For one week every September, Porto Cervo stops being just a place for beaches, boutiques and long lunches and becomes a working port for some of the largest racing sailboats afloat. The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup ran from 6 to 12 September 2026, and it is one of the fixed points of the Costa Smeralda calendar, organised by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda together with the International Maxi Association and Rolex.
What the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup Is
The event brings together maxi yachts, a class of racing sailboats typically well over 60 feet, along with their professional crews, technical teams and support tenders. Visiting the marina during the event, what struck me was not only the scale of the boats themselves, but the organised activity around them: riggers checking lines, sail teams folding and stowing spinnakers, tenders shuttling equipment and people between the docks and the fleet. It has the feel of a small, temporary industry assembling itself along the quay each morning.
Organised by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, IMA and Rolex
Yacht Club Costa Smeralda has run major sailing events from Porto Cervo for decades, and the partnership with the International Maxi Association and Rolex gives the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup its international standing. It draws professional and semi-professional crews from across Europe and beyond, all converging on the same stretch of Gallura coastline for a week of racing.
Racing Around Porto Cervo and La Maddalena
The courses are not confined to open water off the marina. Races are sailed around Porto Cervo and through the La Maddalena Archipelago, an area of granite islands, narrow channels and shifting currents that makes for genuinely demanding sailing. Navigating maxi yachts through these passages requires precision, since the margin for error narrows considerably compared with racing in open sea.
Conditions in 2026: From Light Airs to Mistral
Weather across the 2026 edition ranged from light winds early in the week to a strong mistral later on, the kind of shift that changes tactics entirely for crews used to planning around one set of conditions. That variability is part of what makes the Archipelago a serious test rather than a scenic backdrop, and it is worth remembering when watching from shore: what looks calm one morning can turn into a proper blow by afternoon.
How to Experience the Regatta Without Being a Sailor
You do not need to know anything about sailing to enjoy the week. Much of the appeal is simply being close to boats of this size and watching the preparation that goes into each race day.
Best Times to Watch
The best time to visit is in the morning, while crews are preparing and loading gear, or later in the afternoon when the fleet returns to the marina after racing. Both moments give a good sense of the activity without requiring any technical knowledge of the sport. Walking around Porto Cervo Marina and past Yacht Club Costa Smeralda during these windows lets you see the boats at close range, tied up alongside the tenders and technical vans that support them.
Where to Stay and Eat
Plan to stay for lunch or aperitivo afterwards, since the marina and the surrounding bars fill with crews and spectators once the racing is done for the day. If you are basing yourself in the area for the week, browsing options through our Rental12 ecosystem is a practical way to find a villa or apartment within easy reach of Porto Cervo for the duration of the regatta. For a broader look at how the town balances its sailing calendar with its quieter, design-led side, our guide to Porto Cervo's quiet luxury, regattas and design is worth a read.
September in Costa Smeralda: Two Weeks of Sailing
September is one of the best times to experience Porto Cervo generally: calmer than August, with fewer crowds but still a genuine sense of activity along the marina. Immediately after the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup finished, the Rolex Swan Cup took over from 13 to 19 September, giving Porto Cervo two consecutive weeks of major international sailing. Together they turn the town into a hub for a specific kind of visitor, one drawn less by beach clubs than by the sport itself.
Anyone curious about the winds that shape racing here might find our guide to Sardinia's mistral and scirocco useful context, and if the week leaves you wanting to try sailing yourself rather than just watching it, Yacht Club Cannigione's sailing courses are a short drive from Porto Cervo.
Seeing the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup up close is a reminder that Costa Smeralda is not only about beaches, restaurants and shopping. For one week each September, it becomes a working stage for sport, engineering and an international sailing community that has been gathering here for decades.
