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Arca SGR, the reborn Maxi 100 still winning across the Mediterranean

From abandoned hull to 2026 Giraglia winner, the remarkable second life of the Arca SGR Maxi 100

Arca SGR, the Maxi 100 recovered in Menorca that turned circular economy principles and sailing talent into Mediterranean victories

Some yachts are designed to chase records, while others carry a story that reaches far beyond the finish line. Arca SGR belongs to both worlds. The Fast and Furio Sailing Team’s Maxi 100 now competes at the highest level of offshore sailing, yet its current journey did not begin inside a state-of-the-art shipyard. It started again with a badly damaged hull, left for years in a boatyard on the island of Menorca.

From Australia to the international racing circuit

The yacht was built in 2003 by Australian yard Hart Marine to compete in the Sydney to Hobart, one of the world’s most demanding offshore races. It immediately revealed its potential by winning on its first attempt. Only a year later, however, the loss of its keel caused the yacht to capsize in the open ocean, beginning a far more difficult chapter in its history.

An early encounter with the Fast and Furio Sailing Team

In 2005 the Maxi, then known as Wild Thing, was chartered by the Fast and Furio Sailing Team for the Barcolana under the name Trieste Provincia di Skandia. It won the Trieste race while setting the event’s first finishing time of under one hour. The yacht later disappeared from the main racing scene and would eventually be rediscovered in a condition that offered little reason for optimism.

A forgotten hull in Menorca

Furio Benussi had remained in contact with the former owner and was eventually able to locate the yacht again. After ending up on the rocks, the damaged hull had been abandoned in a small Menorcan boatyard and appeared to be heading towards demolition. Beneath the visible damage, however, the team could still recognise the proportions and potential of a powerful offshore racing yacht.

BoReAS turns recovery into a racing project

The BoReAS, Boat Recycle in Action for Sailing Project was launched in 2019 with the support of Arca Fondi SGR. Rather than building another Maxi 100 from scratch, the project aimed to return Wild Thing to competition by restoring the existing yacht and reducing the resources and environmental impact associated with producing a new boat of comparable size and performance. Following a challenging transfer from the Balearic Islands to Trieste and extensive technical work, the yacht returned to the water as Arca SGR.

Thirty-four metres created for speed

Arca SGR has a hull length of 30.4 metres and measures approximately 34 metres overall when its 3.5-metre bowsprit is included. Its mast rises 45 metres above the deck, while the keel extends more than six metres below the waterline. The yacht’s long and narrow proportions, with a beam of around five metres, clearly reflect its racing purpose. In its most powerful configurations, it can carry close to 1,000 square metres of sail upwind and as much as 1,500 square metres downwind.

Sustainability supported by measurable information

The restoration developed into more than an engaging story of maritime revival. Arca SGR went on to receive an EPD, Environmental Product Declaration, described by the team as the first certification of its kind for a vessel in the marine sector. The project provides a practical example of how reuse, technical expertise and competitive performance can coexist without reducing sustainability to a fashionable slogan.

Winning the 2026 Giraglia through patience and strategy

Arca SGR’s second life is ultimately measured on the racecourse. In June 2026, the Maxi 100 secured Line Honours in the Loro Piana Giraglia, crossing the finish line in Genoa after 1 day, 1 hour, 5 minutes and 56 seconds. More than 130 yachts entered an edition shaped by light winds and constantly changing pressure, turning the Mediterranean classic into a tactical contest rather than a straightforward test of raw speed.

A second life built one victory at a time

From the Barcolana and the 151 Miglia to events in Portofino and major races across the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic seas, Arca SGR has converted an ambitious restoration into an impressive sequence of results. Its meaning, however, extends beyond the trophies. The yacht demonstrates that innovation does not always require a blank sheet of paper. Sometimes it begins by recognising what deserves to be saved, placing it in capable hands and allowing it to reveal its character once again, out at sea.

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photo (c) https://fastandfurio.com - Portofino 2026
www.fastandfurio.com

22 July 2026
© MED Yachting Editorial Team
Arca SGR, the reborn Maxi 100 still winning across the Mediterranean
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The information in this article has been sourced from and adapted from official sources and/or press releases, in accordance with our editorial code of ethics.