Impressive line-up for Maxi Worlds

Racing gets underway off Porto Cervo tomorrow for sailing's most glamorous fleet

The crystal-clear waters of the Costa Smeralda this week is set to host one of the most impressive gatherings of sailing yachts ever. The 17th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup has attracted a record fleet of 46 teams representing 15 nations. This year's line-up smashes the 2005 record of 37 yachts and, once again, has brought the elite of the international sailing and business worlds to Porto Cervo.

The 2006 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will be the stage for some truly fierce competition among a fleet of veritable giants, which includes some strong new entries and a number of veterans of this highlight of the Mediterranean yachting season. Two new Antipodean Super Maxis, Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI and her near sistership, Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo are undoubtedly two to watch. Both designed by Reichel/Pugh and competing in the Racing Division, they come in at 98 feet and feature a canting keel and CBTF technology alongg with a wealth of other high-tech innovations. Wild Oats XI, won it all in the last Rolex Sydney Hobart: a rare line honours and handicap victory double, as well as setting a new race record. Alfa Romeo was tough to beat and came in second on both elapsed and corrected time. Earlier this year she took line honours in the 2006 Giraglia Rolex Cup.

Returning to Porto Cervo after last year's catastrophic breakdown - a broken rig on the second day of the series - is the 98ft Maximus. Co-owned by the two New Zealand businessmen Charles St Clair Brown and Bill Buckley, she recently became holder of the Round the Island (Isle of Wight) record. Another illustrious name among the Racing Division is that of Hasso Plattner and his maxZ86 Morning Glory another design by Reichel/Pugh.

The average speed of the fleet this year may well take another big leap forward, not just due to the maxis, but also with Volvo Ocean Race winner ABN AMRO One competing. Kiwi skipper Mike Sandersonlast sailed at the Maxi Worlds in 1999 aboard Larry Ellison's Sayonara, and is looking forward to some of the traditional good Sardinian winds: "We hope to race well and, if we get some days of good breeze, to get among the Maxis on IRC. We are really looking forward to the regatta, I think that if we get some wind the courses will really suit our boat". The boat Sanderson cut his teeth on around the world, the 1993-4 maxi ketch winner New Zealand Endeavour will be competing in this division as will the 1999/2000 race winner Steinlager II.

The newly formed Mini Maxi Division will be one of the larger classes with 11 entries. The Italian Farr 70 Atalanta II will be one of the toughest competitors. Owned by Carlo Puri Negri, General Executive Manager of Pirelli Real Estate, Atalanta II managed a clean sweep of the silverware at the 2005 Rolex Middle Sea Race. In doing so, Puri Negri and the Atalanta II crew also won the Mediterranean Championship of Offshore Racing, a new series of four events.

Another strong entry in this Division is Ernesto Gismondi's Edimetra VI from Italy, a winner in 2001 and which this year came first overall in the combined inshore and offshore races of the Giraglia Rolex Cup. The Cruising Division includes Gunter Herz's Allsmoke, winner of the combined Cruising Division series rankings in 2005. In his quest for a repeat victory, Herz will face some serious competition, such as last year's winner in Cruising B Division, Italian Filippo Faruffini's elegant Farr design Roma - a cruising boat camouflaged as a pure racer, with demountable coffee grinders, six cabins, five separate bathrooms and full air conditioning. The 34m Unfurled of New York real estate mogul Harry Macklowe, another winner from last year's event (Cruising A), will also be on this year's starting line, alongside the magnificent 37m Ghost, owned by last year's new-comer the American film producer and art gallery founder Arne Glimcher. The legendary J Class Velsheda, designed by Camper & Nicholson in 1933, will complete this breathtaking parade of sails.

The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup fleet also incorporates five Spirit of Tradition yachts, including the world famous schooner Adela owned by American gas and media tycoon, George Lindemann. The largest yacht of the fleet by some 15m, with a LOA of just over 55m, Adela is a regular competitor at this event and usually dwarfs the other yachts at the event.

Nine yachts will compete in the Wally Division. With Germany's Claus Peter Offen's Y3K (winner in 2005) and Alberto Roemmers's Alexia from Argentina (second in 2005) competing in the Racing Division, the field appears wide-open in this class. A series of new Wally 80s - Aori, Dangerous but Fun, Indi and Tango - will race alongside Italian entry Tiketitan, third in 2005, and Great Britain's Magic Carpet Squared owned by Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, Chairman of the Board of Directors of L'Oreal, which also suffered rig damage last year.

"We are delighted to welcome such a spectacular fleet to the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2006," commented YCCS Commodore Gianfranco Alberini, "The event embodies yacht racing at its very best and with an entry list of this standard and the world-class regatta course here, we are sure to see a week of intense competition."

The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, organizsd by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in conjunction with the International Maxi Association (IMA), runs 3 September to 5 September. Racing commences tomorrow, Monday, with a lay-day (or reserve) scheduled for Thursday 7 September.

The week traditionally comprises a variety of inshore racecourses off the coastline of northeastern Sardinia and around the Archipelago of La Maddalena with its narrow straits, rocky outcrops and shifting winds. The courses are designed to make the best use of the daily weather conditions - winds in September can be anywhere between light thermally-induced sea breezes to the famous Mistral, which can blow from the northwest at up to 45 knots at times. According to Major Filippo Petrucci, official meteorologist for the event, "Light thermally-induced winds from the northeast will be the feature of the week. A high pressure system is stationed over Sardinia, therefore racing will most likely take place in 8 to 10 knots of wind and light seas. From Thursday on some clouds might appear, but the overall forecast will not change much." This year the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup fleet will be split into five main divisions:

Handicap-wise life is quite complex with the Racing and Cruising divisions competing under IRC with a minimum length of 24m. The Mini Maxis, between 18 and 23.9m LOA will sail under ORC Club. The Wallys have own handicap, based on the IMS system's Velocity Prediction Program. The Spirit of Tradition: race to a Portsmouith yardstick-style number with a day-to day performance handicap system.

The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda will officially greet the competitors tonight with a welcome cocktail at its clubhouse overlooking Porto Cervo Marina. At the end of each racing day, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda along with title sponsor Rolex will provide a lush array of top class social events: Monday will feature après-sailing refreshments, Tuesday the Rolex Crew Party, Thursday the Rolex Dinner at the world renowned Cala di Volpe luxury resort, Friday après-racing refreshment and the YCCS Dinner. The week ends with Saturday's final Prizegiving Ceremony and Closing Cocktail Party, where the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and Rolex timepieces will be awarded to the overall winner of each Division, along with IMA Special Trophies to the winners of the IMA Championship and additional special trophies to the winner of each formalised group.

For a full list of entries - open this attachment.