Perini Navi Cup Highlights the Best Racing Has to Offer
Though the shipbuilding community has always placed a strong emphasis on luxury and certain aesthetics, performance has long been one of the primary drivers of innovation. After all, it is the ability to perform against the tests of the open water that allows these boats to truly distinguish themselves.
Open water racing is a tradition as old as yacht building itself. But for the past fourteen years, there has been a new event working diligently to gain recognition from the community as a whole. The Perini Navi Cup has quickly established itself as one of the premier yachting events in the world.
The 7th edition of the Perini Navi Cup was hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo (Italy) from September 19th through 22nd of 2018. Located on the beautiful northern shores of Sardinia, this particular event offered patrons the opportunity to authentically experience the best that the Mediterranean has to offer.
One of the things that makes this particular event so unique is that in addition to incorporating three distinctive regattas, there are numerous casual/ non-competitive events incorporated as well. Families and yachting enthusiasts from around the world flocked to enjoy the magnificent architecture of the ships, fabulous cuisine, cocktail competitions, and a myriad of opportunities for creating lasting memories.
A Gathering of Yachts for a World Class Event
For this particular edition of Perini Navi, there were twelve yachts gathered for competitive racing in addition to nine other yachts (21 total) that made the journey simply to enjoy the show. The three different regattas took place over three. The titles up for grabs were categorized as the Corinthian Spirit Class, the Cruiser Race Class, and the Overall Perini Navi Cup. Even before the race began, the sheer majesty of the 21 ships assembled made it immediately obvious that this would be a highly competitive event.
Among the highlights featured in the Cruiser Racer Class was Silencio, a 40-meter masterpiece that happened to have won one of the early editions of the event in 2013. However, despite Silencio’s remarkable past experiences, it was obvious that winning would not be an easy task. Other competitors within the class included Aquarius (46 meters), Seahawk (60 meters), The Spirit of the C’s (64 meters), and Victoria A (42 meters). The relative variation in lengths created the set up for a competition that would surely be quite interesting.
In the Corinthian Class, there was a similarly fascinating line-up of ships seeking a title. From the very beginning of the competition, it was well-known that the Maltese Falcon—an 88-meter work of art that happens to be Perini Navi’s fleet flagship—would surely be quite competitive. Other members in the Corinthian Class hoping to establish a name for themselves included Bayesian (56 meters), Blush (45 meters, formerly known as Helios), Caoz 14 (56 meters, formerly known as Selene), Jasali II (53 meters), Principessa Vaivia (40 meters), and Tamsen (52 meters). After getting to see the ships gathered and ready to begin the race, the crowd knew that they would surely be in for a treat.
