Maxis to race the Atlantic this year

Rolex back a new Yacht Club Costa Smeralda race to the Caribbean

Promoted by the International Maxi Association (IMA), the regatta is organised by YCCS in collaboration with the Real Club Nautico de Tenerife for the start and the Sint Maarten Yacht Club for the finish. It is open to monohull Maxi yachts with a minimum overall length of 18 metres (59ft) that are in compliance with the IMA's five division regulations (Racing, Cruising, Wally, Spirit of Tradition, Mini Maxi).

The fleet will assemble at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Marina in Tenerife - the largest of the seven Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of Africa - in preparation for the start on Monday, 26 November 2007. The Maxis are expected to navigate approximately 2,600 nautical miles across the North Atlantic Ocean for approximately ten days before reaching the finish line off the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles. The prizegiving is scheduled for December 14, 2007, at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club, where the Rolex Trophy and a Rolex Oyster Perpetual timepiece will be awarded to the overall winner. Over the course of the race, satellite positioning systems installed on every boat will allow organizers, competitors and armchair sailors to monitor the fleet's progress.

IMA President Claus Peter Offen, from Hamburg, Germany, was one of the first entrants to sign on for the event and will race aboard his new Wally 100. Peter Harrison, the driving force behind Great Britain's 2002 America's Cup Challenge will also compete aboard Sojana, his Farr 115 cruising ketch.

"The IMA had a lot of requests from owners who want to compete in a transatlantic race; up until now there has been no special race for Maxis," explained Offen, who is enthusiastic about the transatlantic regatta's debut. "The ARC, for example, has now added a racing division but there is a maximum boat size so maxis don't really fit in. The IMA therefore decided to create a dedicated transatlantic regatta for Maxi yachts. I will be competing aboard my new Wally 100, which I just took delivery of. I am hopeful that a large fleet of Maxis will compete including several Wallys, some of the bigger Swans and some one-off maxi designs. I expect around ten to 20 yachts for the first edition of the race which we intend to repeat biennially."

The regatta is also linked to the IMA's efforts to establish a seasonal circuit for Maxis that will allow owners to compete in offshore events on the Mediterranean and in Europe during the summer before moving to the Caribbean for the winter racing season. Many of the competing boats expect to remain in the islands for several months and are likely to take part in other regattas, including the International Rolex Regatta in St. Thomas, which will offer an IRC division for the first time in 2008.

"As official headquarters of the IMA, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is delighted to act as the Organizing Authority for the event," said YCCS Commodore Gianfranco Alberini. "On behalf of the IMA, we thank Rolex for their continued support of the class. The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is pleased to continue expanding its horizons in this our 40th anniversary year. The inauguration of a transatlantic regatta in collaboration with IMA and Rolex seems a perfect way to round off our year of celebrations."