Rolex – The MBA Global Sailing League

INSEAD share the Rolex spoils with Tuck in Santa Margherita

3 October 2017

22047993_1957689321112455_4413410634771941142_o The final regatta of the Sunsail MBA Global Sailing League, the Rolex MBA’s Conference and Regatta, was as usual the biggest event of the year, featuring 50 boats and 400 sailors.

The “A” division was split into an “Open” class of 10 J70s and an “Offshore” class of 9 Beneteau 36.7s.

INSEAD took their third title of the season to win the Open class, capping off a dominant year with three first places out of five. Second place was 2016’s winner of the MBA’s cup, MIT with IESE third.

Tuck, in their only regatta of the year, won a very competitive Offshore class, with two firsts. HEC and Goethe rounded off the podium, winning a race each.

The MBA’s cup was presented jointly to INSEAD and Tuck along with a joint INSEAD/ Bocconi team in the “Cruising” class of handicapped non- spinnaker boats. Continue reading “INSEAD share the Rolex spoils with Tuck in Santa Margherita”

Rolex Regatta and Conference Dates announced

12 March 2016

The 2016 Rolex Regatta and Conference will be on the weekend of September 29- October 2. The event is organiused by SDA Bocconi business school, and Yacht Club Italiano, and takes place in the super- picturesque Ligurian coast of Italy at Santa Margherita di Ligure.

This is the annual climax to the Sunsail MBA Global Sailing League. The number of participants means that a school needs to do well here to compete in the league.

Participation is by invitation only.

The A Division is split between Beneteau 36.7 and Jeanneau Sunfast 37 yachts, who race on Friday and Saturday before the top boats face off in sports boats in a match racing finale. The B division is made up of a mixture of boats who sail without spinnakers under a handicap system.

The onshore events are lavish, with welcome drinks on the Thursday, dinner and party on Friday and the legendary gala dinner on Saturday night.

Lausanne win the Rolex Regatta

5 October 2012

EPFL, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne’s crew won the 2012 Rolex MBAs Conference and Regatta at Santa Margharita Ligure. It was only the second time the school had competed at the regatta.

EPFL won the Jeanneau 37 fleet, and then went on to win the match racing final against hosts SDA Bocconi, having beaten Cranfield in the semi- finals. This was Cranfield’s second participation in the regatta, and the second time that they’ve made the podium.

The Benneteau Fleet was won by Boconni, with Cranfield second and RSM third, while IE were second in the Jeanneau fleet, their best showing yet at the Rolex Regatta with Tuck in third.

2011’s winning team from Sauder could only manage 10th in the Benneteaus, while MBA Sailing league leaders LBS came one place behind their closest rivals, Insead in 6th and 5th respectively in the Jeanneaus. Continue reading “Lausanne win the Rolex Regatta”

Sauder triumph in Santa Margharita

29 September 2011

Sauder Business School from the University of British Columbia, Canada beat Columbia Business School in the match race final of the Rolex MBA’s Conference and regatta. The Sauder team had come second in their fleet, then won two rounds of match racing to lift the trophy. The Conference and Regatta, organised by SDA Bocconi Sailing club is now in its 8th year, and was held in Santa Margharita Ligure, Italy on the weekend of 22nd – 25th September 2010.

Winning the MBA’s cup takes luck and skill: Luck to choose the right boat, allocated by lottery at the start of the weekend, and skill to take advantage of having the right boat. The regatta consists of an “A” division of 19 boats, racing with spinnakers and a “B” division of of 24 boats racing without spinnakers.

The losing semi- finalists in the A division were Warwick and IESE, with Warwick coming 3rd, having won the petit- final. The B division was won by the home team, SDA Bocconi.

Continue reading “Sauder triumph in Santa Margharita”

Will it be Insead’s year?

11 September 2011

The Insead team need a top seven result at the Rolex MBA’s cup regatta in Sta. Margharita to be sure of winning the MBA League trophy for 2011. Their nearest challengers, London Business School are currently six points behind them in the league, and so can overtake them if they come first, while Insead fall to 8th place or worse. Third place Bocconi, would need to repeat their win in their home regatta again this year and see Insead drop to 11th, with LBS 5th or worse to win the league.

Anything is, of course possible at the MBA’s cup, for two reasons: Firstly, because teams in the “A” racing division must be comprised mainly of students currently at the business school they are representing. This means that may be very different crews competing than at other regattas, where school Alumni compete. Secondly, because of the variable quality of the boats in the fleet, which mean that a great team may end up with a particularly slow boat and be consigned to the lower reaches of the results.

The Rolex MBA’s Conference & Regatta, to give it its full name, starts on Thursday 22nd September, with the first race on Friday 23rd. It has been taking place since the mid 2000s and gets bigger every year: over 50 boats participated in 2010. The regatta has 2 divisions: An “A” division, competing with spinnakers in either Benneteau First 36.7s or Jeanneau Sunfast 37s, and a “B” division, competing under handicap without spinnakers in a variety of charter boats. Both divisions race on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th. The winners of the Beneteau fleet and of the Jeanneau fleet then face off in match races on Sunday 25th, to decide the regatta champion.