2027 Yacht Club Italiano Sailing Season

The Yacht Club Italiano 2027 Sports Calendar was presented today during the Genoa International Boat Show, outlining a season that will run from January to October with fifteen events and ten months of activity on the water.
A broad and diverse programme that confirms the Club’s organisational capabilities and brings together different disciplines, classes and generations: from youth sailing to one-design racing, from the Dinghy 12’ to foiling disciplines and top-level international windsurfing, through to offshore racing with the Loro Piana Giraglia, the great Mediterranean classic that connects Saint-Tropez and Genoa every year.
Among the highlights of the new season is the arrival in Genoa, for the first time, of the PWA World Challenger, with five days of Slalom Foil racing off Voltri, as well as the 1st 420 Coppa Italia, which will bring young crews from across Italy to Genoa. 2027 will also mark an important milestone for the Trofeo SIAD Bombola d’Oro – Coppa Roberto Sestini, which celebrates its 30th edition and will also host the Dinghy 12’ World Cup.
“The 2027 Sports Calendar clearly reflects the scale that Yacht Club Italiano’s activities have reached today,” said President Carlo Cameli. “Fifteen events spread over ten months represent a major organisational commitment, but above all they demonstrate the vitality of the Club and its ability to engage with very different areas of the sport.
Alongside the events that are part of our history, we continue to embrace new disciplines and new athletes. This year we are doing so with events such as the 420 Coppa Italia, dedicated to many young crews, and above all with the arrival in Genoa, for the first time, of the PWA World Challenger. At the same time, we are celebrating important milestones, such as the 30th anniversary of the Trofeo SIAD Bombola d’Oro – Coppa Roberto Sestini, while continuing to organise major international events such as the Loro Piana Giraglia.
All this is made possible by the work of the Club’s team, the participation of the sailors and the collaboration of clubs, associations, institutions and partners who share with us a sporting project that continues virtually throughout the year.”
January to March: youth sailing and new disciplines
The season gets underway from 29 to 31 January with the International Genoa Winter Contest, dedicated to the Optimist class, followed on 27 and 28 February by the 63rd Coppa Poggi, which in 2027 will feature 420 crews.
The 420 class will also open a particularly busy month of March. From 4 to 7 March, Genoa will host the 1st 420 Coppa Italia, attracting young crews from across Italy and confirming Yacht Club Italiano’s commitment to youth sailing and to the development of the next generation of sailors.
Just a few days later, the spotlight will shift to international windsurfing.
PWA World Challenger comes to Genoa for the first time
From 10 to 14 March, Genoa will host a leg of the PWA World Challenger for the first time, bringing some of the world’s leading riders to Ligurian waters for five days of Slalom Foil racing.
The competition will take place off Voltri, one of the best-known spots along the Genoese coast for its wind conditions and, in particular, the strong Tramontana that characterises the area. It provides an ideal racecourse for Slalom Foil, where speed and technique will combine to deliver a spectacular competition.
The event will be organised in collaboration with Tramontana Voltri Surf, an organisation with deep roots in the history of windsurfing in Genoa and a longstanding commitment to promoting the Voltri spot.
Hosting a PWA event – part of professional windsurfing’s international circuit – in Italy is particularly significant: throughout the history of the circuit, the country has hosted PWA events on only a few occasions. The Genoa World Challenger therefore brings top-level international windsurfing back to Italy.
March will conclude with another established event on the Yacht Club Italiano calendar: the Genova Sailing Week – Coppa Andrea Alberti, scheduled from 19 to 21 March and open to ORC and One Design classes.
Spring between Genoa, Rapallo and Portofino
In April, the calendar moves between Genoa and the Tigullio. The Trofeo Porto Carlo Riva, scheduled for 10 and 11 April, will take the fleet along the Genoa–Rapallo–Genoa course, followed by The Gentlemen Challenge, dedicated to the J/70 class, from 16 to 18 April.
From 29 April to 2 May, the Regate di Primavera return, with Portofino once again taking centre stage and a fleet comprising IRC yachts over 50 feet and Maxi yachts.
Thirty years of the Trofeo SIAD Bombola d’Oro – Coppa Roberto Sestini
May will mark an important anniversary. From 21 to 23 May, between Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure, the Trofeo SIAD Bombola d’Oro – Coppa Roberto Sestini will celebrate its 30th edition, a significant milestone for an event that has been closely associated with the Dinghy 12’ class for three decades.
The 2027 edition will also have a strong international dimension, as the event will host the Dinghy 12’ World Cup, bringing the class’s international fleet to the waters of the Tigullio and adding further significance to an edition already made special by its 30th anniversary.
June: the month of the Loro Piana Giraglia
June will be dominated by the Loro Piana Giraglia, the great Mediterranean classic and one of the highlights of the Yacht Club Italiano season.
From 12 to 15 June, Saint-Tropez will host the races leading up to the main offshore race, scheduled from 16 to 19 June along the route from Saint-Tropez to Genoa, for the IRC and ORC fleets.
The Loro Piana Giraglia remains one of the central events in the Club’s calendar, bringing together competition, history and tradition along one of the best-known routes in international offshore sailing.
From summer to autumn: Portofino, Millevele and foiling disciplines
The season continues with the J/70 Members Cup – Summer Edition, scheduled for 3 and 4 July in Portofino.
On 11 September, the Millevele IREN returns, the major open sailing event that each year brings a wide variety of boats and crews to the Gulf of Genoa, united by their passion for the sea and sailing.
October completes a season that began ten months earlier. On 2 and 3 October, Genoa Voltri will once again take centre stage with One Hour, dedicated to Wing Foil and Windsurf, followed on 8 and 9 October by the Lowrance Trophy – Fishing Tournament. The sporting season will finally draw to a close on 23 and 24 October with the J/70 Members Cup in the waters off Genoa.
The value of partnerships
Throughout the year, Yacht Club Italiano can rely on the support of partners, supporting institutions and organisationswhose continued commitment and shared values contribute to the delivery of the entire sporting programme and accompany the Club throughout a season spanning ten months.
The races and events of the 2027 Sports Calendar are also made possible thanks to the valuable support of Yacht Club Italiano’s partners: Rolex, the Club’s Official Timepiece; Banca Passadore and SIAD as Institutional Partners; B&G, North Sails and Veneziani Yachting as Technical Partners; and Loro Piana and IREN as Title Partners. As always, the support of Regione Liguria, the Municipality of Genoa and Confindustria Nautica is also fundamental.
This network of partnerships enables Yacht Club Italiano to combine its more than century-old tradition with the ability to embrace new disciplines, support youth sailing and continue to organise sporting events at national and international level.