100ft V Seals 2026 Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Title

Karel Komárek’s 100ft maxi yacht V has completed a consistently fast Mediterranean campaign by winning the International Maxi Association’s 2026 Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge. Second place in Maxi 1 at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez was enough to close out the six-event series title.

Saint-Tropez provides the deciding result

V arrived at the final Mediterranean meeting with a season’s worth of strong results already on the board. Her second place in the Maxi 1 division at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez supplied the points required to secure the International Maxi Association’s principal inshore series title.

Sir Peter Ogden’s 77ft Jethou won the Saint-Tropez class and finished three points clear of V, with the Maxi 72 Balthasar third. That event victory also gave Jethou the Edmond de Rothschild Trophy, while the broader championship honours went to the 100-footer.

Four regattas shaped V’s title campaign

V began the decisive part of her season by winning her class at the IMA Maxi European Championship in Sorrento. She followed that with another class victory in the inshore racing at the Loro Piana Giraglia, establishing the consistency that would later protect her series lead.

A second place behind Leopard 3 at the Rolex IMA Maxi World Championship in Porto Cervo kept the campaign on course before Saint-Tropez. Across very different venues and conditions, V avoided the kind of low result that can unravel a multi-event championship.

A 30.5-metre programme built around consistency

At roughly 30.5 metres, V sits firmly within the superyacht end of the maxi fleet, where crew coordination and sail handling are magnified by the scale of the platform. The campaign required the yacht to remain competitive through coastal and inshore formats rather than peak at a single showcase regatta.

That distinction matters because a season title rewards operational depth as much as outright pace. Transport, maintenance, sail preparation and the ability to reset between venues all sit behind the visible results, particularly when a programme moves from Sorrento to the Giraglia, Porto Cervo and Saint-Tropez.

A closing statement at Les Voiles

The Saint-Tropez finale brought together several generations of maxi design, including Maxi 100s, grand-prix yachts and larger cruiser-racers. V did not need to win the final event outright; finishing close enough to Jethou converted the work of the full season into the championship.

For owners and teams planning comparable programmes, the result is a reminder that reliability and repeatable performance can be more valuable than one dominant week. V leaves the Mediterranean season with the title, while Les Voiles again supplied a highly visible finish to the maxi calendar.

Official sources: pressmare.it.