ARCA SGR Wins Dramatic Loro Piana Giraglia Line Honours Duel

Line honours for the 73rd Loro Piana Giraglia came to a thrilling conclusion in the Gulf of Genoa, home of the Yacht Club Italiano.

Furio Benussi’s ARCA SGR from Trieste, Italy, has claimed line honours in the Loro Piana Giraglia 2026, winning a superb duel with Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones’ Magic Carpet E after a close contest from Saint-Tropez to Genoa via the Giraglia Rock.
ARCA SGR crossed the finish line with an elapsed time of 1 day, 1 hour, 5 minutes and 56 seconds. Magic Carpet E was second to finish, just 5 minutes and 11 seconds behind.

The battle carried real Giraglia history. ARCA SGR was line honours winner in 2021, while the Magic Carpet name is woven deep into the modern story of the race, with previous line honours victories and many hard fought campaigns, including missing line honours last year by just 2 minutes and 13 seconds.

This year, ARCA SGR found the decisive edge, holding off Magic Carpet E in the final miles to deliver a memorable victory for the Italian 100 footer. After a race that was expected to be light and difficult, the leading Maxis kept moving far better than predicted, turning the 2026 edition into a fast and thrilling contest for one of the Mediterranean’s most prestigious offshore challenges.

ARCA SGR skipper Furio Benussi reflected on a memorable line honours victory and the emotion of winning a race that has helped shape Italian offshore sailing history.

“ARCA and Magic Carpet were close,” said Benussi. “There was very little wind, but the transitions were close and important. When the wind dropped, our boat was able to perform better, and we managed to position ourselves well for the Mediterranean conditions, especially the tricky conditions towards Genoa, where it was very light. For our group, it was also special because on board we had young sailors from our youth project. Some of them are very young, 18 or 19 years old, and they were sailing in an important offshore race. It is a beautiful story. I hope they have experienced something they will remember, and that they will carry with them as they grow older. For me, it is something unique. The Giraglia is part of sailing history. Everyone knows it. When I was a child in Italy, I remember seeing photos of the race in sailing magazines. Now to be here, many years later, with a boat that perhaps needs some changes to be more competitive, but still fighting in these conditions, is very emotional.”

Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, owner of Magic Carpet E, reflected on a race that has brought his team both triumph and heartbreak over many years.

“The Giraglia gives you every emotion,” said Owen-Jones. “We have been almost there and been pipped, and we have done the same to others. We have had one that lasted forever and one that was almost record time. There is something extraordinary about racing from my home port of Saint-Tropez, across to the rock, and then to Genoa. We love this race. It is very hard to win because the weather in that part of the Mediterranean is so unpredictable. There are so many tactical choices, and nature decides whether you are favoured or not.”

Racing in the afterguard on Magic Carpet E, Ian Walker summed up the extraordinary duel with ARCA SGR.
“What was incredible about the race was that the wind speed was so low, but it was nearly always on the beam. We hardly ever had more than six or seven knots of wind, and a lot of the time we had two or three knots, but because it was on the beam we were able to keep going at target speed. Around the Giraglia Rock was the highlight. Normally you come in there and the wind stops, but we were doing over 16 knots around the rock. There must have been some compression at the top of the island. The race with ARCA SGR was incredible because the boats are so different, yet we were pretty much side by side the whole way. We got nearly four miles ahead at one stage, but lost it in one shutdown. When it got lighter and lighter, they just wriggled past us. It was a really good race. Congratulations to the ARCA team.”
Third to finish was Pier Luigi Loro Piana’s ClubSwan 80 My Song. George Sakellaris’ JV72 Proteus was fourth on the water, followed by Alessandro Del Bono’s JV80 Capricorno.

The vast majority of the Loro Piana Giraglia fleet is expected to finish tonight, Thursday 18 June. The overall win under IRC and victory in the IRC and ORC classes are yet to be decided.