Costa Smeralda Yacht Club - It’s time for regattas

The 2026 calendar was unveiled in Milan. As packed as ever, and with something extra this year

by Niccolò Volpati

It’s a classic, one of those events you hardly need to mark in your diary. The YCCS has always hosted numerous regattas, but this year it is set to feature a new trophy. The announcement was made by an emotional Princess Zahara Aga Khan, Chair of the Board of Directors and daughter of the yacht club’s founder, His Highness the Aga Khan. In memory of her father, from this year onwards, a new trophy will be awarded during the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in September. The cup was created by Buccellati, a friend of the Aga Khan.

Princess Zahara Aga Khan, Chair of the Board of Directors, has announced a new YCCS trophy in memory of her father.

The season will open from 24 to 26 April with the Cape 31 one-design class, which will make its debut in Porto Cervo with the first leg of the Mediterranean circuit. A month later, it will be the turn of the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta, which will feature a large fleet comprising both racing yachts and participants in the Southern Wind RendezVous and Trophy, with 17 superyachts between those already registered and those who have expressed an interest in attending Porto Cervo.

The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda was founded by the Aga Khan in 1997.

Furthermore, after 14 years, the Sardinia Cup returns, having been one of the regattas that put the YCCS on the international map. The event, which will take place from 31 May to 7 June, is sponsored by Range Rover.

In May, the yacht club will also host the Grand Soleil Cup, which, in addition to the sailing competition, features an extensive programme involving the shipyard’s other brands, namely Pardo Yachts and Van Dutch. In June, it will be the turn of the TP52s, and in September there will be the 36th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. Alongside the competitive programme, the Young Azzurra sports project continues, dedicated to the development of talented young sailors.

Young Azzurra is the club’s sports programme dedicated to young talent.

Looking ahead to 2027, when the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda will celebrate its 60th anniversary, the “Call for Young Sailors” has been announced – a new initiative aimed at selecting the next generation of athletes to join the Young Azzurra project, led by technical director Pietro Zucchetti, a sailor with two Olympic appearances and a former FIV coach. Because, as Commodore Andrea Recordati pointed out, one of the YCCS’s core values has always been to promote the development and training of young sailors.