Sail Talk with Torben Grael
- SAIL TALK - Sail Talk - Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2025
Sail Talk with Torben Grael

Torben is a sailing icon with five Olympic medals to his name: two golds and two bronzes in the Star class, and a silver in the Soling class at Los Angeles '84. His career also includes three America's Cup campaigns as tactician for Luna Rossa, with victory in the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2000, and two Volvo Ocean Race campaigns, one of them victorious. We met him in Porto Cervo at the 35th Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. He greeted us with his trademark smile and a generous layer of SPF on his face: “My daughter Martine gave it to me!” he laughed. Sun protection aside, Martine is following in her father's footsteps with two Olympic gold medals and a World Championship in the 49erFX, an Ocean Race campaign, and today, the helm of the Brazilian SailGP team.
 
You’re competing here in the Rolex Maxi 1 World Championship as tactician for Capricorno, Alessandro Del Bono's new JV 82. What can you tell us about this sporting programme? 

It's a fantastic programme with a boat launched just last year that has a great deal of potential: we are still fine-tuning the set-up, refining manoeuvres and learning how to get the very best from her. This is the first full season for the boat and for me. We started with the maxi event in Sorrento, now we're here at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and after this regatta we'll go to Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. On board there are many long-time friends with whom I’ve sailed countless regattas, that makes me very happy.
 

You’re an icon in sailing, with so much experience, what does sailing in Porto Cervo mean to you? 

It’s a beautiful and unique regatta course thanks to its specific characteristics, with the islands of the La Maddalena archipelago. In addition, the wind is almost always very good. The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup brings together many wonderful boats, some of the finest in the world. Sailing in this fleet and meeting so many sailing friends on the docks is a great experience. I would also add that the YCCS is a very prestigious club that organises many high-profile regattas, including this splendid event and many one-design world championships. It has also organised other major initiatives in the past, such as the 12-Metre Class World Championship, although at that time I wasn’t yet racing on that type of boat. I started later with Patrizio Bertelli's 12-Metre Class, first on Nyala and then on Kookaburra. I also raced on KZ3, which belonged to a Brazilian owner, with my brother.
 
Do you remember your first time in Porto Cervo? 

Yes, of course, the first time was at the Star World Championship in 1989. It didn't go very well, but another Brazilian, Alan Adler, won with Nelson Falcão, my bowman from the Seoul Olympics.