Haute Time Sets Sail With Rolex At Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2015

The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) and luxury Swiss watchmaker Rolex played host to The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2015, an annual rendez-vous which takes place every September in the crystal clear waters of Porto Cervo, Sardinia. In Porto Cervo during the regatta week, it was impossible to miss Rolex’s famous crown wherever you looked as it was plastered across every single one of the 40 yachts taking part in the race. Would we spot the elusive Rolex Yatch-Master in Everose, the brand’s latest yatching watch?

Like spring’s Baselworld for the watch industry, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is an unmissable event for those captivated by, and at the forefront of, the most cutting-edge developments in the yachting industry. Yacht racing is a test of will and wit in which crucial decisions are made with split-second precision. Preparation is rigorous and team spirit is paramount, just as in the fine watch-making of the Swiss watch-maker.

In an exciting adventure, I was invited on board as part of the crew on the super-cool Swiss racing yacht Inouï (ironically, registered in Basel where the world’s largest annual luxury watch fair is held), with owner Marco Vögele at the helm. Named “Inouï”, or extraordinary in French, the ship is bright green or as Vögele describes her colour as “pistachio” and has hot pink sunlounger cushions.

And, it was obvious for a novice like me that precision and excellence in all areas – design, technology and team work – are essential, as the best skippers and crews are matched with the most modern and powerful yachts of the moment. Also, it occurred to me that it’s the same concept in the world of Rolex watches, where high craftsmanship and latest technology lead the brand.

At the end of the last day, September 12, the windiest day of the week, the tired but excited crews gathered at the Piazza Azzurra for the prize giving. Victorious owners were each awarded the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and a special Rolex timepiece, with engraved case back.

And its was Marco Vögele who overcame another extraordinary reggata, owner of Super Maxi Yacht Inouï was awarded a Rolex Yacht-Master Rolesor in gold and steel, as a symbol of success that marks out the winners as having accomplished something remarkable after a week’s battle on the incredibly scenic but challenging waters of Sardinia.

The YCCS is one of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world and its partnership of more than 30 years with Rolex continues to grow stronger, most recently with the announcement of the inaugural Maxi Yacht Rolex Caribbean Cup, which will take place in April 2016 at the YCCS Virgin Gorda.

Photo Credit: Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi and Haute Time. For more information, please visit the official Rolex website. Follow Haute Time on Instagram to catch all of the new releases as they happen.