Corsaro II

The Corsaro II is a distinctive sail training ship of the Italian Navy, used to train cadets of the Naval Academy of Livorno. From her home port of La Spezia, she undertakes annual training voyages and also competes in international regattas for classic sailing vessels.

This elegant yawl, rigged with a ‘Marconi’ sail plan, was built in 1960 at the Costaguta shipyard in Genoa Voltri, designed by the American firm Sparkman & Stephens. Measuring 21.47 metres in length and 4.89 metres in width, the Corsaro II accommodates sixteen crew members along with all the equipment needed for long, independent voyages. Her hull is crafted from iroko, acacia, and mahogany, reinforced with silicon bronze – timeless craftsmanship that has been preserved to this day.

On 5 January 1961, the Corsaro II entered service under the command of the legendary Captain Agostino Straulino, Olympic champion in the Star class (1952) and former commander of the Amerigo Vespucci. Shortly after, she made history as the first Italian yacht to participate in the Transpacific Yacht Race, sailing the 2,225 nautical miles from Los Angeles to Honolulu. She went on to achieve remarkable results in prestigious competitions such as the Newport–Bermuda, Torbay–Rotterdam, and Fastnet Race, and ventured as far as South America and Australia.

Since the 1970s, the focus has been on training cruises in the Mediterranean for students of the naval schools in Venice and Livorno, interspersed with appearances at classic sailing events. Every now and then, however, the Corsaro II seeks out distant shores: in 2001 and again in 2025, she sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar to Northern Europe, with her most recent voyage dedicated to taking part in the Tall Ships Races 2025.