YYachts celebrates landmark debut of dedicated class at the Superyacht Cup Palma Richard Mille in Palma de Mallorca.
YYachts celebrated a milestone moment at this year’s 30th edition of the Superyacht Cup Palma Richard Mille, as the renowned German shipyard was honoured with its own dedicated racing class for the first time in the event’s history. The introduction of the YYachts Class not only reflected the growing international presence of the brand but also underlined the increasing appeal of high-performance, owner-driven luxury yachts designed for both cruising and competitive sailing.
Six YYachts participated in the inaugural class, creating one of the strongest one-brand fleets ever seen at Europe’s longest-running superyacht regatta. The line-up showcased the impressive diversity of the YYachts range, from the proven Y8 to the flagship Y9, while demonstrating that the shipyard’s philosophy of lightweight construction, elegant design and easy handling translates seamlessly from cruising to racing.
The standout performer of the week was „Beati“, the new Y7 judel/vrolijk-designed yacht, which dominated the fleet by winning all three races. Her flawless performance secured victory in the first-ever YYachts Class and immediately established the yacht as a benchmark within the fleet. „Distancia“ followed consistently in second place, while „Calabash“, the Y8 owned by YYachts founder Michael Schmidt, completed the podium after a competitive three-day series. The remaining fleet — „Makai“, „Bella“, and „Lucid“ — demonstrated the close racing and strong owner participation that characterised the new class throughout the event.
Beyond the racing, the YYachts Cup embodied everything that makes the Superyacht Cup Richard Mille so special. Owners, families, crews and partners came together both on and off the water, creating lasting memories against the stunning backdrop of Palma de Mallorca. The event perfectly reflected YYachts’ philosophy: exceptional sailing experiences shared with friends and family in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.
There were also several other YYachts on site, including a very special meeting the early days of YYachts. As Michael Schmidt recalled: “It was a great moment to see also two yachts together here in Palma that stand for the very beginning of YYachts: “Peregrin”, formerly “Cool Breeze”, the first yacht we built and originally planned as a one-off project, and “Makai”, the second yacht, which both in many ways marked the real beginning of our shipyard.
The introduction of the YYachts Class was the result of a long-standing vision shared by both the Superyacht Cup Palma Richard Mille organisation and YYachts. As one of the world’s leading builders of luxury sailing yachts between 65 and 100 feet, the shipyard has established a loyal international owner community, many of whom regularly cruise and race in the Mediterranean. Bringing these owners together in Palma created a unique platform to celebrate both the sailing lifestyle and the shared values that define the YYachts brand.
“Creating our own class at the Superyacht Cup is a very special moment for everyone at YYachts,” said founder Michael Schmidt during the event. “Our owners enjoy sailing their yachts themselves. They appreciate performance, simplicity and elegance, and the Superyacht Cup provides exactly the environment where these qualities can be experienced together.”
For YYachts, however, the event represented far more than competitive success. The dedicated class highlighted the remarkable growth of the shipyard since its foundation. Within only a few years, YYachts has developed a comprehensive portfolio ranging from the Y6 to the Y9 and established itself as one of the most respected builders in the luxury sailing yacht segment.
The racing also demonstrated the consistency of the YYachts concept across different models. Although varying in size and individual configuration, every yacht displayed the responsive sailing characteristics, elegant proportions and refined engineering that have become hallmarks of the brand. Close competition throughout the fleet confirmed that these yachts are equally at home cruising long distances with family and friends or lining up on a competitive start line.
Unlike many performance-oriented superyachts, YYachts are conceived from the outset to be managed by their owners rather than requiring large professional crews. Extensive carbon construction keeps displacement exceptionally low, while carefully optimised sail plans and intuitive deck layouts allow yachts of this size to be sailed safely and efficiently by small crews. These characteristics proved particularly valuable during the demanding conditions experienced throughout the regatta, where changing sea breezes and tactical racing rewarded responsive, lightweight yachts.
After four memorable days of racing, one conclusion became clear: the debut of the YYachts Class was not simply the introduction of another racing category — it marked the arrival of a new tradition that perfectly reflects the spirit of modern owner-driven sailing.
During the gala dinner, held at the recently opened prestigious Club de Mar-Mallorca, Michael Schmidt draw a great future for the YYachts Cup: „I am so happy to have seen nine yachts here in Palma – six of them racing – and am pretty sure we can double the number of participants for 2027. The event would not have been possible without the commitment and partnership of our friends, partners and the whole YYachts team. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Frisch, Reckmann, iShine, Alexseal, judel/vrolijk & co, Alexseal, AXXON, B&G and Zaoli for their generous support.“
