Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup takes place Sep 6 - 12, 2026 in Porto Cervo, Italy. The dress code is Resort and yacht-club smart: linen, loafers or boat shoes, no beachwear off the beach. The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda clubhouse and evening functions expect a collared shirt or equivalent. Typical cost ranges from 1200 to 6000 EUR per person.
Run by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda since 1980, this is the season's gathering point for maxi yachts, from 60-foot racers to the largest sloops afloat. Racing takes place off the Costa Smeralda and around the granite islands of the Maddalena archipelago, often passing close to the rocks, and the fleet moors in Porto Cervo's marina all week. Dockside at dusk, with crews in matching kit and the boats lit up, is as much the event as the racing.
- When
- Sep 6 - 12, 2026
- Where
- Porto Cervo, Italy
- Dress code
- Resort and yacht-club smart: linen, loafers or boat shoes, no beachwear off the beach. The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda clubhouse and evening functions expect a collared shirt or equivalent.
- Cost
- Typical cost ranges from 1200 to 6000 EUR per person.
- Weather
- 24 - 29C, hot and sunny with a reliable afternoon sea breeze
- When to book
- Book Costa Smeralda hotels and OLB flights 6+ months out; early September is still peak season and Porto Cervo has limited beds
- Getting there
- OLB (Olbia Costa Smeralda), 30 min to Porto Cervo
- Where to stay
- Hotel Cala di Volpe (grand, the Costa Smeralda landmark), Hotel Cervo (in the village, closest to the marina and the piazzetta), Hotel Le Ginestre (calmer and better value, 10 min from the port)
- Official site
- https://www.yccs.it/
How to attend
This is a club and invitation event: racing entry runs through the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the International Maxi Association, so the public role is spectating. That costs nothing, since the harbour, marina walkways and surrounding headlands are open and the fleet is visible from the village. Local operators in Porto Cervo and Cannigione sell day charters and RIB trips that follow the racing, typically a few hundred euros per person. Prize-giving is held at the YCCS and is not open to the general public.
There is nothing for the public to buy: racing entry runs through the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and is limited to eligible maxi yachts and their crews, while watching from the harbour and headlands at Porto Cervo is free.
Insider tip
The best free viewing is from the headland rocks below Porto Cervo as the maxis file out; walk the marina docks around 6 to 7pm when crews return, hoses come out and the boats are effectively open to look at.
Get inside Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
Booking matters here: book Costa Smeralda hotels and OLB flights 6+ months out; early September is still peak season and Porto Cervo has limited beds. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.
Free while in beta. One email when your invitation is ready, nothing else.