TOMORROW FIRST RACE IN PORTO CERVO (SARDINIA, ITALY)

Porto Cervo, 14th September 1998

International ocean sailing will be back in Porto Cervo from 13th to 20th September with the Marina Yachting Sardinia Cup. This coveted team trophy, organised by the Costa Smeralda Yacht Club, is contended for every two years. The Sardinia Cup is the most eagerly anticipated sailing event of the season, and for good reason: it takes place off the magical shores of Porto Cervo, boasts the fastest boats and the world’s most accomplished men at the helm. Eleven teams will be vying for the trophy established by His Highness Prince Aga Khan in 1978. Now celebrating its 20th anniversay, the Sardinia Cup has been considered a sailing event not to be missed from its very first editions.

This year, the teams favoured to win the title currently held by Italy include the two national teams, competing with Brava Q8, Breeze, and Winterthur Yah Man, as well as such top-notch sailors as Tommaso Chieffi, Flavio Favini, Vasco Vascotto and Mauro Pelaschier. Other teams to watch closely are the shipping magnate Vincenzo Onorato’s Sardinian team as well as Germany, France, England, Spain (formidable for the presence on board the Bribon of His Royal Highness Juan Carlos de Borbone) and Malta, which counts in its line-up the much-anticipated Sydney 40 Osama.

In this 20th edition, the Marina Yachting Sardinia Cup will offer a hefty serving of drama and challenge. And the 40-knot north-west wind recorded today bodes well for sailing fans’ expectations. The Cup’s programme, a tantalizing mix of regattas and social events, includes the inspection of the various boats’ ratings on Sunday 13th and Monday 14th; the regatta itself will be held from Tuesday 15th until Sunday 20th September.

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