Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez

A good breeze, sunshine, and 251 crews ready to give their all and showcase their boats. It was a day of celebration today in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and Pampelonne Bay. 
With the arrival of the 77 Classic yachts and the start of the Rolex Trophy, the grand history of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez opened a beautiful new chapter. The three race committees took full advantage of these ideal conditions to run as many races as possible, delivering an exceptional spectacle without too many hitches.

Classic yachts: All on stage!
77 pieces of history gathered for this 28th edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. From the oldest ( Sky , an 1890 Gaff Rig) to the youngest ( Resolute Salmon, a 1976  IOR Class entry), an exceptional fleet crowded in behind the Modern yachts to start their first race. The staggered starts saw the 12m JI and IOR yachts grouped together due to their similar performance, opening the proceedings before the Marconi Era yachts. The 4P Class yachts competing for the Rolex Trophy had their own start, just before the Big Yachts set off. The start procedure for the Big Yachts was extended ”  to account for the time needed to launch boats like Elena of London and, of course, Atlantic,  ” explained Georges Korhel, the Chief Race Officer. 
Across the seven classes, the competition was spectacular in a wind that picked up throughout the afternoon. This was exemplified by the duel between  Varuna  and  Baruna , the two Bermudian yawls (EMA), distinguished only by a letter of the alphabet and by very little else on the windward mark. There was also a great match race between the 12m JI  South Australia  and  French Kiss  , on which Marc Pajot tried to overtake his opponent until the La Moute mark before ultimately being overtaken. 

Moderns:  With the new Orient Express Corinthian  and the replica of the three-masted  Seacloud Spirit
at anchor  , the Gulf of Saint-Tropez resembled a nautical stadium this morning, with some stands in the middle of the field. With a favorable left-hand line and better winds on the side of the marine cemetery, it was crucial to choose the right channel to avoid wind shadows. In this rather unusual first slalom,  Nanoq , well-positioned on the line, took control and engaged in a thrilling battle with three other TP 52s, including the tenacious  Knutte.It was the latter who won by a hair at the finish line. The German team of Thomas Andersen, already on the podium yesterday, took first place in the provisional overall standings for the BMW Trophy. And it was the American Botin 44  Interlodge,  already fourth yesterday, that succeeded them on corrected time.
In IRC 1, two Ker 46s made it onto the podium, with  Lisa R  winning, but Jérémie Lagarrigue’s Nacira 47  Prétexte 2  , first yesterday, wasn’t far behind in sixth place. In IRC 2, it was  Arja’s Melges 32 Fremito  that won ahead of the J133  Jwow , a fine example of the diversity in this category which has 25 entries. Finally, a clean sweep for the three Farr 30s which dominated the podium in IRC3, with the Swedish  Letto di Pletto  in first place. Maxis: NorthStar III puts the fleet in a tight race. Just like yesterday, when Maxis 2, 3, and 4 set off on a coastal race towards Cavalaire, the regatta not to be missed in Pampelonne Bay was that of the Maxi 1s, the 13 boats competing for the Edmond de Rothschild Trophy. Since the Porto Cervo World Championships and yesterday’s first race, we’ve known about the Maxi GP  Northstar III’s ease  in light winds.  Today’s regatta, held in 15 to 20 knots of wind, will serve as a prime example. Because in these conditions, seemingly less advantageous for the Judel-Vrolijk design, it holds its own against the larger, more streamlined Maxis, and downwind, it sails lower and faster… As a result, after one lap, Peter Dubens’ new 76-foot Maxi took the lead and never relinquished it. No need for complex corrected time calculations; it wins in real time against much larger boats! Suffice it to say, this prototype, which looks more like a large TP 52 than a classic Maxi, is making the competition look outdated.  The secret? ”  A whole set of parameters,  ” Wouter Verbraak, who handles onboard strategy, told us yesterday. ”  There’s this keel that we angle to the minimum, which gives us downforce without the weight and drag of an additional daggerboard, the aerodynamic package with the rotating mast, and the sloping deck.  ”  Longer but much heavier, the larger Maxis, like the Wallycento  V,  can nevertheless take solace in having beaten the other GP Maxis today, and it’s  Capricorno , another Judel Vrolijk design, that takes second place. In total, three races were held today. Trouble is brewing among the J class.
 

The waves had better watch out as the J-Class yachts passed through Pampelonne Bay, where 15-20 knots of easterly wind had churned up the water. Spectators and photographers were thrilled to see the 180-ton J-Class yachts slice through the sea with their seemingly endless bows that so beautifully dampen the pitching. The snap of  Svea ‘s genoa hook just after the starting gun  , however, served as a reminder that this grace conceals titanic forces at play. 
After the withdrawal of yesterday’s winner, the race came down to a match race between  Rainbow  and  Hanuman . And what a match race it was! Over a leg of nearly 3 miles, the crews executed around twenty tacks! You attack? I’ll cover you!  Hanuman  controlled the proceedings until the windward mark and throughout the downwind leg, where stabilizing the 600 m² symmetrical spinnakers was clearly no easy feat. After a marking error at the leeward gate and a botched spinnaker drop, Peter Harrison’s team let  Rainbow pull away  , who won their first race. Revenge was sought in race number 2 where  Hanuman  took the victory.
Three races in two days and three different winners – these J-Class yachts certainly haven’t aged a day!

3 questions for Paul Cayard
. A regular at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, the multiple America’s Cup finalist and winner of the 1997 Whitbread Round the World Race, Paul Cayard is the tactician of the ClubSwan 80  My Song . The American, speaking excellent French, discusses the challenges of the Maxi 1 regatta, which he finished in sixth place today…

What is your first memory of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez?
I first came in 1993; I was skippering  Tuiga . It was the Nioulargue back then, and it remains a unique regatta with all those beautiful classic sailboats mingling with the racing boats. It’s a great gathering of very good sailors at the end of the season, the weather is perfect, and Saint-Tropez is as charming as ever. The day before yesterday, we saw the J-Class boats training. I had the opportunity to go aboard  Endeavour once ; they are extraordinary boats, sailed from bow to stern, still as beautiful as ever.

You’re racing on My Song in the Maxi 1 class. How does the boat compare to the rest of the fleet?
There are large 100-foot boats like  Magic Carpet, Galateia, or  VWe race against them all year round, but we’re only 25 meters long. They’re a bit faster than us, and you have to sail a little differently than in a regatta with equal equipment, trying not to get boxed in. What makes things even more complicated this year is the presence of the three Maxi GPs, which are real racing machines, more suited to regattas than we are. So, it’s not going to be easy to win!

You’re in charge of tactics, so everything rests a bit on your shoulders?
A bit, yes (Laughs). I’m not at the helm since the IMA (International Maritime Federation) requires the owner-helmsman rule. So, I’m in charge of tactics. We’ll have to make the right choices and be a bit clever to hope for good results. Sometimes we’re forced to go where we shouldn’t go, just to avoid being in direct contact with the faster boats. It’s quite unusual, but we have a lot of fun on board; it’s always great to come here to have some good regattas.

Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2026 Program
Tuesday, September 29  : Maxi, Modern and Classic Regattas, including the Rolex Trophy 
Wednesday, September 30  : Regattas for Modern and Classic yachts, 
including the Rolex Trophy
Day Off for Maxis, Club 55 Maxi Yachts Cup
Thursday ,  October ¹  : Club 55 Cup, Gstaad Yacht Club des Centenaires Trophy (staggered starts), Challenge Day for Modern and Classic yachts, Wallynano37 Challenge
Regatta for Maxis
Friday, October 2  : Maxi, Modern and Classic Regattas, including the Rolex Trophy
Saturday, October 3:  Maxi, Modern and Classic Regattas, including the Rolex Trophy, 
Prize-giving ceremony for Maxis including the Edmond de Rothschild Trophy 
Presentation of the Rolex Trophy
Sunday, October 4  : Prize-giving ceremony for Modern and Classic yachts including the BMW Trophy and other Trophies Special Partners.

Partners of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez: Major Partner : Rolex; Premium Partners: BMW, Edmond de Rothschild ; Preferred Partners: Wally , Suzuki, Marine , Brig; Associate Partners : VSC Corporate Recovery Consulting, Port des Marines de Cogolin, North Sails; Suppliers : Mercantour Events , Byblos , Pépinière du Golfe, Champagne Barons de Rothschild,  Château Saint-Maur , Cru Classe Maîtres Vignerons de la Presqu’île de Saint-Tropez, Tikamoon , L’Ecole du Luxe ; Institutional Partners of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez:  City of Saint-Tropez, Port of Saint-Tropez,  Saint-Tropez Tourism