After a 14-year absence, one of the regattas that helped build the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s international standing is set to return this summer.
The YCCS will be supported in this historic return by Range Rover, the Club’s institutional partner and a brand closely associated with the world of sailing, which shares the Sardinia Cup’s values of performance, innovation and exclusivity. Taking place from 31 May to 6 June 2026, the event is open to yacht club teams of two boats, each competing across the Sardinia Cup Class 1 and Class 2 (SC1 & SC2) divisions. A team’s nationality will be determined by the location of the yacht club represented.
As in previous editions, the Range Rover Sardinia Cup will be held every two years and will alternate with the Admiral’s Cup, whose rules it has adopted, enabling teams to participate in both events with the same boats and configurations. The requirement for teams to field at least one female sailor and one young sailor under the age of 25 will be maintained. To date, 20 yachts are officially entered in the Range Rover Sardinia Cup, representing 10 teams from international and Italian yacht clubs.
International entries include the Royal Ocean Racing Club, the Yacht Club de France, the Bayerischer Yacht Club and the Turkish Offshore Racing Sports Club, whilst Italian teams will represent the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia, the Yacht Club Repubblica Marinara di Pisa, Yacht Club Rimini, Vela Club Portocivitanova and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.
The Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia was the first squad to enter, with Giovanni di Vincenzo’s Ker 46 Lisa R and Franco Niggeler’s Mat 12.20 Kuka, helmed by Mitch Boot, a two-time Olympic medallist in the Tornado class.
The Royal Ocean Racing Club will be represented by two teams: James Neville’s TP52 Ino Veritas, with Dean Barker as tactician, along with Per Roman’s GP42 Garm, and Peter Harrison’s IRC 52 Jolt 3 – holder of the Admiral’s Cup for the YCM – together with Niklas Zennström’s Carkeek 41 RAN, the reigning IRC European champion, with Adrian Stead calling tactics.
The Yacht Club Repubblica Marinara di Pisa will take to the water with Roberto Lacorte’s WallyRocket 51 Rocket Nikka, with Lorenzo “Rufo” Bressani as tactician, alongside the Fast40+ Nola, a Carkeek C40 MKIII, owned by Estonian duo Taavet Hinrikus and Margus Uudam.
The Yacht Club de France will be represented by Spirit of Lorina 2, a Botin 52 owned by Jean Pierre Barjon, a regular competitor in Porto Cervo, and the ClubSwan 42 Raving Swan, owned by Jérôme Stubler.
Sardinia Cup veterans share their experiences alongside some of the young sailors who will be taking part in the event for the first time in 2026:
The Yacht Club Rimini will be competing with the TP52 Blue, with Portuguese tactician Afonso Domingos, and WB IX, the new XR 41 owned by Gianclaudio Bassetti, with Lorenzo Bodini on tactics.
Germany’s Bayerischer Yacht Club colours will be flown by Carl-Peter Fortes’ TP52 Red Bandit, winner of the 2024 Rolex Middle Sea Race and the 2023 Rolex Giraglia, and notable for its strong contingent of young crew members. Fortes will be joined by Sascha Schröder’s 43-foot Neomind, with Italian Stefano Cherin as tactician.
Vela Club Portocivitanova fields a team from the Marche region of Italy, consisting of Marco Serafini’s TP52 Xio and Renzo Grottesi’s ClubSwan 42 BeWild, with tactician Michele Regolo.
The Turkish Offshore Racing Sports Club has entered Philippe Frantz’s Botin 44 Albator 3 for SC1 and Vedat Tezman’s HH42 Chacal.
Finally, hosts the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda will be represented by member Giovanni Lombardi Stronati, owner of both boats flying the club burgee. The first is Django WR, a WallyRocket 51 that competed in the Admiral’s Cup, helmed by the owner, with Guillermo Parada and Vasco Vascotto in the afterguard while the second is Django JP, a Fast40+ helmed by Alberto Bolzan and with Michele Ivaldi in the role of tactician. The same team finished third at the Admiral’s Cup, but will compete in Class 2 at the Range Rover Sardinia Cup with a second boat oriented more towards pure performance than rating strategy.