Loro Piana Super Yacht Regatta: and the winners are Saudade and Magic Carpet Cubed

A dream was realised a year ago for owner Albert Buell when he and his crew won the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta on Sardinia's glorious Costa Smeralda for the second successive year. 

The popular German skipper, who, since winning the Admiral's Cup in 1973 has raced eight subsequent yachts all called Saudade, was ecstatic today as his crew completed a hat trick of Superyacht class titles by winnning the last race of this tenth edition of the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in collaboration with Boat International Media and the Title Sponsor Loro Piana.

Saudade, the Tripp designed 45m Wally 143, secured their triple victory today with their second successive race win.

The perfect check out of two back to back wins also made sure that Sir Lindsay Owen Jones' Wallycento Magic Carpet Cubed crew ended a two year winning drought. 

The emblematic 'boys in blue' topped the Wally class, to gain their revenge on rivals Open Season who last year pulled the rug from under the Magic Carpet crew, defeating them in the last race of the regatta to steal the win.

For both Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2017 winning owners and their crews Costa Smeralda has long been a particularly happy hunting ground. Owen Jones and his Magic Carpet team won the Maxi Yacht World Championship here in 2008, 2012 and 2014. And Buell's Saudade teams first tasted victory on this beautiful Mediterranean island in 1988 on the victorious three boat German team that lifted the Sardinia Cup. Several of Buell's crew have sailed with him for more than 20 years. Boat Captain Michael Wilson has been with Buell for 17 years and Ib Anderson the sailmaker has sailed with the German owner for more than 20 years.

Last year tactician Bouwe Bekking, the seven times Whitbread and Volvo Ocean Race veteran, rejoined Buell to guide Saudade to their second Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta victory some 26 years after they first sailed together on the dominant one tonner Saudade on which they won the One Ton Cup and the overall season in Northern Europe.

"We made the triple. That was the dream." Buell smiled as he lifted the top award for the regatta, the Silver Jubilee Cup by Boat International.

"The dream is a reality. There is not too much difference to how we won the last two years. This week was special because the winds were light and changed a lot. We had a lot of luck but the crew worked hard and we sailed smoothly."