Some come back every year, while others are discovering the waters of the Costa Smeralda and the La Maddalena archipelago for the first time. Some have sailed round the world and regularly compete on the leading international circuits. Yet when it comes to Porto Cervo, first impressions and long-held ones tend to be similar: racing on the Costa Smeralda means taking on one of the most fascinating and demanding race courses on the international yachting scene. The islands of the La Maddalena Archipelago, the rocky headlands, the cliffs worn smooth by the sea and the wind, and the famous Mistral wind ensure that every race is unique.

“As a navigator, you have to take many different factors into account here: the rocks, the islands, the boats marking each other closely and constantly searching for clean air,” commented Aksel Magdahl, a Norwegian navigator who has competed in some of the world’s top offshore regattas, speaking during the Range Rover Sardinia Cup. “For me, it’s a new experience, because it requires getting to grips with sailing much closer to the coast, the rocks and the unique features of this race course.”
 

But it’s not only the technical complexity that’s striking. For Magdahl, as for many other sailors who come here, the landscape forms an integral part of the experience: “You only have to look around to realise just how extraordinary this place is. Many of the participants had never raced here before and were absolutely thrilled. It’s truly fantastic to be able to sail in Sardinia.”

A sentiment echoed by Jesper Bank, who returned to Porto Cervo for the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta this year: “We were really looking forward to sailing among the islands again. Over the last few days, we’ve really got the most out of the race course.” The scenery, he adds, is so captivating as to distract even the most experienced crews: “We have a few sailors on board who’d never been here before, and we almost struggled to get their attention during tacks and gybes because they were completely spellbound by the view. It’s hard to explain just how beautiful this place is.”

While the landscape leaves its mark on sailors, it is the racing conditions that transform this setting into a truly memorable sporting experience. Dean Barker, tactician on Ino Veritas, highlights this, recalling one of the most spectacular moments of the Range Rover Sardinia Cup offshore race, which started at sunset with a 30-knot Mistral blowing. “The long run toward the first mark after Soffi was exceptional and, more generally, it was a wonderful race in a unique setting.”

Per Roman, owner of Garm and winner of the Range Rover Sardinia Cup, shared a similar opinion: “It was an incredible race, contested in what I consider to be the most beautiful place in the world for regattas. (...) Porto Cervo is a special place and I hope to keep returning here for the rest of my life.”

Perhaps this is precisely what makes Porto Cervo unique. Not just a regatta venue where wind, tactics and technique put the best boat owners and sailors to the test, but a place capable of leaving a lasting impression that goes beyond any sporting result.