The Club’s story began in late 19th-century Genoa, when the dynamic Vittorio Augusto Vecchi, known as Jack la Bolina, and a group of sailing enthusiasts decided to found the Regio Yacht Club Italiano with the endorsement of His Majesty King Umberto I.

The Club’s inaugural regatta was held on August 8, 1880, marking the start of its sporting season with 177 boats racing in the Gulf of La Spezia. From the very beginning, Yacht Club Italiano set itself the goals of promoting yachting, organizing national and international regattas, and training young sailors.

In the early 1930s, it was Yacht Club Italiano that initiated the association of other clubs; Naples, Palermo, Trieste, Venice, which eventually led, after World War II, to the creation of the Italian Sailing Federation (Federazione Italiana Vela).

From the early 1900s, Yacht Club Italiano’s history has been filled with significant achievements: in 1902, the 10-ton yacht Artica, owned by H.R.H. the Duke of the Abruzzi, won the Coupe de France, marking the Club’s entry into the world of international competitive sailing. In 1936, the 8 Metre S.I. yacht Italia won the gold medal at the XI Olympic Games in Kiel. Club Member Guglielmo Marconi carried out pioneering experiments on board Elettra, moored at the Porticciolo Duca degli Abruzzi, including the activation of the lights of Sydney’s town hall from the yacht. The Club also took part in the 1987 America’s Cup with another yacht named Italia.

Throughout the Club’s history, key figures have emerged who left a mark on international yachting: Luigi Durand de la Penne, awarded the Gold Medal for Military Valor, and Beppe Croce, a beloved Club President for 28 years and the only non-Anglophone to serve as President of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) for 17 years.

More recently, athletes such as Luca Devoti and Alessandra Sensini, and rising stars like Maggie Pescetto (Paris 2024), have contributed their Olympic and non-Olympic medals to the Club’s rich and prestigious trophy cabinet.

Over the years, the Club’s commitment to yachting as a tool for youth education has led to the creation of numerous initiatives, such as the foundation of STA-I in 1996, in collaboration with the Italian Navy, offering many young people the chance to train as crew aboard both civilian and military vessels.

In 2007, again with the Navy, the Yacht Club Italiano established the Tender to Nave Italia Foundation, which promotes projects for recovery, support, and quality of life improvement for individuals made vulnerable by hardship or disability, aboard the 61-meter brig Nave Italia.

In 2000, the “Scuola di Mare Beppe Croce” was founded. It runs a broad educational program with courses, open to members and non-members, on introductory and advanced sailing, offshore navigation, and nautical license preparation.

In 2020, the Club began restoring the yacht ELO II, a 43-foot racing prototype aimed at introducing young sailors to offshore regattas under the guidance of world-renowned skippers such as Mauro Pelaschier, Tommaso Chieffi, and Pietro D’Alì.

Yacht Club Italiano successfully organizes numerous regattas, such as the Loro Piana Giraglia, the Regate di Primavera Portofino, Genova Sailing Week, the SIAD Bombola d’Oro Trophy - Coppa Roberto Sestini, Millevele IREN, and many other events, from the Optimist class to Maxi yachts.

Each year, it hosts major international events, such as the 2022 Melges European Championship and the 2023 8 Metre World Championship. A renewed emphasis has been placed on Olympic classes, which have always been part of the Club’s identity, with the Italian Olympic Classes Championship arriving in Genoa in 2018, followed by the World Cup Series in 2019 and 2020, which established Genoa as a key hub for Olympic sailing.

In terms of youth development, the Scuola di Mare Beppe Croce and the Club’s competitive team have become an important training ground for young sailors. These athletes are guided and prepared for competitive sailing, from Optimist classes to offshore racing aboard the Club’s fleet.

Today, 252 yachts proudly fly the Club’s burgee.

In December 2023, at the end of Gerolamo Bianchi’s term, Carlo Cameli was elected President, supported by Vice Presidents Nicolò Caffarena and Gregorio Gavarone, with Raffaello Corradi as Secretary General.

Once again, the Club experiences a seamless leadership transition, with a highly motivated management team ready to carry forward essential steps in innovation, preservation, and the promotion of values tied to sailing and the sea.

The country’s oldest yacht club continues to keep pace with the changing times, demonstrating its dedication through the successful organization of social and sporting events, all united by a shared love for the sea.

Yacht Club Italiano also benefits from the support of Rolex, Official Timepiece; Institutional Sponsors SIAD and Banca Passadore; Technical Partners SLAM, Navico Group, and North Sails; and Title Partners Loro Piana, IREN, and Lowrance.