Transatlantic Superyacht & Maxi Regatta underway

Tenerife (Spain), November 26, 2012 . The six maxis and superyachts participating in the Transatlantic Superyacht & Maxi Regatta 2012 crossed the starting line off Santa Cruz de Tenerife at 1 p.m. (UTC) today. The fifth edition of the event, organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the International Maxi Association (IMA), will see the fleet of sailing giants navigate approximately 2700 miles to reach the finish line in British Virgin Gorda where the YCCS has its a winter Clubhouse. The passage under sail usually takes from 10 to 16 days if the north-east trade winds collaborate, although the course record was set by last year’s line honours winner, Hetairos, in just under 8 days and 11 hours.

Live tracking is available on both the YCCS website (www.yccs.com)  and the IMA website ( www.internationalmaxiassociation.com). Live tracking will show each yacht's progress in real time while links to several of the boats’ individual blogs covering the regatta are published on both the  IMA & YCCS websites.

Racing got underway today in 26 to 28 knots of north/north-westerly winds. Only the superyacht Shenandoah of Sark chose to head south of the island of Tenerife, while the rest of the fleet left the island to port. The race start, set against the backdrop of the Santiago de Calatrava Auditorium and the island's volcanic peak Pico de La Teide, was a sight to behold thanks to the dimensions of some of the competing yachts - such as the 55-metre Shenandoah of Sark, a beautiful triple-masted gaff schooner, and the two supermaxis Sojana and Nilaya, respectively a 35-metre Farr 115 and a 32-metre Reichel/Pugh 112. Nilaya was also first to the weather mark.

The fleet also includes two maxi racer/cruisers (Cape Arrow, a Southern Wind 100, and the 92-foot Med Spirit). Rounding off the lineup is the maxi racer Farr 100 Rán Leopard, a highly competitive entry with Niklas Zennström at the helm.

Trophies will be awarded at the prize giving ceremony scheduled to take place at the latest on December 12 in Virgin Gorda. The YCCS Virgin Gorda Clubhouse was officially inaugurated last January, while the purpose-built YCCS Marina has been operational since March 2011.

For further information please visit www.yccs.com or www.internationalmaxiassociation.com.

Contacts
IMA Press Office - Maria Luisa Farris
Tel. +39 345 8257605
communications@internationalmaxiassociation.com
www.internationalmaxiassociation.com

YCCS Press Office
+39 0789 902200
Email: pressoffice@yccs.it
www.yccs.com

Entry List
Yacht name                                    Owner                   Type                Model         Country
CAPE ARROW                   Tuskar Shipping Ltd Maxi racer/cruiser Southern Wind 100 IRL
MED SPIRIT                    Oscar Konyukhov   Maxi racer/cruiser Prototype 90 FRA
NILAYA                          Ficaya Ltd Supermaxi Reichel/Pugh 112 GBR
RàN LEOPARD           Niklas Zennström Maxi racer Farr 100 GBR
SHENANDOAH of SARK Francesco, Carlo, Andrea Micheli   Superyacht 3 mast gaff schooner GBR
SOJANA                       Peter Harrison Supermaxi Farr  115 GBR

About the event
The Transatlantic Maxi Yacht Cup was created in 2007 and then run in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The event was created by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in collaboration with IMA in response to requests from owners for a transatlantic race dedicated specifically to maxi yachts. The regatta is also part of the IMA’s efforts to establish a seasonal circuit for maxis that will allow owners to compete in summer offshore events in the Mediterranean and Europe before moving to the Caribbean for the traditional winter racing season.

About YCCS
The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda was founded in Porto Cervo, Sardinia in 1967 by current president H.H. the Aga Khan and a group of founder-members as a non-profit sporting association for fellow sailing enthusiasts. The YCCS is renowned for organizing international sailing events such as the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the Audi Sardinia Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup as well as World and European championships for top one-design fleets. In recent years the Club has focused on promoting new superyacht events such as the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta, the Dubois Cup and the Perini Navi Cup. The Club has also promoted international challenges such as Azzurra - the first Italian challenger for the America's Cup in 1983 which became a legendary Italian brand and was relaunched by the YCCS in 2009 with a victorious participation in the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice, the participation in the Volvo Ocean Race with a two boat campaign one of which had an all-female crew, and the motor yacht Destriero which to this day holds the transatlantic crossing record set in 1992. The YCCS continues to expand its activities and in 2012 inaugurated a winter base in Virgin Gorda overlooking the island’s new YCCS marina. (www.yccs.com).

About IMA
Racing activities for the Maxi as a separate class started in Porto Cervo in 1980 with the first Maxi Yacht Cup. Immediately afterward, by initiative of a group of owners, in a legal office in Geneva, the Association of the Maxi Owner was founded under the name “International  Class A Yacht Association” (ICAYA) with the leadership of Baron E. de Rothschild elected the first President of the Class.
ICAYA organized the Maxi Yacht World Championship for many years in Porto Cervo, Italy, as its European base, as well in other venues in the USA  - Honolulu, Newport R.I., Miami, St. Thomas, San Francisco. When the IOR  rating system declined and the IMS rating handicap was introduced, the Maxi fleet was severely reduced and the activities of the Class decreased. When there was no more reason to call the association “Class A” (given that it no longer existed), at the Annual General Meeting in Miami in 2001 it was decided to rename the Class as “International Maxi Association” (IMA). After receiving international recognition by ISAF – IMA is an associate member of the IRC Congress – in November 2010 ISAF Council approved the Maxi Class as a full ISAF International Class. This means that the International Maxi Association  is now the only recognized Maxi Class association and is authorized to held annual World and Continental Championships. (www.internationalmaxiassociation.com).