Press Release – 16 June 2026
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VINTAGE YACHTS RETURN TO THE PORT OF IMPERIA
The official presentation of the 40th Anniversary Celebration of Vele d’Epoca di Imperia will take place on June 30 at the City Hall
Only a few days after the Notice of Race was published, numerous entries have already been confirmed. Many new features and surprises will be unveiled by the organizers during the press conference.
Imperia, 16 June 2026 – Great anticipation is building for the return of Vele d’Epoca di Imperia, the event dedicated to maritime culture and the history of sailing, organized by the Municipality of Imperia and Assonautica Imperia, with the support of Yacht Club Imperia and Yacht Club Sanremo. The event will take place from 28 August to 6 September 2026 in the capital of the Western Ligurian Riviera.
Preparations are well underway for this highly anticipated edition, especially significant for both the city and the sailing community as the event celebrates its 40th anniversary. This important milestone will be marked with a rich programme of events and many surprises, all of which will be officially revealed during the press conference scheduled for 30 June at 11:00 a.m. at the Municipality of Imperia (Viale Giacomo Matteotti 157).
Forty years represent a major milestone and, for this reason, Vele d’Epoca di Imperia is expanding in 2026, also hosting the 12 Metre World Championship, featuring the legendary yachts that competed in the America’s Cup campaigns from 1958 to 1987. One year before the next America’s Cup in Naples, the races in Imperia will revive the excitement of the epic challenges of Newport and Fremantle.
Two major sailing events will take place within the same festival, now officially renamed by the organizers as Imperia Sailing Week.
Meanwhile, registrations are progressing at full sail. Shortly after the Notice of Race was published, the first entries arrived, including the remarkable Aria, owned by Bologna-based yacht owner Serena Galvani Seràgnoli. This multiple-winning 8 Metre International Rule yacht was built in 1935 by the Costaguta Shipyard in Genoa Voltri, the same yard that built Italia, another 8 Metre yacht that won the gold medal for Italy at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.
Among the 12 Metres, the presence of the legendary Kookaburra II, World Champion in 2024, has already been confirmed. The yacht is owned by Patrizio Bertelli, Chairman of Prada and patron of Luna Rossa.
But the surprises do not end there.
During the press conference, the organizers will also unveil the Patron of Imperia Sailing Week, an outstanding ambassador of the sea who will help spread the event’s values among sailing enthusiasts and lovers of the wind.
In the presence of Claudio Scajola, Mayor of Imperia, the event programme will be presented by Biagio Parlatore, President of Assonautica Imperia, and Marcella Roggero, Councillor for Sports and Events.
