Corsaro II

Designed by the naval architecture firm Sparkman & Stephens, Corsaro II was built in 1960 by the renowned Costaguta shipyards in Genoa Voltri, with particular emphasis on her role as a sail training vessel for offshore sailing instruction for officers and cadets of the Italian Naval Academy.
The name Corsaro II was chosen in honour of the yacht of the same name commanded by Enrico Albertis, who from 1882 carried out numerous ocean voyages, including a transatlantic crossing in 1893 completed in 26 days, sailing from New York to Cape St. Vincent.
The first commanding officer of Corsaro II was Commander Agostino Straulino, then holding the rank of Captain (Frigate). In 1961 he took part in the Transpacific Race, at the time one of the longest yacht races in the world, sailed over the 2,225-mile course from Los Angeles to Honolulu. He was the first Italian participant in the history of the race and finished fourth out of 13 competitors.
The history of Corsaro II also records notable achievements, such as first place in the Torbay–Rotterdam race in 1962 and victory in the Lisbon–Bermuda race of 3,464 nautical miles in 1964, at the end of which the vessel finished a full day ahead of the second-placed competitor.
For many years Corsaro II has taken part in classic yacht regattas on the Mediterranean circuit, as well as international events beyond the Mediterranean. These include the most recent Tall Ships Race 2025 in the waters of the North Sea, where across four races the vessel secured three overall line honours and first place overall in her class, having covered the greatest distance in the shortest time.