INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN
The CIM (Comité International del la Méditerranée) was founded in 1926 by the three oldest and most prestigious yacht clubs of their respective Mediterranean nations: the Yacht Club de France (1867), the Regio Yacht Club Italiano (1879), and the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona (1879). Its purpose was to organize and regulate offshore races in the Mediterranean, following the example set by the recent establishment of the Cruising Club of America (CCA) in the United States (1922) and the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in the United Kingdom (1925).
Since its first organized race in 1927, won by Moonbeam III, the CIM has organized numerous offshore races, contributing to the successful spread of offshore racing in the Mediterranean. After a hiatus due to wartime events, the three founding clubs decided to revive the CIM in 1950, and on January 15, 1951, it was re-established with the addition of the National Sailing Federations of France, Italy, and Spain. Shortly thereafter, the Yacht Club de Monaco (1953) and the Royal Malta Yacht Club (1835) joined the alliance, and all five clubs were recognized as founding members.
These were the years of the first major post-war offshore races and the rapid growth of the sport. It was during this time, through the alliance between the CIM, CCA, and RORC, that the International Offshore Rule (IOR) was conceived and introduced as the first internationally used rating system. Building on these significant achievements, the Société Nautique de Genève (1872) and the Hellenic Offshore Racing Club (1961) soon joined the CIM, expanding its representation to all Mediterranean nations connected to the Western world and regulating all offshore sailing activities in the region.
With the introduction of new rating systems such as CHS and IMS, the CIM lost its primary role after nearly three-quarters of a century. Consequently, in the second half of the 1990s, it was decided to transform the CIM into the international organization dedicated to the emerging world of classic yachts.
A CIM commission, composed of the five founding yacht clubs and high-ranking representatives from the classic yacht associations of their respective countries (AFYT in France, AIVE in Italy, AMBC in Monaco, RANC in Spain), as well as the five national sailing federations, developed the first comprehensive rating and handicapping system specifically designed for classic yachts. This system drew inspiration from the principles underlying the IOR but also incorporated subjective criteria to evaluate the authenticity of the yachts, aiming to reward those restored or preserved with originality in mind. Introduced in 1998, this rating system has facilitated diverse participation in races over the past 25 years, ensuring that the heritage represented by classic yachts is preserved and passed on to future generations in the best possible way, while minimizing modifications aimed at enhancing competitiveness and preserving their historical value.
Since the late 1990s, the CIM has become the international reference point for classic yachts. The CIM rating system has become the most widely used worldwide, and its fleet has grown to be the largest. The CIM fleet regularly participates in over 40 events each year along the Mediterranean coasts and beyond. The CIM rating system has also been used since its inception in Argentina and occasionally in significant events in the United Kingdom, such as the 2001 America's Cup Jubilee.
To date, the combination of all these skills and excellence, as well as the diversity and internationality of its members, has made CIM the largest and most important international federation of vintage boats, becoming the driving force behind the development of classic yachting in the Mediterranean, known for its quality and uniqueness admired worldwide.