A little less than a month from now, 21 Perini Navis will descend on Porto Cervo, one of the most famous and picturesque ports in the Med. While Maltese Falcon and the newly delivered Riela will be among the ranks racing against each other in and around the islands of the La Maddalena archipelago during the Perini Navi Cup, at the end of each day, the owners and their guests will also be taking in the amenities of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS), as it’s playing host to the race.
Events such as this come second nature to the YCCS. In fact, the 20th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is also being held there, as is the Audi Melges 20 Sailing Series, which is the fifth and final leg of the Melges 20 class’ European racing circuit.
And these races represent just the yacht club’s calendar for the month of September.
Given the number of maxi yachts and racing sportboats that gather in its waters each year for friendly competition, it’s no wonder that the YCCS is also gaining in popularity with cruising yachtsmen and even superyacht owners looking to push their yachts across a finish line. Ask anyone who attended the recent Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta or The Dubois Cup, and they’ll tell you the setting was ideal.
Founded in 1967 by the Aga Khan and three sailing enthusiasts, the YCCS is on the “Emerald Coast” of Sardinia, renowned for its waters and winds. Like the rest of the buildings reflecting Porto Cervo’s master plan for construction, the YCCS faces out to sea. It additionally benefits from the coast’s rocky cliff sides, which act as a safe haven.
Whether the marinas at the Club’s edge are welcoming world wanderers or avid racers, the nautical theme doesn’t end at the docks. Once you enter the Club’s main doors, for example, you step onto a brightly tiled floor that mimics the YCCS’s burgee. The long teak floorboards of the interior are akin to a long deck. Porthole-like windows and brass details adorn the indoor restaurant. The rest of the rooms of the 41-year-old Club contain ship models, nautical paintings, and even antique nautical maps of Sardinia dating back to the 1500s. Most of the artwork belongs to the Aga Khan, who spent two to three decades amassing his collections. Peter Marino, a New York-based architect who oversaw extensive renovations of the Club earlier this decade, made a point of incorporating these elements into the rest of the decor to set the right mood.
The mood continues outside, too. The terrace contains a round tower topped with the original mast from Smeralda Prima, the YCCS yacht launched in 1981 and which inspired Club members 10 years later to commission famed designer German Frers to create a one-design sailing boat to take part in fleet yacht races and match races. Adjoining the YCCS building, Piazza Azzura is a beautiful square with boutiques that transforms into the “race village,” if you will, during major events. It plays host to race cocktail parties and is dotted with sponsors’ stands, and it’s most certainly the center of attention come prize-giving time.
The YCCS intends to continue growing its focus on racing events and superyacht events. As Riccardo Bonadeo, the YCCS commodore, puts it, “The Club’s future program sets out a new objective: promoting international events, looking beyond home waters…so we can export the brand now recognizable for the values it represents, inspired by style and true sportsmanship, to the other seas and oceans of the world, beyond the Mediterranean.”
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