Clash of the titans

Tomorrow sees the kick-off in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo

Mini profile: Adela
By noon today, the crew of the 180ft Adela was already hanking on the headsails for the first race due to start at noon Monday. The beautifully restored 1903 schooner weighs in at about 260 tonnes and handling something that big needs forward planning.

The optimum crew would be 27 or 28 and they have been practising for the last two days. The boat's first objective is to finish safely. There may only be 22 sails to choose from, but they are big and the equipment to handle them is heavy. It can take a full minute to complete a tack from one side to the other and a similar time is needed to switch sides with one of the huge asymmetric spinnakers.

For the midday start, the yacht needs to leave the dock three hours earlier and will want to be set up for racing at least an hour before the start. The regatta comes at the end of nearly a month in which the boat has been in cruising mode. It is something for which it is well suited and the beautiful accommodation below would not look out of place in the great chateau hotels of France or Germany.