The 35.2-metre Moat and 35.4-metre Gelliceaux have claimed top honours in this year's edition of the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta. Organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) and supported by title sponsor Giorgio Armani, the regatta sees a fleet of hopeful sailing yachts battle it out across the Sardinian coastline of Porto Cervo.
The final (and deciding) day saw a sharp northerly breeze complicate the race, blowing at six to seven knots with gusts of up to 10 knots. Competition was fierce, with 14 sailing yachts covering a total distance of just over 14 miles, including legs around the island of Monaci, Tre Monti shoal and Bisce pass.
In the Superyacht class, the Nautor Swan sailer Moat took the win for the day and secured an overall victory, repeating her success from last year with a clean sweep of first-place finishes. The Vitters build Anomaly and the 30.5-metre Morgana, built by Southern Wind, followed in second and third place respectively – both in today's race and overall.
"Everything went perfectly for us and of course we’re delighted to have won again," said Moat's owner, Juan Ball. "The boat was well prepared and the crew were precise in manoeuvres. As always, Porto Cervo proved to be the ideal place to race, and with the organisation of the YCCS and support from Giorgio Armani, it’s the perfect combination."
In the competitive Corinithian Spirit class, the winner of the final day was the 28.6-metre Southern Wind sailing yacht Magic Blue, which beat Gelliceaux by two minutes 50 seconds on corrected time. However, Gelliceaux secured overall victory ahead of Magic Blue and the 24.7-metre Grande Orazio, who finished on equal points and with one win each. Magic Blue edged into second place on the podium thanks to her second-place finish on day two.
"This is a truly wonderful event," added the owner of Gelliceaux. "This was our first event, we are still coming together as a team, but we’re progressing. A few hiccups in the final race made the overall victory even more rewarding, albeit by a smaller margin than we might have hoped for."
"I would like to thank all the owners and our title sponsor Giorgio Armani for their support for this event, which is growing year after year," said YCCS Commodore Andrea Recordati, who opened the prize-giving ceremony. "Once again, our race course around the islands of the La Maddalena archipelago offered a wide variety of wind conditions, with a fantastic first day and a final day that was undoubtedly a memorable one for everyone taking part."
Running in parallel to the regatta was the Southern Wind Rendezvous, during which the 30.2-metre Agapimas was awarded the Willy Persico Trophy for "best embod[ying] the spirit of the Southern Wind founder", Willy Persico.