YACHT
CLUB COSTA SMERALDA’S 2005 MAXI YACHT ROLEX CUP BEGINS
TOMORROW WITH A RECORD FLEET FROM 13 COUNTRIES
US
Entries Include Arne Glimcher’s 122-ft. Ghost; George
Lindemann’s 180-ft. Adela, Harry Macklowe’s 112-ft
Unfurled, and Randall Pittman’s 140-ft Whirlaway
PORTO
CERVO, Italy (September 4, 2005) -- A record international
feet of 40 super-yachts will begin competition tomorrow through
September 10 off the Sardinian coast in the Maxi Yacht Rolex
Cup hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) and sponsored
by Rolex. Participants, a “who’s who” of
international business and sailing elite, include: Hollywood
director Arne Glimcher, competing for the first time in his
new 122-foot Ghost; New York real estate mogul Harry Macklowe
racing his 112-foot Unfurled, L’Oreal CEO Lindsay Owen-Jones
of the UK racing his 95-foot Magic Carpet Squared; Chatham
Capital Corp. and Forest Health Services CEO Randall Pittman
of the US racing his 140-foot Whirlaway, and US self-made
billionaire George Lindemann racing the largest yacht in the
fleet, his 180-foot schooner Adela. Thirteen countries are
represented including Australia, Great Britain, Italy, New
Zealand, Norway, and the United States. The lay day is Thursday
with the prize giving scheduled for Saturday in the Piazza
Azzurra immediately after racing.
With the
tomorrow’s wind predicted to be around 5-7 knots from
the north moving around to the northeast in the afternoon
and strengthening to 10-11 knots, competition is scheduled
to begin at approximately 1200 hours. At the present time,
the fleet is divided into three divisions: Racing, Cruising
which currently includes the Spirit of Tradition yachts, and
the Wally class, in which luxury craft from Monaco-based Wally
Yachts, compete against one another.
“This
is the 16th Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup hosted by Yacht Club Costa
Smeralda, and this year’s record fleet is the most impressive
to date,” commented YCCS Commodore Gianfranco Alberini.
“The
range of boats from the high-tech Wally Yachts and racing
maxis to the Spirit of Tradition classic yachts is a striking
contrast as you walk the dock, but seeing their sheer power
under sail is what defines this event as a pinnacle of the
Mediterranean season.”
In the
Racing division, competition is expected to be particularly
strong between the 98-foot “supermaxis” Maximus,
owned by Bill Buckley and Charles St. Clair Brown of New Zealand,
and Skandia owned by Australian Grant Wharington.
In Cruising,
the largest division, there is a dynamic mix of the old and
the new which includes Spirit of Tradition classics such as
George Lindemann’s schooner Adela alongside brand-new
yachts such as Arne Glimcher’s sleekly modern Luca-Brenta-designed
Ghost. Half the yachts competing in cruising measure more
than 100 feet in length.
Wally
division competitors will go up against the 2004 winner Alexia.
Last year, Argentinean Alberto Roemmers took his 98-foot Alexia
to a seven-point win over Tiketitan, sailed by Wally Yachts
President Luca Bassani Antivari. Bassani will again be at
Tiketitan’s helm this week.
Maxi
Yacht Rolex Cup events include the Rolex Crew Party on Tuesday
night taking place on the Piazza Azzurra, and Rolex Dinner
on Thursday evening taking place at the Cala di Volpe hotel.
The Maxi
Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Settimana delle Bocche (Week
of The Straits), a regatta for the one-design Farr 40 and
Swan 45 classes and IMS racers taking place September 12 through
17, will close the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s 2005
sporting calendar. For full details of these regattas and
all of the Club’s events visit www.yccs.it.
The Yacht
Club Costa Smeralda, located in Porto Cervo in Sardinia, Italy,
was founded in 1967 by His Highness the Aga Khan, together
with Andrè Ardoin, Giuseppe Kerry Mentasti, and Luigi
Vietti, as a non-profit club for those passionate about the
sea and marine sports. Today, the YCCS plays host to the most
prestigious events in international sailing. In addition to
its superb yachting facilities, the YCCS features a first-class
clubhouse, which has recently been completely renovated.
CLASSIFIEDS AUSTRALIA
