Yacht Club Costa Smeralda set for top-level sporting season

Milan, Italy, 6 March 2025. The annual press conference organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda to present the 2025 sporting season took place this morning at Casa Gessi, in Milan. This year’s event held a special significance, as it was dedicated to the memory of His Highness the Aga Khan, Founder and President of the YCCS, who recently passed away.

Attendees were welcomed by YCCS Commodore, Andrea Recordati. Elected in August 2024, the Commodore is a highly accomplished sailor who has taken part in national and international regattas on the maxi yacht circuit under the YCCS burgee, first with the Wally 80' Indio, then the Wally 101' Indio Beta, and, since 2022, with the Wally 93' Bullitt. He achieved a historic result when he won the 44th edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race aboard the new boat. 

“I'd like to thank everyone attending for their support and enthusiasm for the activities of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. This is an emotional occasion for me, not only because it marks my first presentation of the sporting calendar as Commodore of the YCCS, but above all as this is a significant day for everyone connected to the Club. In addition to presenting the 2025 sporting season, which promises to be of the highest calibre, we take this opportunity to remember with deep admiration and respect our Founder and President, H.H. the Aga Khan. His vision established the YCCS as an organisation of excellence and international prominence, and we will continue to uphold the principles promoted by His Highness, honouring his memory.”

Following the Commodore's speech, a video tribute dedicated to H.H. the Aga Khan was shown, opening with recollections of his first visit to Sardinia aboard a sailing yacht. The film went on to revisit historic milestones for the YCCS and Italian sailing, including the announcement of the first Italian challenge for the America's Cup with Azzurra, and celebrations aboard Destriero upon setting a still-unbroken Atlantic crossing record. The film concluded with His Highness' sincere wish that the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda would stand as an example and an inspiration. 

This touching tribute was followed by a look towards the near future and the 2025 season, with the presentation of the YCCS sporting calendar by Secretary General and Sports Director, Edoardo Recchi. 

Thanks went to the Club's institutional partners, Rolex, Range Rover and Allianz, who together with technical partners Slam, Garmin Marine, Technogym and – from this year – North Sails, support the sporting activities organised by the Club. 

As always, the YCCS will provide technical support for the mark roundings off Porto Cervo in the RAN 630 - Regata dell’Accademia Navale, scheduled from 25 April to 4 May. The 2025 season proper will then open in advance, with regattas starting about a month earlier than usual. The RC44 Porto Cervo Cup is scheduled from 12 to 18 May, bringing the circuit for one-design yachts founded by Russell Coutts back to Porto Cervo with 12 boats, sailors of the highest calibre, and thrilling racing guaranteed. The following weekend, from 23 to 25 May, the traditional Vela & Golf event will take place in a friendly atmosphere dedicated to enthusiasts of sailing and golf. The month of May will close with the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta (27-31 May), entries are already open and expressions of interest and registrations indicate this will be a popular edition. The event, organised with the support of the title sponsor Giorgio Armani, is open to yachts with a minimum length of 80 feet and multihulls of at least 50 feet, and once again this year will host the Southern Wind Rendezvous, now in its 19th edition. Another highlight on the sailing calendar will be The Nations League - Swan One Design Worlds, taking place from 17 to 21 June, which promises hard-fought battles at sea and a healthy fleet of various one-design boats, including the ClubSwan 28 craft which made their regatta debut last September in Porto Cervo. Two events for the Smeralda 888 Class circuit are scheduled across the end of June and the beginning of July: the Invitational Smeralda 888 (27-29 June) and the Coppa Europa Smeralda 888 (4-6 July). A short summer break will provide space for some sporting events dedicated to YCCS members, including Sailing Clinics on 12-14 July and 20-22 July, and the YCCS Members' Championship on 3 August.  The YCCS will provide technical support in August for the 20th edition of the Palermo - Porto Cervo - Montecarlo race, before the month of September rounds off the sporting season with some top-tier regattas.

The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, an iconic international event, will as always see an impressive fleet assemble on the docks of Porto Cervo. Boats that have shaped sailing history will line up alongside state-of-the-art maxi yachts, featuring cutting-edge technology and design and crewed by world-renowned sailors including Olympic and America's Cup champions, as well as World and European titleholders. This 35th edition of the event, organised in collaboration with the International Maxi Association, will also mark a special milestone - 40 years of Rolex’s partnership with the event, having become title sponsor in 1985. Closing out the season, the 52 Super Series Sailing Week will bring the high-performance TP52 fleet back to Porto Cervo for the final leg of their circuit, delivering exhilarating racing for both participants and spectators.

A significant event for the world of yachting and the YCCS will be the Admiral's Cup, a prestigious regatta set to return to Cowes from 19 July 2025, after a 22-year hiatus. This momentous return marks the centenary of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, which organised the event biennially from 1957 to 2003. The YCCS is proud to announce that member Giovanni Lombardi Stronati will head the two-boat team representing the Club in this renowned competition. The team will field the wallyrocket Django WR51 and the 11.8-metre Django JPK in the “small boat” class. The team will be coordinated by Vasco Vascotto, who has assembled two crews, including many sailors from the Azzurra TP52 programme.

Sustainability will remain a key focus in 2025, with the YCCS Clean Beach Day scheduled and the Club’s major regattas undergoing environmental impact assessments for certification by Sailors for the Sea. This international non-profit organisation created the “Clean Regattas” programme, with clubs adhering to a checklist to ensure sustainably organised events. In 2024 the main YCCS regattas – the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta, the J/24 Range Rover European Championship, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup – received platinum certification, the highest level awarded by the organisation.  

The final feature of the event in Milan was a video message from the athletes enrolled in the Young Azzurra programme: Cesare Barabino, a promising ILCA 7 sailor, Federico Pilloni, iQFOiL Youth World Champion, and Maddalena Spanu, who claimed silver at the WingFoil Racing World Championship and is the current European Wingfoil Racing Champion and World Champion in Marathon WingFoil Racing. The three athletes, who were unable to attend due to their sporting commitments, recorded a video message to present their respective competition schedules for 2025. New for this year, Maddalena Spanu will resume training in the Olympic Kite Foil class, taking part in several competitions over the course of the year. 

The event concluded with YCCS Secretary General and Sports Director, Edoardo Recchi, underlining the importance of the Young Azzurra programme, which was created and is continuously evolving in line with the sporting heritage of Azzurra, dedicated to supporting talented young sailors while reflecting the core values of the YCCS: excellence, innovation, sustainability and support for future generations.

The press kit for the event, which contains selections of photos and press releases from YCCS partners, is available here. For further information please visit www.yccs.com and www.youngazzurra.it.