RORC Team Wins 2026 Sardinia Cup in Porto Cervo

8th June 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Island Challenge — The Range Rover Sardinia Cup fleet races on the final coastal course off Porto Cervo, with light winds and tactical sailing deciding the closing stages of the regatta Credit: Studio Borlenghi

The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) has won the 2026 Sardinia Cup, finishing ahead of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) and the RORC Gold team in Porto Cervo.

The prestigious team regatta returned this year after a 14-year absence. Organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, the event took place from 31 May to 7 June on the waters of the Costa Smeralda. In the individual standings, James Neville’s Ino Veritas won the Sardinia Cup 1 class, while Niklas Zennström’s Ran topped the Sardinia Cup 2 class.

The final day featured a 16-mile coastal race in light winds of 8 to 10 knots. The fleet sailed a course around Isola dei Monaci, Tre Monti shoal and Passo delle Bisce before finishing off Porto Cervo.

In SC1, Jolt 3 won the final race ahead of Ino Veritas and RocketNikka. In SC2, Django JP took victory, followed by Ran and Nola.

YCCS Commodore Andrea Recordati congratulated the winners. “Congratulations to the RORC team on winning the Sardinia Cup 2026,” he said. “The names of Ino Veritas and Garm will now be engraved on the trophy alongside the winners of previous editions of this iconic regatta.”

Cup Winners — The Ino Veritas and Garm crews celebrate after securing overall victory for the Royal Ocean Racing Club at the 2026 Sardinia Cup in Porto Cervo. Photo: Studio Borlenghi

James Neville, owner and helmsman of Ino Veritas, said the team format was central to success. “The result counts at team level, not for individual boats, and success comes from collaboration and mutual support between teammates,” he said. “The Sardinia Cup is a trophy steeped in history, and we are proud to see our name, representing the Royal Ocean Racing Club, alongside those of so many great teams from the past.”

Per Roman, owner of Garm, described Porto Cervo as “the most beautiful place in the world to race” and said the team's offshore race victory proved decisive in securing the overall title. The awards ceremony concluded with the presentation of the Sardinia Cup to the RORC team. The Calandriello Trophy for the best Italian team was awarded to Django, owned by Giovanni Lombardi Stronati.

The next Sardinia Cup is scheduled for June 2028 and will continue its alternating cycle with the Admiral’s Cup, organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in the UK.

Published in RORC, Offshore

Published in RORC

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THE RORC:

Established in 1925, The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) became famous for the biennial Fastnet Race and the international team event, the Admiral's Cup. It organises an annual series of domestic offshore races from its base in Cowes as well as inshore regattas including the RORC Easter Challenge and the IRC European Championship (includes the Commodores' Cup) in the Solent
The RORC works with other yacht clubs to promote their offshore races and provides marketing and organisational support. The RORC Caribbean 600, based in Antigua and the first offshore race in the Caribbean, has been an instant success. The 10th edition took place in February 2018. The RORC extended its organisational expertise by creating the RORC Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote to Grenada, the first of which was in November 2014
The club is based in St James' Place, London, but after a merger with The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in Cowes now boasts a superb clubhouse facility at the entrance to Cowes Harbour and a membership of over 4,000

At A Glance – RORC

RORC Race Enquiries:

Royal Ocean Racing Club T: +44 (0) 1983 295144 E: [email protected] W: http://www.rorc.org/

Royal Ocean Racing Club:

20 St James's Place, London SW1A 1NN, Tel: 020 7493 2248 E: [email protected]

2026 RORC Key dates

Key RORC 2026 dates extracted from the programme:

January–February 2026
• 11 January – RORC Transatlantic Race (Lanzarote to Antigua)
• February (dates vary) – Nelson’s Cup, Antigua
• 23 February – RORC Caribbean 600

May 2026
• 2 May – Cervantes Trophy Race (Cowes to Le Havre)
• 15 May – North Sea Race
• 22–25 May – IRC European Championships, International Poole Regatta
• 23 May – Myth of Malham Race
• 30 May – De Guingand Bowl Race

June 2026
• 12 June – Morgan Cup (Cowes to Dartmouth)
• 20 June – Round Ireland Race (Wicklow)

July 2026
• 3 July – Cowes–Dinard–Saint Malo Race
• 25 July – Channel Race

August 2026
• 8 August – Baltic Sea Race (Helsinki)
• 9 August – Round Britain and Ireland Race (Cowes)
• 26–29 August – IRC National Championship (Dartmouth)

September 2026
• 4 September – Cherbourg Race

October 2026
• 17 October – Rolex Middle Sea Race (counts towards 2027 championship)