71st Regata dei Tre Golfi Finish
by Tre Golfi Sailing Week 23 May 10:15 PDT
22-28 May 2026
Galateia is once again the star of the Tre Golfi Sailing Week. The Wally 100 owned by David Leuschen and Chris Flowers claimed line honours in the 71st Regata dei Tre Golfi for the second consecutive year, the offshore race opening the IMA Maxi European Championship.
Galateia completed the course in 17 hours, 1 minute and 25 seconds after an intense and spectacular race sailed across one of the most iconic racecourses in the Mediterranean, between the Gulf of Naples, Ponza, Capri and Li Galli.
The event is organised by the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia, in conjunction with the International Maxi Association (IMA), in collaboration with the Yacht Club Italiano of Genoa and the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia, and supported by Rolex and Loro Piana. The IMA Maxi European Championship once again represents one of the highlights of the Mediterranean Maxi yacht season.
The fleet had started yesterday at 13:35 from the Bay of Santa Lucia, in front of the headquarters of the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia, in a beautiful north-easterly breeze of 16 to 18 knots that immediately delivered spectacular scenes across the Gulf of Naples.
An immediate battle developed among the giant 100-foot Maxis such as Galateia, V, Magic Carpet E, Capricorno, Tilakkhana II and Arca SGR, all engaged in a close tactical duel that lasted virtually all the way to the finish.
But the spectacle was not limited to the Maxi 100s. In the fiercely contested Maxi Grand Prix class, with six 72-footers on the start line, the race remained wide open from beginning to end, with the yachts separated by less than a mile for much of the course and constant lead changes throughout.
In the fight for line honours, Galateia and V produced a thrilling duel that continued almost all the way to Li Galli. The yacht of Czech entrepreneur Karel Komárek, with Croatian Olympic gold medallist Šime Fantela calling tactics, managed to round the islands first, gaining a slight advantage over her rival.
From that point onwards, a long and intense upwind battle unfolded close to the coast, decided by tactical choices and a series of tacks. Right off Massa Lubrense, Galateia launched the decisive attack, overtaking V once again and maintaining control all the way to the finish line to secure a prestigious victory.
In Maxi 1, Galateia not only claimed line honours but also corrected-time victory ahead of V of Karel Komárek and Leopard 3 of Laura & Joost Schuijff.
In Maxi Grand Prix, after an extremely close battle from the opening stages all the way to the finish, Jethou of Peter Ogden crossed first in elapsed time by the narrowest of margins, but on corrected time victory once again went to North Star of Peter Dubens, a familiar face on the top step of the podium having now won three times in four participations. North Star finished ahead of fellow British yacht Jolt of Peter Harrison and Django 7X of Giovanni Lombardi Stronati, with Vasco Vascotto calling tactics.
At the time of publication, not all boats had yet completed the race. Full results will be available on the official website: www.tregolfisailingweek.com.
Following the offshore race, the fleet will resume racing on Monday 25 May in the Gulf of Sorrento, where the inshore races of the IMA Maxi European Championship are scheduled until 28 May.
"It was an extraordinary race," said Croatian 470 Olympic gold medallist Šime Fantela once back ashore. "Looking at the weather models before the start, we thought it could turn into a very long race, but in the end it became a fast and beautiful contest. We had a great start and managed to round Ponza in first position. Later the wind suddenly dropped and the three boats behind us caught up, effectively forcing us to restart from zero. During the night the breeze kept fading and all the boats were engaged in a constant tactical battle trying to gain an advantage over one another, without really succeeding. The final duel with Galateia, from Capri to Li Galli and then all the way to the finish, was incredible. We exchanged the lead twice and it was impossible even to think about sleeping: the race remained completely open until the very last miles. Right now we are extremely happy, but also exhausted. Nobody on board really slept last night."
"It was another extremely tough race, but then again, the Tre Golfi is always like this," commented Murray Jones, tactician aboard Galateia. "We had several moments of complete calm and a very complicated start, especially during the first downwind section, which was really chaotic. We didn't start particularly well, but we recovered nicely towards the end of the run and in the transition to the thermal breeze, before the long upwind leg towards Ponza. It was an incredibly close race. We managed to claw our way back into the lead approaching Ponza and even built a solid advantage, but then we lost it all again around Capri. From there onwards it was a continuous battle with V almost right to the finish line. In the end we managed to get back past them and win the race, so we are obviously very happy. Winning the Regata dei Tre Golfi is always something special, especially after such a hard-fought race decided only in the closing stages."
"We are incredibly happy and proud of this victory," said Nick Rogers of North Star. "We have just completed the Regata dei Tre Golfi and winning it for the third time in four participations is a huge satisfaction. It was the result of a fantastic team effort, a great boat and an extremely close race. Out on the water it was a very complex contest, almost like several races within one. We dealt with numerous wind holes and constantly changing scenarios, but we managed to interpret the conditions well and maintain good speed throughout. It was a fantastic battle from start to finish. Now we are looking forward with excitement to the upcoming inshore races of the IMA Maxi European Championship. At the moment we are definitely very tired because the offshore race felt almost like one long sprint race, but we are ready to get back on the water and continue this amazing week of racing."
"It was a very complex offshore race," declared Ben Saxton, tactician aboard Jolt. "Right from the start it was unclear what the weather scenario would be and in the opening moments we had very unstable conditions, with constant wind shifts and gusts that characterised almost the entire race. During the first upwind leg there were continuous gains and losses, along with several periods of complete calm — it almost felt as if the wind disappeared entirely every couple of hours. In between, though, we also had some beautiful sailing moments in an incredible setting. The finale was thrilling, with a very close finish among the leading boats. Positions kept changing and the race remained highly competitive throughout, making it great fun to be part of such an intense battle. Now we have a recovery day ahead before the four days of inshore racing at the IMA Maxi European Championship. We are in a wonderful place, the forecast looks good and we can't wait to get racing again."
The remainder of the fleet is expected to finish throughout today and, after a well-deserved rest, all competitors are invited to the much-anticipated crew party hosted at the beautiful Villa Zagara and offered by Rolex and Loro Piana. The exclusive event will tomorrow bring together owners, sailors and international guests in an elegant atmosphere overlooking the Gulf of Naples, once again confirming the perfect blend of sport, lifestyle and hospitality that makes the Tre Golfi Sailing Week unique.
The regatta is supported by leading partners including Rolex and Loro Piana, alongside North Sails, Wally Yachts, Deloitte, Ferrarelle, Ottogas, Garmin, Banca Patrimoni Sella & C., Caffè Borbone and Azimut Investimenti.