The International Super Yacht Rule (ISYR) handicap system will be adopted by organizing Authority the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) for the 2013 edition of the Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht & Rendezvous (20-23 March, Virgin Gorda) as well as the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta (4-8 June, Porto Cervo). The decision was made following the agreement among the organizers – YCCS and Boat International Media – and superyacht owners and captains as well as the SuperYacht Racing Association.

Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta & Rendezvous in Virgin Gorda - Photo by Carlo Borlenghi

The International Super Yacht Rule, developed from the former “Bucket Rule”, was specifically designed for the superyacht arena to cope with widely disparate fleets that can see a 180-foot classic ketch sailing alongside a 100-foot contemporary cruiser. The rule takes into account the characteristics of each individual boat and calculates a handicap rating which allows yachts with varying sailing speeds to race together on a level playing field. One unique feature of the rule is that it can be tailored to venues and organizers based on the courses and the needs of the competing fleet. The Loro Piana Superyacht regattas join a long list of superyacht events in both the Caribbean and the Mediterranean that use the International Super Yacht Rule.

The implementation of the new handicap system aims to provide close racing in fleets of superyachts with widely differing designs, dimensions and technical characteristics. It will also ensure that cruising oriented yachts participating in the Loro Piana Superyacht regattas in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean will be subject to the same handicap system on both sides of the Atlantic. During the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta in Porto Cervo the Performance division, which consists of racing oriented boats of 80 feet and above,  will use the ORCi rule which is better suited to more homogenous groups of yachts.

YCCS Virgin Gorda & YCCS Marina, North Sound - Photo by Carlo Borlenghi

Riccardo Bonadeo, Commodore of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, clearly sees the move as a positive step forward: “After consulting at length with the owners who race their superyachts with us, the YCCS, as the organizing authority, decided that the ISYR will provide the fairest possible racing for our fleets. The fact that ratings are constantly adjusted based on each yacht’s performance in each race makes the system one of the most precise and up-to-date around. Combined with our superb sailing grounds in Virgin Gorda and Porto Cervo, this latest development should make for some excellent superyacht sailing.”