The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (Porto Cervo, Sardinia), hosts of the 2009 Perini Navi Cup, welcomes a record fleet of 19 Perini yachts to this third edition of the event.

Perini Navi yachts are known for their elegance, cutting edge technology, and huge presence. In fact, if the fleet were lined up end-to-end, it would stretch for almost a kilometre.

Racing will take place tomorrow (Friday 4 September) and Saturday (5 September) using staggered starts based on each yacht’s ORC Club handicap which will allow the fleet to race in a close group as they proceed around the course. Racing can be followed in real time by visiting www.perininavicup.it .

Participants include the most recent addition to the Perini Navi family, the 56 metre Ketch Riela, delivered in June of this year. The 2008 launched Baracuda, whose 50 metre aluminium hull boasts an aggressive, aerodynamic line, will also participate.

The largest yacht will be the 88 metre Maltese Falcon (pictured). Winner of the Perini Navi Cup in 2006 and classified second in her class in the St Barths Bucket 2009, Maltese Falcon will have a good chance of finishing high. The tallest mast in the fleet belongs to the 56 metre Salute: measuring 75 metres, it is the tallest aluminum mast in existence today.

“The Perini Navi Cup is always a wonderful event for me and this third edition, with such a large number of participants, is particularly special.” declared Giancarlo Ragnetti, Managing Director of Perini Navi. “It is a record which gives me great satisfaction and which shows how passion and dedication can achieve extraordinary results. Once again our owners have shown their affection for the family that we created at the start of the 80s and which today counts 46 yachts.”

To find out more, visit www.perininavicup.it .