A "grandissimo" Grande Orazio wins her Class at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

The most important event in the Mediterranean Maxi Yacht racing calendar, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is run by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in conjunction with the International Maxi Association with the title sponsorship of Rolex. The 2018 edition of this prestigious regatta saw a fleet of 41 of the world’s most innovative Maxi yachts participating.

In the Maxi class, Grande Orazio was competing against top hitters such as George David’s Rambler 88 and the former My Song, now called Vera. Grande Orazio won on corrected time on days 1 and 3 placed second on days 2 and 4. Going in to the final day of racing she had already won in her Class.

Of his victory, owner Massimiliano Florio commented: "We worked hard for this result and we deserved it because we really sailed well. I didn’t expect that we would have won our Class a day before the event ended, but the conditions were good for us because Grande Orazio is a relatively heavy yacht. I’m very happy with our result and with the way we sailed. My compliments go to tactician Lorenzo Bortolotti, who always chose the right layline. We didn’t make mistakes in the manoeuvres, even when the winds were light.”

Massimiliano Florio dedicated his victory to two men: his father and Southern Wind Shipyard’s founder, Willy Persico with these words: “I wanted to thank the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, a club that I am a member of and thank the Commodore. It’s the first time that I have won at this event and I wanted to dedicate this special win to my father, Orazio, who I named my yacht for and to a person who has believed in me over the years, Willy Persico, who recently passed away. I will always be grateful to Willy and my joy and my emotion for this victory are also thanks to him.” YCCS Commodore Riccardo Bonadeo also remembered Willy and his contribution to the world of Maxi Yachts in his closing speech.
 
We want to congratulate Massimiliano Florio on his standout performance.