The Offshore Racing Congress has announced a three-regatta International Med Circuit for ORC Class 0 yachts in summer 2027, creating a season-long Mediterranean series spanning Sorrento, Scarlino and Palma de Mallorca.
The inaugural circuit will be open only to Class 0 yachts with a valid ORC International certificate. ORC said the series had been developed with its founding host clubs: Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia, Yacht Club Toscana and Real Club Náutico de Palma.
Its schedule combines two established fixtures with the new Coppa Toscana, which will form the middle leg. The overall winner is due to receive the ORC Challenge Paolo Massarini Trophy in Palma after the final regatta.
ORC said the series was designed to reward results maintained across all three events. It said full technical provisions, scoring arrangements and entry requirements will be published in the Notice of Series.
ORC has published the venues and basic certificate requirement, while saying that detailed eligibility, scoring and entry requirements will appear in the Notice of Series. Competitors can expect the technical and scoring provisions in that document, according to ORC.
Three regattas across the Mediterranean season
| Venue | Dates | Event and organising club |
|---|---|---|
| Sorrento, Italy | 4-8 May 2027 | Tre Golfi Sailing Week, organised by Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia |
| Scarlino, Italy | 21-27 June 2027 | Coppa Toscana, organised by Yacht Club Toscana |
| Palma de Mallorca, Spain | 31 July-7 August 2027 | Copa del Rey MAPFRE, organised by Real Club Náutico de Palma |
The opening round is embedded within Tre Golfi Sailing Week in Sorrento. ORC described that event as being built around the Regata dei Tre Golfi, first held in 1954 and traditionally starting in the Bay of Naples. Its wider programme combines offshore, coastal and inshore racing.
ORC said the series would take competitors from the Gulf of Naples coastline to Tuscany’s open waters and then Palma Bay.
Scarlino then hosts the first Coppa Toscana on the Tuscan coast. ORC said the new event would act as the circuit’s central stage, joining established regattas in southern Italy and the Balearic Islands. The new June fixture sits between the May racing in Sorrento and the late-July Palma finale.
The circuit concludes within the Copa del Rey MAPFRE in Palma. That regatta has been organised by Real Club Náutico de Palma since its first edition in 1982 and staged the ORC European Championship for the first time in 2025, according to ORC. Palma will also host the inaugural prize-giving once the final regatta has finished.
Class 0 fleet activity behind the launch
ORC presented the circuit as a response to increased activity among the fastest boats in its fleet. It said 17 Class 0 yachts raced at the 2025 ORC European Championship, held during the 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE in Palma.
In 2026, 15 Class 0 yachts contested the ORC World Championship during Tre Golfi Sailing Week, before the 44th Copa del Rey MAPFRE received 14 Class 0 entries. ORC said the scale, standard and international make-up of those fleets underlined the case for a dedicated series.
ORC said the American TP52 Summer Storm won the 2026 world championship at Tre Golfi Sailing Week. It also said the American TP52 Vesper won the 2025 European title in Palma, while Mauro Gestri’s Vudu took the 2026 Class 0 victory at the Copa del Rey MAPFRE. Those recent results do not determine the new circuit, but show that its two established host regattas have recently staged Class 0 championship or class racing.
ORC cited the recent participation figures as evidence of momentum within Class 0. They provide the basis for the organisation’s stated view that recent Class 0 activity supports a dedicated Mediterranean series.