Sixteen Perini Navi superyachts are gathering this morning on the docks of Sardinia’s Yacht Club Costa Smeralda before the first day of racing off Porto Cervo.
Today’s action will see seven Perini Navi sailing yachts competing against one another over three days, with a further nine yachts shadowing the regatta. “We have boats measuring all the way from the Maltese Falcon at 88 metres down to Elettra at 25 metres, going from the very latest of our vessels to boats dating back to the 1980s. It’s a very exciting opportunity to see our boats once again on the water, and to see the match race between the two 60s, the sloop Perseus^3 and the ketch rig Seahawk,” says Burak Akgul, managing director of sales, marketing & design at Perini Navi.
Waiting to get out on the water: the 56-metre ketch Melek between Maltese Falon (right) and Seahawk
A special guests among the shadow boats is the 50-metre motor yacht Exuma, the first Picchiotti motor yacht built by Perini Navi, and fresh from a five-year circumnavigation.
Seahawk prepares for ‘the battle of the 60 metres’
While the racing is competitive, a key element of the Perini Navi Cup is the social side, with cocktail contests for owners and guests as well as evenings of wine tasting and gala dinners. “I think, as in any family, one likes to come together. Some owners attending are here are without their yacht, which is fantastic,” adds Burak Akgul.
Last-minute preparations aboard the Maltese Falcon
Partners of the Perini Navi Cup include contemporary Italian jewellery brand Vhernier; Axa Yachting Solutions; Marchesi Antinori representing the Italian world excellence of wine-making; and Rybovich as Perini Navi’s American partner in yacht service and refit. The event is organised in collaboration with the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and its historical partners Rolex and Audi.