Loro Piana Giraglia 2026 Elite Performance, Enduring Elegance, Living History
The Loro Piana Giraglia is organized by Yacht Club Italiano in collaboration with Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, under the guidance of the Federazione Italiana Vela and the Fédération Française de Voile. First held in 1953, the 73rd edition will feature over a 130 yachts from around the world for four days of inshore racing in Saint-Tropez (12-16 June) followed by the 241nm offshore race starting on 17 June. The offshore course starts from Saint-Tropez, rounds the Giraglia Rock off Corsica, and finishing in Genoa.
The Loro Piana Giraglia 2026 brings together many of the qualities that have long made the race compelling for over 70 years. Framed by the glamour of Saint Tropez and the proud maritime heritage of Genoa, two host destinations that give the event so much of its character: fierce rivalry, timeless elegance and deep family tradition. From a maxi battle at the front of the fleet to a classic yacht of rare distinction and a modern contender shaped by Italian sailing heritage, this year’s entry list offers stories that reach well beyond the results sheet.
Four Maxis Battle for Line Honours
One of the standout contests in the Loro Piana Giraglia 2026 will be the line honours battle between four powerful Maxis: Magic Carpet E, Leopard 3, V and Arca SGR. In 2025, the Verdier 100 Magic Carpet E was just two minutes and 43 seconds short of taking Line Honours behind Skallywag 100. The Don Jones 100 Arca SGR skippered by Furio Benussi was less than two hours behind Magic Carpet E in last year’s race and has won the Barcolana and back to back victories in the 151 Miglia.
Magic Carpet E only started racing last year, including racing inshore against the established Leopard 3 and the Mills 100 V. However, the Loro Piana Giraglia 2026 will be the first time these four outstanding maxis have battled offshore together.
Leopard 3 enters the Loro Piana Giraglia as a proven weapon, but also as a yacht still evolving. Under new ownership for the past few years, the Farr 100 has been transformed, winning the RORC Transatlantic Race, the Rolex Middle Sea Race, the Maxi World Championship and twice winning the RORC Caribbean 600. Leopard’s Programme Manager Chris Sherlock says the focus now is adapting that power to the more varied Mediterranean conditions.
“It depends on the conditions. We know we are quicker than the other guys in breeze and waves, but in light air they have been quicker, so our philosophy is that we have to get better in the light. We have a new, lighter boom with a longer footed main, and new downwind sails to improve our performance under ten knots. The Giraglia is our main offshore race for the Mediterranean summer, so we have to be ready for everything. VMG upwind in breeze and waves is our strong point, and the daggerboards are a big part of that. In the Caribbean 600 we could be more certain of the weather, but in the Med you do not know what you are going to get. You have to be fully ready.”
In a Line Honours contest this even, that early exchange could shape one of the defining rivalries of the Loro Piana Giraglia 2026 .
Kuka 4: Modern Speed, Proven Partnership
Swiss sailor Franco Niggeler's MAT 1220 Kuka 4 represents one of a number of mid-sized, racer/cruiser racing at the Loro Piana Giraglia. The Mark Mills design is new for the 2026 season and will be competing in The 2026 Sardinia Cup prior to the Loro Piana Giraglia. Double Olympic medallist and Maxi winning skipper Mitch Booth is an integral part of Team Kuka and owner Franco Niggeler and Booth go back decades, having first raced against each other in A Class catamarans before racing together to win the Melges 24 European Championship and many offshore races. Their long history gives Team Kuka a partnership built on deep trust, shared experience and a lasting enthusiasm for high performance sailing.
“Kuka 4 is exactly the sort of boat the Loro Piana Giraglia was made for, it’s an ideal race for the boat,” said Mitch Booth. “Franco loves that middle distance, overnight endurance style of race, and this boat is perfectly suited to it. We are focused more on the offshore element, and we use the inshore racing to measure up the opposition, prepare the boat, organise the crew and do crew training. The MAT 1220 is a very modern, high performance design. It is wide aft, it planes easily, it is fast downwind and it is a real blast to sail. To get the performance out of it, you have to sail it a bit like a dinghy and really stay on your game. Franco is absolutely hands on. He is not an owner who just turns up and steers. He is loading sails, making sandwiches, trimming, steering, doing everything. That is what makes this project special. There is also a lot of competition in this part of the fleet, and that is part of the attraction. If you get a result here, you have really earned it.”
Classic Focus: Baruna of 1938
Among this year’s fleet, impressive both in size and stature, Baruna of 1938 brings a beauty that does more than catch the eye. From its earliest days, the Giraglia has been more than a race. It has been a meeting point for great yachts, great sailors and a shared spirit. Baruna feels entirely at home in that tradition.
Designed by Olin Stephens and launched in 1938, Baruna was built to be fast, elegant and capable at sea. In her launch year, she won the Newport Bermuda Race by eight hours, with Olin Stephens himself navigating, securing her place in offshore folklore.
Yet Baruna’s appeal is not only about vintage silverware. Her story is also about survival, craftsmanship and care. Owner Tara Getty oversaw a meticulous restoration lasting around seven and a half years, returning the yacht as closely as possible to her original character. Built in Massachusetts for Henry C. Taylor, she combined serious offshore ambition with family cruising comfort, using a layered timber construction of mahogany, cedar and oak.
In modern racing, where carbon and data dominate the conversation, Baruna reminds us that performance and design once came wrapped in varnish. She is not a museum piece, but a living yacht still doing what she was designed to do. If the modern maxis represent the sharp edge of today’s sport, Baruna represents its memory and soul.
A Family Legacy: Capricorno
Prominent Yacht Club Italiano member Alessandro Del Bono will once again race his JV82 Capricorno. The maxi brings a powerful blend of family legacy and Italian sailing history to the Loro Piana Giraglia. After finishing second overall in 2025, Capricorno returns as one of the standout entries, carrying not only strong recent form but also a story that reaches back to one of the great eras of offshore racing.
For the Del Bono family, 1995 remains one of the roaring years. It was the season when Italy made a defining statement on the international stage. In Cowes, the team racing under the burgees of Circolo della Vela Marciana Marina and captained by Rinaldo Del Bono, alongside Pasquale Landolfi and Paolo Gaia, won the legendary Admiral’s Cup, a triumph that still resonates as one of the nation’s proudest achievements in the sport.
That history gives Capricorno an added dimension. With Alessandro Del Bono at the helm, the yacht represents more than competitive ambition. It reflects a family connection to a golden chapter of the sport and a passion for racing passed from one generation to the next. Del Bono is also clear that honouring that legacy does not mean standing still. “My intention is to preserve her tradition while continuing to add to her story through constant renewal,” he says.
That balance between heritage and development is central to the Capricorno campaign. Del Bono describes the Maxi racing in the Loro Piana Giraglia, as one of the most competitive arenas in offshore racing, with age allowances in the rule helping to keep older yachts highly competitive. The standard on board, he says, is equally intense, with “multiple Olympic medallists, America’s Cup sailors and more” across the fleet. Capricorno counters that challenge with a long standing crew that remains largely unchanged, while also bringing in younger sailors from smaller classes to keep the team fresh.
The development programme is equally focused. “Capricorno is in constant development,” says Del Bono. “Our goal is to do better than last year.” Her result in 2025 proved she has the pace and consistency to challenge at the highest level, and her return this season shows that history, identity and ambition remain a potent combination. Together, Magic Carpet E, Leopard 3, V, Arca SGR, Kuka 4, Baruna and Capricorno capture distinct sides of the Loro Piana Giraglia: elite performance, enduring elegance and living history. That blend is one of the reasons this race continues to hold such a special place in the sailing, where every yacht brings not just speed, but a story.
