From September 2 to 6, 2025, a fleet of historic boats and centuries-old vessels will compete at sea in four regattas. The event is organized by the Municipality of Imperia in collaboration with Assonautica Imperia, while the coordination of the sea races will be entrusted to the Yacht Club Imperia. The 2025 Imperia Cup, reserved for the International 8-Meter Class, will take place concurrently. Both events will constitute Imperia International Sailing Week. On Saturday, September 6, the public will be able to admire the grand parade of boats from the docks, leaving the port for the final scheduled regatta. Registered boats will be accommodated free of charge from August 30 to September 23.

“Le Vele d’Epoca di Imperia”, the 26th edition from 2 to 6 September 2025

IMPERIA, CAPITAL OF VINTAGE SAILS
The 26th edition of "Le Vele d'Epoca di Imperia" (www.veledepoca.com), Italy's oldest vintage sailboat rally, will take place from September 2 to 6, 2025. This event is eagerly awaited by enthusiasts, owners, and crews of dozens of the most beautiful and oldest vessels sailing the Mediterranean. The first edition dates back to 1986, then, starting in 1992, the biennial event was introduced, and since 2019, the event has returned to an annual event. Four regattas are scheduled, from Wednesday, September 3 to Saturday, September 6. The final race will be preceded by a grand parade of boats, visible to the public as they leave the port at the Banchina Medaglie d'Oro. At the same time, as part of the Imperia International Sailing Week, the 2025 Imperia Cup will be held only for the International 8-Metre Class, which will be able to compete in up to 8 races during those days.
For both competitions, the organization of the sea races will be handled by the Yacht Club Imperia, in collaboration with the Yacht Club Sanremo and the Circolo Nautico San Bartolomeo. The event, organized by the Municipality of Imperia in collaboration with Assonautica Imperia, will take place in collaboration with the Imperia Navy, Coast Guard, Italian Navy, FIV Italian Sailing Federation, Yacht Club Imperia, Yacht Club Sanremo, the Italian Naval League, Sanbart, TOIO, and with the support of the Ministry of Tourism, the Liguria Region, the Chamber of Commerce of the Ligurian Rivieras, and the Carige Foundation.
25 DAYS OF FREE MOORING
The opening ceremony of the 26th edition of the Vele d’Epoca di Imperia will take place on Tuesday, September 2nd at 5:30 pm at the dock in Imperia Porto Maurizio. The awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 6th at 6:00 pm. Boats will be accommodated free of charge from Saturday, August 30th until Tuesday, September 23rd, to facilitate those wishing to participate in the Riviera Trophy - Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur regatta transfer from Imperia to Cannes, where the 46th edition of the Régates Royales de Cannes will take place from September 22nd to 27th.

“Le Vele d’Epoca di Imperia”, the 26th edition from 2 to 6 September 2025
“Le Vele d’Epoca di Imperia”, the 26th edition from 2 to 6 September 2025
“Le Vele d’Epoca di Imperia”, the 26th edition from 2 to 6 September 2025
“Le Vele d’Epoca di Imperia”, the 26th edition from 2 to 6 September 2025
“Le Vele d’Epoca di Imperia”, the 26th edition from 2 to 6 September 2025

PARTICIPATING BOAT CLASSES
The fleet of boats participating in the twenty-sixth edition of the Imperia Vintage Sails will be divided into the following groups based on construction type, sail rig, year of launch, and measurement certificate issued by the CIM, the International Mediterranean Committee, which oversees and issues regulations for vintage boat regattas. There are eight categories: Big Boats, Vintage (launched before 1950), Classic (launched between 1950 and 1975), Spirit of Tradition (over 8 meters in length, IRC regulations), Replicas, Classic IOR (non-production yachts launched between 1970 and 1984, which have remained in conformity with their original designs and can demonstrate having held a valid IOR certificate at that time), Swan Classic, and Baltic Classic. The AIVE, the Italian Vintage Sails Association, will be responsible for measuring the boats. Among the most beautiful and important vessels already registered are the 50-meter schooner Invader (1905), which will celebrate its 120th anniversary, the 31-meter schooner Puritan (1931), the 20-meter Thea (1918), Baruna (1938), the Baglietto EA (1952), the ketch Pilgrim (1971), and Barbara (1923). Vessels registering after July 30, 2025, will pay a higher registration fee. The link to the Registration Form is below: https://www.veledepoca.com/modulo-di-iscrizione/

THE 8-METRE INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION, THE BOATS OF THE NOBILITY
The Imperia Cup will again be held in 2025, reserved for metric boats of the 8-Metre SI (International Classification). Despite the name, which indicates the result of a measurement formula, boats in this category are actually approximately 14 meters long. The 8-Metre SI is a sailing class that initially developed in Europe and then spread worldwide starting in the first decade of the twentieth century. They were often used by royalty and the nobility to participate in regattas. It is estimated that around 500 boats have been built over a century, of which 200 are still in operation and divided according to tonnage (the first includes boats launched between 1907 and 1920, the second those launched up to 1933, and the third those built from 1934 to the present). The 2025 Imperia Cup will be reserved for 8-meter SI boats belonging to the Neptune Class, that is, wooden boats built before 1960 that have retained their original rig, rigging, and materials such as bronze or non-stainless steel, and with sails exclusively in Dacron. Among the 8-meter SI boats already registered are the 1935 Costaguta Aria, the 1938 Anne Sophie, the 1938 Camper & Nicholsons Vision of 1930, reigning world champion, the Fife Fulmars of 1930 and Carron II of 1935, the latter being world vice champion.