacular archipelago of La Magdalena, on the northern end of Sardinia, become for a few days an exceptional stage for this struggle of giants to which the best specialists in the world come on time every September.

The race format supports both ships designed for the cruise and competition purasangres. To ensure a fair fight, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda organizer divides them according to their size and potential, which guarantees maximum equality between ships of similar performance. Compit Mini Maxis (between 60 and 79 feet), Maxis (between 80 and 100 feet) and Supermaxis, the category that brings together the largest ships, above the 100 feet of length (30.48 meters).

By definition, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is pure essence of sailing competition. The environment, organization and participants are exceptional. Among the participants of this edition are teams with a large pedigree in Rolex sailing case races: The Maxi 72 Bella Mente of the American Hap Fauth has won the race on several occasions; the 'aircraft carrier' Comanche has the current Rolex Sydney Hobart record; George David's very fast Rambler accumulates real-time wins at the Rolex Fastnet Race, the Rolex Middle Sea Race and the Rolex Giraglia; and Sir Lindsay Owen Jones' WallyCento Magic Carpet Cubed has won the Rolex Giraglia, both in real and in compensation, and is a regular podium in Porto Cervo. The largest ship in this edition is the Topaz, a newly built J-Class on 1935 design, with 42.7 meters in length (140 feet).