In the harbour, a sea breeze carries salt spray that clings to the skin. A foot leaves the quay and steps onto the wooden deck before the mind has even registered being aboard. A sheet runs through the hands of someone preparing the sails; a snap shackle clips onto the lifeline with a sharp click.
The gaze travels up the mast to the telltales, then turns towards the sky. Even before casting off, reading the sky is the first instinct of anyone who goes to sea. The weather is holding.
Now the eye drops, running from bow to stern across teak worn by years of racing, before reaching out towards the open sea. From here, the harbour of Imperia slowly receding astern is the last fixed point before a coastline that stretches uninterrupted towards the French Riviera. Monaco, Nice, Antibes, Cannes and Saint-Tropez mark the same course, one port after another.
Two countries, one coastline
The border that today divides this coastline between two countries is relatively recent. Nice remained part of the territories ruled by the House of Savoy until 1860, when, together with Savoy, it passed from the Kingdom of Sardinia to France following the agreement between Cavour and Napoleon III.
For centuries, geographical proximity and the similarities of the landscape meant that this stretch of coast was perceived as a single destination, regardless of political boundaries. It was precisely along this temperate Mediterranean coastline that, during the Belle Époque, the European aristocracy chose to spend the winter months away from the harsher climate of northern Europe.
During this period, a new way of experiencing the sea began to emerge, centred around leisure. Sailing established itself as a sport. On the French side, the Société des Régates de Cannes was founded as early as 1859, one of the earliest organised expressions of this culture. On the Ligurian side, the same passion developed with equal intensity soon afterwards: Sanremo’s racing tradition dates back to the early twentieth century, with the Coppe d’Italia held between 1902 and 1912 and, in 1903, a competition bearing the evocative name Coppa di Francia. Two histories born from the same maritime vocation.
In the second half of the twentieth century, this shared passion for sailing brought the two shores even closer: the Régates Royales de Cannes were revived in 1978 after a period of absence, Monaco Classic Week was established in 1994 and, between the two, Vele d’Epoca di Imperia was born in 1986.
Imperia sets its course
Sailing culture had already found a home in Imperia. In 1946, the Circolo Velico Imperiese was founded — today Yacht Club Imperia, which celebrates its 80th Anniversary this year — and was officially recognised by the Italian Sailing Federation in 1948. Against this backdrop, in 1986 Pier Franco Gavagnin, then Director of Portosole Sanremo, had the vision to create Vele d’Epoca di Imperia.
Gavagnin is a name with a long history in sailing. In 1953, together with Beppe Croce and René Levainville, he was among the founders of the Giraglia, one of the Mediterranean’s most important offshore races. In 1958, he founded the Scuola Allievi di Sanremo, which would go on to train sailors competing at national and international level.
Vele d’Epoca grew out of three decades of passion for sailing, and around thirty yachts took part in the very first gathering. An impressive number that set in motion a period of growth which, over the years, would establish the event on the international classic yacht circuit and bring it back to Imperia every September.
The event is part of the Comité International de la Méditerranée (CIM), the organisation that brings together the Mediterranean’s leading classic yacht regattas and awards an overall trophy based on results achieved at events held in at least two different countries. The same yachts that race in Cannes, Antibes and Monaco come to Vele d’Epoca di Imperia to compete for the same trophy.
Founded in 1926, the CIM elected Italian Gigi Rolandi, President of the Associazione Italiana Vele d’Epoca, as its President in March 2026. Another sign of how, even today, the classic sailing community continues to maintain close ties across both sides of this coastline.
In the same year, Vele d’Epoca celebrates its 40th Anniversary, and the event expands into a new format: alongside the historic classic yacht gathering, Imperia welcomes the International 12 Metre Class World Championship, featuring the yachts forever associated with the golden age of the America’s Cup. Together, the two events form Imperia Sailing Week 2026.
Imperia’s selection as host city for the 12 Metre World Championship reflects its long-established sailing tradition, particularly favourable wind and sea conditions for racing, and the technical expertise of Yacht Club Imperia. These strengths are complemented by the city’s proven ability to host international sailing events of this calibre and the ongoing support of the City of Imperia and its Municipal Administration in organising them. Together, these factors contributed to Imperia being awarded the World Championship and make its waters an ideal racecourse for a class of this level.
And it is along this course, shaped over time, that the yachts continue to glide across the water today just as they did in the past, returning to exactly where this story began: aboard a yacht, looking back towards Imperia and its sea, before setting their sights once again on the open water.
