Charles Dunstone has put together arguably his strongest team to date in his first attempt to win the Maxi Rolex Cup in Sardinia on his 76ft (23.3m) Reichel-Pugh-designed maxi yacht Nokia Enigma.

Amongst the crew are Volvo hopefuls Neal and Lisa McDonald who rejoin the team, which is putting in several training days before the regatta gets under way on Monday 6 September.

This will be the last major event for Dunstone who has announced his intention to sell the yacht after this season’s racing programme ends.

The Maxi Rolex Cup is organised by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and held in the waters off the exclusive Sardinian resort of Porto Cervo. Yachts worth tens of millions of euros will compete for the prestigious title. With a trio of offshore classic titles already under his belt on Nokia Enigma, Dunstone and his team hope to gain one more victory this week.

Dunstone himself will be taking the helm. Nokia Enigma has been supported by mobile phone giant Nokia throughout this season, in the fifth year as corporate partner in Dunstone’s sailing campaigns.

After the Rolex Cup there is only one more event for Nokia Enigma before she is put up for sale, the Voiles de St Tropez, 4-9 October.

Nokia Enigma can expect good competition from some of the world’s most awesome racing yachts including her sistership Black Dragon.

Crew list

Charles Dunstone, Dave Bedford, Jules Salter, Neal McDonald, Jonathan Taylor, Chris Mason, Garry Bainbridge, Peter Morten, Simon Fry, Neil Mackley, Guy Reid, Matt Cowpe, Lisa McDonald, George Skuodas, Campbell Field, James Stagg, Kieran Hopkins, Willie Beavis, Abby Seager