Yacht Club Costa Smeralda

Founded in 1967 by the Aga Khan and fellow yachting enthusiasts Andrè Ardoin, Giuseppe Kerry Mentasti and Luigi Vietti, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) has been at its present site since 1977, overlooking the marina.

THE SAILING REGATTA SCENE

Affiliated to the Italian Sailing Federation since 1968 and the Powerboat Federation from 1978, the club organises a number of high profile regattas, of which the Sardinia Cup, first held in 1978, and held alternate years to the then Admiral’s Cup, is perhaps the best known.

The waters around the island, towards the Straits of Bonifacio and among the Maddelena islands are ideal for racing, at times benign but as often windy and challenging, perfect conditions for the Maxi Yacht World Championship and Swan World Cup, which are held biennially off Porto Cervo.

The arrival in Newport, Rhode Island in 1983 of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s striking azure blue 12 Metre Azzurra to challenge for the right to race the American Defender for the America’s Cup put the club and Italian sailing on the international yacht racing map. Her third place in the trials that year, won by Australia II, sparked a 12 Metre frenzy back home and lead to the hosting of the 1984 World Championship in Porto Cervo. In 1987 the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) was Challenger of Record for the America’s Cup series off Perth, in which another 12 Metre, Azzurra ’87 flew the club colours.

The club thereafter became a haven for 12 Metres, their whale-like shapes a common sight hanging from the travelifts in sight of the elegant, hyper-modern clubhouse.

Twinned with the Yacht Club de Monaco and since 2002 the New York Yacht Cub, the YCCS packs a punch disproportionate to its size. Mediterranean headquarters of the International Class A Yacht Association (ICAYA), it has run the Perini Cup, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup as well as a number of smaller class regattas. The club also hosts a series for its home-fleet of Frers-designed Smeralda 888s, in which boats from Monaco and elsewhere compete.

POWERBOAT ASSOCIATIONS

The club has also been at the forefront of the quest for speed under power; the Aga Khan’s own Destriero in 1992 took the Atlantic Blue Riband for the first time since Italy’s transatlantic liner Rex in 1933, at an average speed of 98.323 kilometres per hour over the 3,106 mile course from Ambrose Light to Bishop’s Rock. The Costa Smeralda Offshore Grand Prix for powerboats perpetuates the tradition.

2011 CALENDAR

MAY
Vela & Golf
13-15 May
Coppa Europa Smeralda 888
27-29 May

JUNE
Dubois Cup
4-6 June
Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta
7-11 June
Audi Invitational Melges 32 Sailing Series
16-19 June

JULY
Settimana delle Bocche Farr 40 European Circuit
29 June-2 July
Invitational Smeralda 888
8-10 July

SEPTEMBER
Perini Navi Cup
1-4 September
Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup/Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship
5-10 September
Veteran Big Boat Rally
12-15 September

OCTOBER
Audi TP52 World Championship
2-8 October

For more information visit www.yccs.it

Charter Guide

Feature Costa Smeralda – gem of the Mediterranean This strip of Sardinia’s north-east coast packs in beaches, coves, its own capital, a world-renowned yacht club and some of the most beautiful sailing waters

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