The 71st Regata dei Tre Golfi got underway this afternoon from the Bay of Santa Lucia, in front of Castel dell’Ovo, marking the offshore race of the ORC World Championship 2026 and a key moment of the Tre Golfi Sailing Week.

Organized by the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia, in collaboration with the Yacht Club Italiano (Genoa) and the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia, in conjunction with the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC), and supported by Rolex and Loro Piana, the race saw a fleet of 150 top-level yachts from around the world take the start in a 6-knot south-easterly breeze, including both ORC World Championship competitors and teams entered in the offshore race only.

Due to the forecasted light wind conditions, the Race Committee, led by Stuart Childerley, decided to shorten the course to approximately 130 nautical miles. The revised course features the traditional start from Naples, a first mark at Secca della Cavallara, then a passage at the island of Ponza, before returning to Naples, where the finish line has been set.

Starts were conducted in staggered sequences: at 17:00 for Classes 0 and A, 17:10 for Classes B and C of the ORC World Championship, and 17:20 for entries competing only in the Regata dei Tre Golfi. Despite the light wind and staggered starts, the racing was highly competitive and engaging, with OCS (On Course Side) calls recorded in all three starts. Boats starting early were not required to return but will receive a time penalty applied to their offshore race result.

Immediately taking the lead were the TP52 fleet and the Wallyrocket51s, both performing strongly even in the light conditions.

The forecast, characterized by light winds and calm seas, is expected to place even greater emphasis on strategy, with crews required to make precise tactical decisions from the outset to find pressure and maintain speed. Navigators have been closely analyzing weather models for several days, with current projections suggesting the fastest boats could arrive in the afternoon of Saturday 9 May.

“Despite the light breeze and the Race Committee’s decision to split the fleet into multiple starts for safety reasons, it was a unique spectacle to see 150 boats filling the Gulf of Naples,” commented Peppe Montella, Board Member for Sailing at the CRV Italia. “The action will continue over the coming hours, with constant position changes already visible among the leading group. We expect this to continue until the first major tactical decision: whether to leave Ischia to starboard or port. The forecasts favour the starboard option, but the port route is more conservative and historically the more successful.”

Following the return of the fleet, the ORC World Championship will continue with inshore racing based in Sorrento, while the Tre Golfi Sailing Week will carry on in the following weeks with events dedicated to the Maxi Yachts and Multihulls, also based at Marina Piccola in Sorrento.

The event is supported by leading partners including Rolex and Loro Piana, alongside North Sails, Deloitte, Ferrarelle, Ottogas, Garmin, Banca Patrimoni Sella & C., Caffè Borbone and Azimut Investimenti