Maxis gather in Sardinia

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup kicks off this weekend in Porto Cervo with some high powered entries

There is also a completely separate division for the futuristic Wally Yachts, which combine modern hydraulic and electrical systems to take some of the back-breaking work out of boat handling, with fabulous interiors to live in when the racing is over, and breathtaking performance while the boats are out on the track.

Leading the charge will be Wally Yacht's founder, Luca Bassani, who has sailed these same waters in world championships for the 6-Metre class yachts, and who has had a new boat built, the 88ft Tiketitoo. It's predecessor, Tiketitan, has now been sold to German owner Thomas Bscher, and will be helmed by the triple gold medallist Jochen Schuemann.

In the modern handicap division, sailed under the IMS rule, Raffaele Raiola is hoping to repeat the success he achieved in his new Reichel-Pugh 82-footer, Idea, when he received line honours in the 243-mile offshore race in The Giraglia Rolex Cup. He knows he faces a strong challenge from Jim Dolan in the TV magnate's IMS maxi Sagamore and he will not want to repeat the encounter with the rocks off Saint-Tropez when the yacht was just three weeks old this summer.

There are plenty of similar hazards around the north of Sardinia to trap the unwary. The race courses include inshore coastal work around specially laid racing buoys, some races straight upwind and down, and a navigational test that will take the fleet close to Bonifacio, on the southern tip of Corsica, the French Mediterranean island just to the north of Sardinia.

But the event is far more international than that, as specialist crews fly in from all over the world. The social scene in the evening is flavoured with experiences from all the world's great regattas as well as its languages. Highlight of the week is the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Gala dinner hosted by His Highness the Aga Khan on the Thursday night. While, on both sides of the harbour, owners and crews mingle every evening under the stars of the Emerald Coast.