Gunboats debut as first multihulls in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

The 33rd edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup adds a new dynamic this year with the inclusion of maxi multihulls!

Paving the way for this new class and the first title of Maxi World Champions were Gunboat 80 Highland Fling 18, Gunboat 68 Convexity², and the custom built 84' Allegra. Both Gunboats, newly launched from the factory in 2023, are highly optimized by their owners and pro teams for performance on the race course. While Highland Fling program is solely dedicated to racing, Convexity² is fully equipped to covert between racing and cruising modes.

All eyes were on the inaugural multihull class!

ROLEX Spirit of Yachting was on the scene capturing epic sailing footage and interviewing the owners. Watch the feature on YouTube!

And photographer Gilles Martin-Raget captured the action on the first few days of racing:

Gunboat 80 Highland Fling 18

“At a cocktail party held by Gunboat and the International Maxi Association at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Commodore Michael Illbruck and IMA President Benoît de Froidmont welcomed the multihulls. “A multihull or a J-Class - this is all part of our sport, a testament of an incredible spread of technology and the multihulls are a big part of that,” said Illbruck.

International Maxi Association - Day 1 News

Gunboat 68 Convexity²

Read daily press releases by the YCCS Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the International Maxi Association for highlights from each of the classes - Maxi Multihull, Maxi A, Maxi B, Maxi C, Supermaxi, and J Class.

Photos: Gilles Martin-Raget