The Superyacht Cup is back for its 29th edition in Palma from 25-28 June. As Europe's longest-running regatta, this four-day event will see some of the world's most prestigious sailing yachts battling it out on the Mallorcan circuit.
Kicking off the Mediterranean racing season, the event will welcome a diverse fleet of high-performance sailing yachts to the picturesque Bay of Palma. Rose, the defending two-time champion (and the first Wally to claim Cup victory) will return to defend her title this year.
BOAT takes a closer look at this year's competitors, including three Hoek sisterships and a fiercely competitive Southern Wind...
Linnea Aurora
Length: 39.4m
Builder: SES Yachts
Year: 2024
A Hoek Design build, Linnea Aurora is one of three sisterships competing at this year's Cup. The Truly Classic 128 model was commissioned by a European client who developed the ideas for his new yacht while chartering fellow Cup competitor Atalante. She has been optimised for competitive racing with a powerful Lewmar winch package, a carbon spar with EC6 rigging and "structured luff" technology that reduces headstay sag and enables adjustments to sail shape. Linnea Aurora is also the first in the series to be fitted with a selective catalytic reduction unit, removing nitrogen oxides to meet the latest emissions regulations.
Cervo
Length: 39m
Builder: Vitters
Year: 2009
Having cruised extensively in recent years, the Bill Tripp-designed performance sloop Cervo has reclaimed her place among the racing elite. Carbon composite construction keeps responsiveness up under sail, with a 2018 refit at Pendennis creating an open flush deck offering more cockpit space for the racing crew. Italian studio Nauta Design reimagined the interiors of this pedigree superyacht, which also features atypical equal-sized staterooms. Her sailing power comes from the 48-metre carbon fibre mast by Southern Spars, paired with a refined sail wardrobe from Doyle and a new in-boom furling mainsail.
Vijonara
Length: 38.8m
Builder: Pendennis
Year: 2018
The 38.8-metre cutter-rigged sloop Vijonara was the second hull to emerge from Hoek Design's Truly Classic series. Built at Pendennis for owners with vast sailing knowledge, she boasts a bowsprit that houses a suite of downwind sails such as Code Sail and A-Symmetric Spinnaker. Vijonara came close to a win at the 2024 St Barths Bucket, finishing second in her class. According to Captain David Roberts, this sailing yacht "impresses in the lighter breeze but still hangs on nicely in the heavier stuff".
Atalante
Length: 38.8m
Builder: Classen Shipyard
Year: 2015
The flagship of the Truly Classic range, the 38.8-metre Atalante enjoyed a long period of cruising before launching back into Cup racing last year. Her classic lines, traditionally shaped twin deckhouses and teak capping rails pay homage to the classics. Commissioned by an experienced sailor, Atalante boasts plenty of race-ready features, such as a well-thought-out deck layout, 3Di North sails, carbon rigging and cable steering bolstered by a fully instrumented steering console set.
Gelliceaux
Length: 35.4m
Builder: Southern Wind
Year: 2023
Gelliceaux is a fierce competitor for the Cup with several titles strapped to her sails – including the 2024 St Barths Bucket, 2024 Ibiza JoySail and the 2025 Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta.The first hull in the South African shipyard's "smart sailboat" series, she was commissioned by a pair of passionate sailers and conceived from the outset as a diesel-electric hybrid. A sporty, low-slung profile courtesy of Nauta Design is complemented by this BAE HybriGen propulsion system, seen first on the SW96 model Nyumba and able to "virtually extend her range indefinitely", according to Southern Wind. She can hit a top speed of 16 knots and a cruising speed of 14 knots.
Rose
Length: 24m
Builder: Wally
Year: 2006
The 24-metre Wallycento Rose is back to defend her winning Cup title for a second time. Delivered in 2006, this flush-deck carbon sailing yacht boasts a 45-metre rig and a 3DL self-tacking jib for racing performance. A crew of 24 and an upwind sail plan of 640 square metres also helped facilitate her win last year, though Captain Ben Palmer claimed that "the rest of the fleet did not make it easy". She was designed in collaboration with Italian brand Wally and Mills Design for naval architecture and exterior design, with interiors completed by Pininfarina.