Between September 5th and 9th, the city of Imperia, in Italy, becomes the focal point of the classing sailing world as more than eighty historic craft gather to take part in Le Vele d’Epoca di Imperia, the fourth stage of the Mediterranean circuit of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge, a series of international regattas for classic and vintage vessels sponsored for the last eight years by Officine Panerai.

The 17th edition of Le Vele d’Epoca di Imperia looks set to be truly impressive in terms of numbers as well as quality: the dockside at Porto Maurizio will be thronged with yachts of between 8 and 70 metres, all built between the end of the 19th century and the start of this one.

The fleet will be manned by more than 1,000 crew and will be racing in front of 200,000 visitors over the five scheduled days of competition.

The official programme will see the yachts arrive for registration on Wednesday, September 5th. One race per day will then be competed between Thursday 6th and Sunday 9th of September.

A spectacular parade of all of the yachts will be held before the fourth race on Sunday morning while the prize-­‐giving ceremony for the winning vessels takes place the same afternoon.

A plethora of events has been organised ashore too, and both owners and crews will be welcome to avail of the Panerai Lounge to relax and enjoy post-­‐race discussions. Several different exhibitions and shows, themed around deep-­‐sea diving, elegance at sea, traditional Ligurian trades and regional product tastings, are also planned.

The biennial Le Vele d’Epoca di Imperia is organised by the Assonautica Provinciale di Imperia with the patronage of the C.I.M. (International Committee for the Mediterranean).

Source: Sparkle PR Solutions for Officine Panerai