Heirs to the Nioulargue, the Voiles de Saint-Tropez express an exceptional alchemy, a combination of the pleasure of sailing and an innate sense of celebration. Patrice de Colmont, director of Club 55 and founder of the event, and André Beaufils, Past-President of the SNST, testify.

It is said that the origin of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez lies in a meeting that took place over thirty years ago. How did it all start?

Patrice de Colmont. By a happy coincidence! At the end of September 1981, an American couple with a competition Swan stayed in Saint-Tropez after having competed in the Swan Cup in Porto Cervo. They took part in a few regattas at the SNST, got to know some people and, one day, while the owner was talking about his successes in regattas, the 12 Meter Ikra entered the port. Someone said, “What about Ikra, do you think you could beat her? Immediate answer: “Why not, if Ikra accepts the challenge. I immediately ran to Jean Laurain, skipper of Ikra, who agreed to go out for a regatta the next day. That’s how it all started, with a crazy challenge between a Swan 44 and a 12 Meter JI!

It was already the alliance of the ancient and the modern. What was the outcome of the fight?

Patrice de Colmont. On the morning of the departure, with a friend, we want to buy a marine map to define the route. But we find it too expensive and we fall back on a road map where we pencil in the blue zone marked “golfe de Saint-Tropez”! The start is given in front of the Portalet tower, we turn the buoy of the Nioulargue shoal and the finish is judged in front of my house, at the Club 55, where a big table is waiting for everyone. Ikra comes first, well ahead of Pride, the Swan 44, but all that is secondary. The crews have lunch together and, as a trophy, I present the winner with a silver compotier from the French Navy’s crockery. The atmosphere is in full swing when the correspondent of Var Matin arrives and asks who these people are who seem to be having so much fun. I explain to him that it is a regatta. “Ah! What regatta?” I answer : “But… the Club 55 Cup !” and the crews add to this by declaring : “It was very hard, a high level challenge, we will have our revenge next year”, etc. The next day, the headline in Var Matin: “A new America’s Cup is born!

And that was enough to launch the event?

Patrice de Colmont. No, of course not. We had almost forgotten all about it when, the following September, in 1982, our American friend insisted on taking his revenge and other boats wanted to join the challenge. So a second edition was organised with a few disparate boats including, among others, the one-tonner Fantomas, Queen of Sheeba, a Belgian boat, Helisara and also Bourru III, an old auric cutter and the only classic boat of this second edition. The prize-giving ceremony was once again the occasion for a joyful mix of genres between the mayor awarding the town medal and the Belgians winning their weight in potatoes. I think there was even a pumpkin as a prize! That’s when a friend of ours, Gouédard, arrived, someone who was quite determined and who told us: “If there are no maxis, your thing is not a regatta! We looked at each other, for a moment dumbfounded, and we said to each other without really knowing what it was all about: “If that’s all there is, we’ll invite maxis.”

But it was a very organised class at the time, a very closed club. How did you go about it?

Patrice de Colmont. According to the first information obtained, it was unthinkable to make them come, so the biggest bluffing operation in world yachting began. A telex was sent to the Aga Khan, president of the Costa Smeralda Yacht Club where the second round of the Maxi World Championship was taking place, saying: “The Yacht Club of Saint-Tropez (which did not exist!) would like to present its regatta programme to the Maxi owners, could you organise a meeting? Twenty-four hours later, we had an appointment. Serge Krasnianski, whose firm Kiss was making a name for itself, lent us his jet for a small group to fly to Sardinia. There we told our little story and were courteously turned away by the skippers. Before leaving, after having offered the owners all sorts of trinkets, polo shirts, cases of wine, cigars with the Nioulargue coat of arms, we organised a surprise breakfast for two hundred people on the very pontoon where the maxi yachts were moored in order to treat all the crews. Then we left, leaving the guys intrigued and very impressed.

It still looked like a failure…

Patrice de Colmont. Wait a minute! A few weeks later, we learn that the maxi Mistress Quickly is pointing her bow in the bay to have her electronics repaired in Port-Grimaud. Immediately we head over there and give them a hell of a welcome. To give you an idea of the atmosphere, when one of the crew complains about the noise of the clock in the bell tower which strikes every hour, Gouédard does not make one or two moves, rushes up the bell tower with his bare hands and blocks the hands by twisting them in place. Like that,” he said, “you’ll sleep in peace! The guys thought they had landed in a madhouse! Then they were invited to Saint-Tropez and the game consisted in keeping them there by organising a continuous party, dinners, crazy nights, bowls tournaments, anything. That’s when we created a new tradition: the Australian breakfast, beer and croissants at eight in the morning! Then Midnight Sun came along and we heard that Christian de Galéa, who had just released a new EP, was planning to come and run. As a result, the guys from Midnight are tempted to race as well and things get serious. Two boats, that made us a class, a cup… It was won! We ended up with four Maxis side by side in the harbour and, at the end of the race, François Carn, the class secretary, came to tell us that the Nioulargue would be included in the official Maxi class calendar from the following year.

But what was the idea behind it all?

Patrice de Colmont. To have fun! Only to have fun! We all worked like crazy during the summer season and when October 1st came around, it was a break. We wanted to use Saint-Tropez for our own pleasure and the regattas gave us a pretext to have a real party which was not glitter and artifice but where people could find genuine pleasure. We had no commercial goals and all extravagances were welcome! I compare the first Nioulargue to the annual lumberjack festival in the forests of the Great North. It’s about who can chop down their tree the fastest while the children tug on the rope and the women compete to produce the best blueberry pie! It was the same for us, but around the sea.

André Beaufils. It’s true, the sea was more important than sailing and, from 1984 onwards, categories were invented such as the “sea-explorers”, the “tropéziens-travailers”, the “tropéziens-marconi” to constitute classes where everyone was admitted. The parades, the disguises, the water games at the entrance to the port with the girls in their gêpières – the famous “girelles” -, the bowls competitions, all this was added spontaneously. Everything was good to have fun, people wanted to see something else, to have memories in their heads, to share all the ingredients to have a good time together. That said, the Nioulargue quickly gained an international audience and gave an unprecedented boost to restorations. Classic yachts developed thanks to people like Albert Obrist who started to dig into the archives to rebuild boats to their original condition. It was with successive editions that we saw the return of boats with authentic rigs. It was a complete change of mentality because it was also necessary to find and train crews to handle them.

The fatal accident in 1995 between the schooner Mariette and the 6 MJI Taos Brett marked the end of the Nioulargue and a certain state of mind. How did the Voiles de Saint-Tropez come about?

André Beaufils. After the accident there was a court case and the event was suspended until the judgement was handed down. However, the participants had become accustomed to meeting and for some years there was an end-of-season regatta for modern boats and a spontaneous gathering, without regattas, for the classics. In 1999, when the procedure was completed, the SNST was faced with a dilemma: to abandon everything or to continue. But the town, the sailors, and the local economic players were pushing for a revival. This is how, thanks to Thierry Catino, then president of the SNST, the Voiles de Saint-Tropez was born. Today, we welcome about three hundred boats, with a roughly equal number of modern and classic boats.

But the state of mind has changed, we no longer see young girls throwing buckets of water on the crews…

André Beaufils. It is the times, the rules and the boats themselves that have changed. Today, the race instructions stipulate that water games are forbidden, whereas in the past it was rather the opposite. A lot of crews sleep in hotels, these are evolutions that must be taken into account and we can no longer have the casualness of the first editions. Above all, we mustn’t forget that it was Patrice who did all the work to bring the boats here. Today, organising the Voiles de Saint-Tropez is easy, but we have moved on.

Don’t you miss the crazy atmosphere of the first editions of the Nioulargue?

Patrice de Colmont. There is no need for nostalgia because you never do the same thing twice. One day, Annabelle Buffet, the wife of the painter Bernard Buffet, was asked if she didn’t miss the Saint-Tropez of before and she had this perfect answer: “I don’t find the Saint-Tropez that I loved, but I know that my children love the Saint-Tropez of today. Well, for the regattas, it’s the same thing. The fleet of boats has never been so beautiful, we play to full houses and we know that all the great classics that come out of the shipyard will sail in Saint-Tropez one day or another. What more do you want?

André Beaufils. I remember the wonder of Eric Tabarly who said: “I never imagined that one day I would see in real life all that I had seen in books. Personally, I have to respect what Patrice has done and I take a lot of pleasure in watching over this organisation. Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez preserves a unique character. It is first of all a state of mind that we perpetuate and we do not forget the origin of our history.

Interview by Eric Vibart – 2009

There is Patrice de Colmont who tells the story (see “How it all began!”) but there is also the team who welcomes you each year in the Press Room. She has summarised the whole history of the Voiles in a few paragraphs. Read on:

here are evenings when one has ideas… of genius. It all started on September 29th 1981, when a challenge without much sporting interest, except to defend a sailor’s honour, was launched between Pride, Dick Jason’s American Swan 44, and Ikra, the 12M JI skippered by Jean Lorrain. The challenge could not have been simpler: start at the foot of the village of Saint-Tropez at the Tour du Portalet, turn the mark of the Nioulargo (which means “nest of the sea” in Provençal) and arrive in front of the restaurant, the “Club 55”, located on the beach of Pampelonne. If for the anecdote, Ikra won before Pride, for the history, this challenge gave birth, thanks to the spontaneity and the enthusiasm of Patrice de Colmont, to the “Club 55 Cup”.

And from this regatta was born a unique event, a gathering of its own that would allow ordinary racing boats to race with prestigious maxi yachts, ultra-sophisticated prototypes with classic yachts with histories as long as days without wind. The incomparable and inimitable Nioulargue was thus born and, for fifteen years, mixed the greatest sailors with owners of all calibers. Imagine that majestic J-Class yachts will be able to cross bows with the latest generation of racing boats… Imagine that the nautical jousting game, once finished, will continue as an improvised game of boules and anchovy jam on the Place des Lices…

And if the same state of mind and good-natured simplicity is to be found every year, each year will also see its coup d’éclat, its miracle or its appearance. 1984 will see the giant J Class Velsheda cross the gulf whilst Eric Tabarly at the helm of the maxi Coriolan IV battled hard against Herbert von Karajan’s maxi Helisara or against Harold Cudmore, then at the helm of Gitana.

In 1988, it was John Parkwright IV, owner of France II, who challenged other boats when the official regattas were cancelled due to the strong Mistral wind blowing on the peninsula. He just asked that the start be given and that the finish be noted. The Florida Cup (which today has become the Défis Jean Lorrain) was born and witnessed some fantastic duels such as the one between Astra and Candida or in 1992 the J Class Endeavour and Ville de Paris, then a recent challenger for the America’s Cup.

Another highlight, 1990, with the arrival of five three-masted boats: Shenandoah, the magnificent Créole, Raphaelo, Aquarius and Fleurt Je. 1991 saw three exceptional boats pointing their bows: Eric Tabarly’s Pen Duick, which came to taste the waters of the Grande Bleue for the first time, the J Class Endeavour, defender of the America’s Cup in the 1930’s, and Matador, the famous reigning world champion maxi boat, which belonged at the time to one Bill Koch.

1993 will see the arrival of the splendid Tuiga. 1995 will celebrate the return of Kentra and the arrival of Mariette. For the anecdote, it should be known that during the shooting of the mythical film “And God created woman”, Brigitte Bardot had spent a lot of time on board Kentra. Once again, one of those famous and magical “coincidences” of the Nioulargue!

But after so many years of success and recognition, the sixteenth edition was to suffer a tragedy. A collision between Mariette and a 6M JI, Taos Brett IV, put the event in mourning and put it on hold for three years.

It was not until 1999 that the Voiles de Saint-Tropez took up the never-extinguished torch.

And as if by magic, autumn has regained its lights on the sails in Mylar and cotton, the challenges have once again blossomed at the corner of the counters and ball games have resumed in the Place des Lices mixing Tropéziens and sailors from around the world.

1981: Duel between the 12M JI Ikra and Pride, a Swan 44. Patrice de Colmont creates the «Club 55 Cup».

1983: The Kiaola III crew celebrates the historic victory of Australia II on the evening of the America’s Cup final.

1984: Class J Velsheda is present and the maxis impress. Coriolan IV, Helisara, Gitana and Mephisto compete for power, Eric Tabarly and Harold Cudmore are among those at the helm…

1988: Birth of the Florida Cup, a day of challenges beyond the norm that will then mark the various editions of the Nioulargue

1990: Five three-masts are there: Creole, Aquarius, Raphaelo, Shenandoah and Fleurt I. Impressive!

1991: Three exceptional boats are present: Pen Duick of Eric Tabarly, the Class J Endeavour and Matador, the reigning maxi world champion of Bill Koch. Three boats that have marked in indelible ink the pages of the yachting.

1993: The 15M JI Tuiga walks its superb restoration. Magical!

1994: Kentra returns to Saint-Tropez, Mariette appears.

1995: Mariette collides with the 6M JI Taos Brett IV. The black year…

1999: First edition of Voiles de Saint-Tropez.

2009: The 10 years!

2011: 13th edition of Voiles de Saint-Tropez and thirtieth anniversary of the original regatta: the Nioulargue.

2019: The 20 years!

For a beautiful birthday, it was a beautiful birthday! 10 years have already passed since the Voiles de Saint-Tropez picked up the torch of the spirit of the Nioulargue, and the regattas of the week have in every respect been worthy of the event. In extremely varied weather conditions, 300 sailboats, Modern and Classic, have created the most ephemeral, but the most absolute works of art, festival of colors and animated lights, fireworks display of movement and aquatic elegance in the sunny setting of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. The Voiles 10th of the name have this year again evolved in the sublime, adding regattas after regattas the weight of images and the shock of times; crossing of large auric sails in the sun, fluidity of the bows in the blue chop, great flight of spinnakes of all shapes, sizes or colors…

MODERNS

5 validated races for the Wally

The spectacular and futuristic Wally had their own “round” and their own committee in front of Pampelonne. They were able to compete in 5 races this week despite the Mistral, and it is the Wally 94 Open Season that wins with 3 races, ahead of Y3K and Magic Carpet. The giant Esense marks its entry in the “Voiles” with a 7th place.

Rambler’s efficiency

The big American Maxi “Rambler” triumphed in a group of large IRC A boats that were particularly strong this year in Saint-Tropez, with high-tech boats led by crews that often come from the biggest international regatta teams. The skipper, David Georges, had secured the services of Peter Isler (ex BMW Oracle racing) for the occasion. The talent of the American combined with the power of the Reichel-Pugh design worked wonders, relegating Velsheda to a distant second place. Niklas Zennstrom placed the large British sloop Ran on the third step of the podium. The disqualification for rule 20.4.1 (a) in race 3 cost Ernesto Bertarelli and his successful Judel “Numbers” plan dearly. The Alinghi men, despite two race victories, only finished in 6th place. The great Tp65 Monney Penny and Numbers have undoubtedly given a strong sporting coloration to the Voiles; Paul Cayard, James Spithill and other Brad Butterworth reproducing off Pampelonne the confrontations observed on the most prestigious America’s Cup race courses. It was the very first time that these boats, usually based on the East Coast of the United States, had made the trip to Europe. They were able to cross swords with the record-breaking Atlantic sailing monohull Senso One (Mari Cha IV) or Sojana in Peter Harrison.

Noteworthy in the IRC B class was the great battle between Swans and Protos of 45 or 42 feet. It is the proto signed by Mark Mills Ngoni that finally wins. But 6 yachts were within a few points of each other in this category, which had 42 boats at the start. The Turkish sailboat Mat 12, for its first participation, is ranked 9th, to the great satisfaction of its crew. Promised, they will come back.

Didier le Moal and his J 122 J lance 4 finished with a great victory yesterday in the breeze. Not enough to dethrone the First 40 ;7 Pen Khalet IX to Georges Le Troquer more regular at the top of the rankings.

The Archambault 35s triumphed in Saint-Tropez by placing first in the IRC D Rebuff with David Marco and Tchin Tchin skippered by Jean Claude Bertrand. The J 109 Albacor IV of the Tropezian Jean Louis Pézin took the third place of a very competitive group.

The First 34,7 Super Ding Ding of the Monegasque Luc van Keirsblick won on the wire against the Sun Fast Zabriskie Point of Olivier de Roffignac in IRC E.

CLASSICS

The Moonbeam III surprise

After a major refit of its interior fittings last year at Fairlie, Moonbeam III returned to Saint Tropez with a new skipper, Erwan Noblet, and a desire to shine. It is done with a very nice victory in the “darling” category of the public and the media, the big auric sailboats. The 1903 Fife plan won, with a little bit of apology, in front of the imposing and majestic cutter Mariquita and the pretty schooner Altaïr. The sloop Marconi Rowdy, already performing well in Cannes, signed a nice victory for the Bermudans in front of ” The Blue Peter ” and ” Cholita “. “Bonafide”, “Oriole” and “Pesa” produced a dazzling show all week in the “small” auricas. In this order, they dress a prestigious podium full of maritime history. Tenth in the category of “small” auriques, the brand new Fyne built in Brittany by Hubert Sagnol on a Fife design from 1889, made a remarkable debut in the waters of the Tropéziennes. There were few surprises in Esprit de Tradition where the immense Shamrock V triumphed. His eternal adversary, Savannah, could not prevent the newcomer Sagittarius from stepping onto the podium.

Bellerophon, king of the Tofinou

Nicolas Edmiston and his Bellerophon will have trembled until the end to win against the armada of 15 Tofinou in competition this year in Saint-Tropez, these small “classic-modern” one-designs designed by Philippe Joubert. “Grey One”, owned by Hervé Margolis, in spite of two heat victories, was defeated due to a redhibitory 7th place last Wednesday. Equal in points but less well endowed with victories, Bernard Vilarem placed his “Cambronne” in third place…

And also (results continued) …

Anne Sophie in Marconi B, Mercury in Marconi C, Windhover in Marconi D, Crazy life in Classique marconi B…. so many deserving protagonists on the water, who have truly made the Voiles 2008, by their sporting commitment in regattas, and by their extraordinary involvement in preserving, enhancing and promoting a sail all in elegance and tradition, a dazzling testimony of more than a century of maritime know-how….

They came to the tenth edition of Les Voiles :

In alphabetical order: Francesco de Angelis (Ita), Isabelle Autissier, Ernesto Bertarelli (Sui), Yvan Bourgnon, Brad Butterworth (NZ), Paul Cayard (USA), Servane Escoffier, Jean Galfione, Peter Isler (USA), Karol Jablonski (Pol), Anne Liardet, Philippe Monnet, Bertrand Pacé, Marc Pajot, Bruno Peyron, Philippe Presti, Lionel Péan, Bruno Troublé

The “Belle Classe” and safety at sea

Altair, Amadour, Aschanti, Eilidh, Lulworth, Mariquita, Milena, Moonbeam IV, Oriole, Shamrock V, Sylvia, Thendara and Tuiga, had all responded last Friday to the invitation of “la Belle Classe” to evaluate the work put in place by “les Voiles de Saint-Tropez” regarding safety on the water, following the proposals summarized in the Memorandum of the “Belle Classe. All are pleased with the general awareness of the need to evolve the international racing rules and to adapt them to the specificity and disparity of these yachts. Anxious to pursue this safety approach, the skippers and shipowners of “La Belle Classe” will soon meet at the Yacht Club of Monaco for a one-day seminar with lawyers specialized in international maritime law.

They said…

André Beaufils, President of the Société Nautique de Saint Tropez….

“In terms of welcoming the competitors, of what we were able to put in place to satisfy them as best as possible, I think that 2008 was a good year. The show on the water was, as always, exceptional and we did our best to adapt to the weather conditions. As far as I am concerned, I want to continue… “

Georges Kohrel, Race Director…

“We have validated 3 races in the Classic category and 4 races in the Modern category, which, considering the cancellation of Friday’s races due to the strong Mistral wind, is quite correct and satisfied the competitors. This year we had totally revised our courses and the feedback I get from the participants is very positive. Each day, we had between 35 and 40 officials on the water, to support our three race committees, and give safely 10 to 12 starts per day… “.

The 11th Voiles de Saint-Tropez was a sell-out, with all the seats in the gulf duly occupied by the 300 or so competitors of all eras and all classes that took part this year. For the 10th anniversary of this great event organized by the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez and heir of the famous Nioulargue, modern and classic yachts at their best were served by summer conditions. For 10 days, the port of Saint-Tropez, unusually crowned with huge centenarian or futuristic masts, saw the cream of the racing world converge, including some of the great names in ocean racing, from Bruno Peyron to Peter Holmberg, as well as Catherine Chabaud, Lionel Péan, Marc Pajot and Alain Thébault.

Stories of duels…

Barely 15 days after its launch at the Charpentier shipyard in La Ciotat, the 15 m JI designed by Fife Mariska is already showing great promise in terms of performance and results. Long side by side last Sunday during the Yacht Club de France Autumn Cup with her prestigious counterpart Tuiga, the first of the four 15 m JI built at the very beginning of the 20th century is already inspiring respect by her beautiful speed, and augurs great jousts to come in her category of large auric yachts. Stung to the core, in the year of its centenary, Tuiga, flagship of the Monaco Yacht Club, made a point of racing “clean”, winning all the races of the week. Another spectacular duel was the comparison on the magical water of the Gulf between the two great replicas of Nathanael G Herreshoff’s schooners, Elena and Eleonora. Built in Spain at the Marin LuxurYacts shipyard, Elena was launched on April 22 and benefited from the construction know-how of her equally majestic predecessor, Eleonora, formerly Windward.

Y3K ruthless

The impression of cold power and absolute mastery that it deploys on the water is confirmed on the scoreboard; Even if it is not the biggest of the Wally, the 100 feet Y3K did not leave many laurels to its competitors. It won without contest this week after 5 validated races. The very recent Wally 130 on board which Luca Bassini was racing, did wonders, in vain however, to take away some of its glory. In its wake the two Wally of 27 and 28.50 meters Tiketitan and Open season.

Five Pen Duick in the Mediterranean

The five boats of the legendary Eric Tabarly, all of which are called Pen Duick (the Breton name for the black-capped tit), usually based in the Atlantic and of which only one is missing (the Pen Duick IV trimaran, which disappeared under the name of Manureva during the 1978 Route du Rhum, with Alain Colas at the helm), put an end, at the Voiles de Saint-Tropez, to a beautiful Mediterranean season. The fleet, which is maintained in sailing condition thanks to the Eric Tabarly Association and the support of the Banque Populaire, sailed happily all week in Saint-Tropez. The 1898 auric cutter – which became the Tabarly family boat and on which Jacqueline and Marie Tabarly used to race – (Pen Duick), the 1964 English Transatlantic race winning ketch (Pen Duick II), the “thousand victories” schooner now regenerated as a ketch (Pen Duick III), the small monohull with “all aluminium” ballast, winner of the 1969 Transpacific (Pen Duick V) and the huge 22 m ketch, which came first in the 1976 English solo transatlantic race (Pen Duick VI), were the stars of this 11th edition of the Voiles.

Whales and balloons…

Les Voiles” is definitely attracting a lot of interest, even from the marine animal world. Two whales have indeed invited themselves this week on the “rond des Modernes” off the Cap de Saint-Tropez. The Race Committee informed the competitors by VHF. As for the port, it was visited on Saturday by two small airships that came to play a few meters high between the masts and the rigging.

Cap Horniers Tropéziens !

This was the theme of a conference given on Saturday evening by Laurent Pavlidis, academic and historian of the city of Saint-Tropez, with the expert interventions of Brigitte and Yvonnick Le Coat. The epic of the Cap Horniers who faced the so dangerous cape between the middle of the 19th and the middle of the 20th century was narrated in detail, with a particular and rather unexpected “focus” on the Tropezians, heroes of this bygone era. We could learn that the record of the crossing between England and Chile was held by Leon Gardane, in some 54 days. This good-natured Tropezian crossed the great South American cape 14 times. Today, we have identified nearly twenty people born in the City of the Bailiff who lived these extraordinary adventures between Europe and South America, even California, on board large three or four-masted barks carrying emigrants or heavy materials.

Rolex Trophy – 4 races

1- Rowdy (sloop bermudien) Graham Walker

2- Tuiga (15 m) Bernard D’Alessandri

3- Oiseau de feu (cotre bermudien) Jean Philippe Lhuillier

Paris Première Trophy

1- Pamyra ben (Morgan 54) André Gumuchdjian

2- Jethou (Mini Maxi) Sir Peter Ogden

3- Velsheda (J Class) R De Warl

Les Echos du Yacht de Tradition” Limited Edition Award

Marikita

They said:

André Beaufils, President of the Organizing Committee

“The gods of the sea and the weather were with us. Sun, wind, and a very summery atmosphere marked this anniversary edition. My great satisfaction and my gratitude goes to all the volunteers of course, but also to the Race Committee who showed absolute mastery in the management and organization of the races, adapting to the whims of the wind in all circumstances. I have the feeling that the village, in its new configuration was very appreciated. I also note that the media interest in our event is not waning, with a significant increase in the number of French and international journalists.”

Georges Korhel, Race Director

“Judging by the lack of complaints at the end of the races, I can tell that the competitors enjoyed themselves. I am particularly pleased with the spirit of independence expressed on the water by all our race committees, Modern, Wally and Classic. Whatever the wind variations, they were able to adapt independently to launch races with the best wind. The Moderns didn’t race on Monday due to lack of wind, but everyone raced every day for the rest of the week.”

Fulvio Corrente, animations on land

“The village played its role of triggering the party in town. The sailors came in droves as soon as they returned from the regattas, before taking over the town’s bars and restaurants. The new configuration, with the new press area, was very popular and we are going to work in the same direction for 2010, with improvements according to the wishes expressed, especially in terms of displaying information and results.”

Saint-Tropez wakes up still vibrating from a night of festivities animated until dawn by sailors eager to extend to the end a week of sport and festivities, in every way exceptional. The 2010 Voiles de Saint-Tropez drew to a close on Sunday at the traditional prize-giving ceremony at the citadel, where the sailors came to share a final moment of conviviality, before looking forward to next year and an anniversary edition that we can’t wait to see.

6 races for the Wally, 4 for the Moderns, and 4 for the Classics; a full house! The 2010 edition of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez will be remembered, and unanimously, as one of the most intense and successful. Perfectly inserted between Mistral and an easterly gale, the beautiful week in the Tropez area brought each day the right amount of wind, sun and sea to guarantee the holding of great regattas, perfectly fair, and suitable to compete each day on courses with varied relief. The winners celebrated today at the Citadelle of Saint-Tropez will not be challenged. The 5 IRC groups gathering the Modern yachts, the 10 categories identifying the different types of classic yachts, and of course the beautiful fleet of 11 Wallys all have their champion today, often designated after bitter nautical battles.

3 Three-masted ships on the Tropezian waterfront

A nautical festival, an exceptional gathering of more than 125 years of maritime engineering, the Voiles de Saint-Tropez also offered this year the rare spectacle of three large three-masted schooners sailing in the gulf. Atlantic (70 meters), the superb replica of Charlie Barr’s boat, fresh from its Dutch shipyard, came to greet the immense three-masted schooner Adix (66 meters), competing in elegance with Creole (65 meters), the magnificent three-masted ship designed in 1927 by Charles Nicholson.

Note the very interesting crossing on the water of Atlantic, record holder of the Atlantic crossing in 1903, with the all-carbon ketch Mari Cha III (44.70 m) which was 95 years later, in 1998. It was in Saint-Tropez, and nowhere else.

Lionheart

With the recent authorization to use aluminum for the hulls, new projects are born, based on the plans and specifications of the master Charles Ernest Nicholson and the rules of the J Class. During the Voiles de Saint Tropez, the latest replica from the Claasen Jachtbouw BV shipyard in the Netherlands, Lionheart, was built according to the research of Starling Burgess and Olin Stephens with the Dutchman Hoek at the helm. 20 large J Class were designed between 1930 and 1937. Ten were built. To Velsheda, Shamrock V and Endeavour are added today the faithful replicas Ranger (2004), Hanuman (2009) and Lionheart. Others could follow, Atlantis and Rainbow in the perspective of a great “historic” meeting in the Solent in June 2012. Lioheart has exceptional measurements, 44 meters long.

Icap Leopard3

Inspired in its hull volumes by the Open 60s or Volvo 70s that have made Farr Yacht Design so successful, Leopard 3 is a super yacht with exceptional comfort, combined with outstanding performance on the high seas. 30 meters long, 6.80 wide and with an air draft of 47 meters, Leopard benefits from a canting keel that can be tilted by 40 degrees, giving the yacht a stability equivalent to that of 200 men on rappel. Leopard has successfully sailed the Atlantic, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. A record-breaking sailboat, last summer it had to lose its attempt against the Atlantic crossing record due to a lack of wind.

They were at the Voiles…

Newcomers or regulars to the Voiles, the event is full of renowned sailors every year. The 2010 edition included, in alphabetical order: Alexia Barrier, Brad Butterworth, Catherine Chabaud, Bertrand de Broc, Karine Fauconnier, Philippe Monnet, Doug Peterson, Marc Pajot, Yves Parlier, Lionel Péan, Cécile Poujol, Mike Sanderson, Jean-Yves Terlain, Alain Thébault, Marc Thiercelin, Dominique Wavre, …

SPECIAL AWARDS :

Rolex Trophy: Ikra talent and luck

Still tied since last Tuesday, Ikra and Rowdy engaged in a magnificent duel from a distance that rewarded regularity and performance. Unfortunate in this final round, Rowdy accumulated some small mistakes and extra maneuvers, which almost cost him the final victory. Graham Walker’s genius and Rowdy’s strong performance allowed him to narrowly win the race and remain in contention for the “Rolex Trophy”. Very comfortable since the beginning of the week, even allowing itself to win with very comfortable gaps in compensated time, Yves-Marie Morault’s Ikra, skippered by Sébastien Destremau, is therefore competing against Rowdy for the title.

During the prize-giving ceremony, which took place at the Citadelle from 11 a.m., Mr. Philippe Schaeffer presented the trophy and a Rolex Submariner watch to Ikra, the winner of the draw between the two yachts with the same number of points.

“Traditional yacht of the year” prize organized by Les Echos Limited series

Avel wins the “Limited Edition” prize for traditional yachts at the Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2010. Awarded for the second consecutive year, this prize rewards a yacht that honors the values of fine yachting, quality of the boat, ethics, crew …. The winning boat of the year will be elected among the pre-selected boats during the six regattas and gatherings constituting the “Limited series of traditional yachting” circuit in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Its name will be unveiled during the inauguration of the Nautic in Paris.

Avel, name of a Breton wind, was ordered in 1896 by the Frenchman René Calame to Charles Nicholson. In 1897, the beautiful 23.50 meters long cutter left the Camper and Nicholson shipyards. Abandoned in 1927, she was renovated in the 90’s and has been sailing in the classic yacht fleets ever since. It joins the very closed clan of the contenders for the 2010 title.

Parade of crews

It is traditionally on Thursday evening that the participants in the Voiles de Saint-Tropez compete in originality and extravagance to lead the parade from the Voiles village to the Quai Jean Jaurès, in the wake of a jazz band and street artists. It is the crew of Tuiga, dressed as a Polynesian, who had the favor of the jury.

In Cambria the Club 55 Cup

It was one of the highlights of Thursday’s race, the Club 55 Cup, a challenge among challenges, which saw last year’s winner challenge a challenger on the historic and founding course of the Nioulargue, starting at Portalet and racing with a south-westerly wind towards the Nioulargue, with the finish judged at Pampelonne in front of the famous Club 55, a theoretical distance of 15 miles. The 23m JI Cambria (Fife 1927) won this year against the gold cutter Mariquita (Fife 1911). Winner on the water and on a regular basis, Cambria will nevertheless, and according to the very precise rules of the Club 55 Cup, have to leave its title of Defender next year to Mariquita. It is indeed stipulated that the Club 55 Cup cannot be won twice. So, it’s up to the gilt-edged cutter to challenge a challenger so that this beautiful moment of the Sails will continue in 2011.

They said:

André Beaufils, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez

“A superb edition, which leaves a lot of happiness to all the sailors. I would like to thank all the teams on land and on the water who did a great job. I have a lot of regrets for our friends from the sailing boats Adria and Harlequin who were victims of collision. This reinforces our idea to go even further in terms of safety. The Voiles de Saint-Tropez are above all a celebration, a great gathering of sublime sailboats, and it is this spirit that must prevail, including over the spirit of competition.”

Georges Korehl, Race Director

“We can only be satisfied with such a week during which we have validated races for all our categories in competition every day. The weather helped us a lot and I don’t remember such a beautiful edition in terms of wind and sun conditions. Just a small regret that I share with the whole organization, and which concerns a slight excess of aggressiveness of some competitors, in particular during the starting phases. However, we had tightened our safety measures on the water. We will be even more demanding next year so that no incident will tarnish what must remain a party…”

The Voiles de Saint-Tropez has celebrated its thirtieth anniversary, already, of a timeless event that sometimes borders on a daydream. This new week dedicated to triumphant and, it seems, eternal yachting, passed as if in a dream, so much so that no one tires day after day of seeing the most beautiful yachts glide across the waves, born of the desire to sail well for nearly 140 years. Beyond the rankings and other trophies, we will remember above all the beautiful communion of spirit that brought together the 4,200 or so sailors, skippers or owners who came from all over the world to celebrate sailing and to thank in their own way Ikra, Pride, Patrice de Colmont and Saint Tropez for having had this simple idea one day in September 1981 to celebrate the art of living well at sea in this magical gulf. A torch taken up today with passion, and in the same spirit, by the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez.

The breath of the Nioulargue

“We would like everyone to remember, or learn, how the Nioulargue was born,” suggests André Beaufils, president of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, “when in 1981, Patrice de Colmont, with his characteristic intuition, imagined a challenge without stakes, a regatta between a group of friends who had come to say hello at the end of the summer before the next sailing season. Initially named “Club 55 Cup”, the regatta born between two boats, Ikra and Pride, was to expand the following year and take the name of Nioulargue. A name inspired by the Provençal “Nioulargo” literally “Nest of the sea” after a shoal located 5 miles from the bay of Pampelonne and which serves as a shelter for the reproduction of multiple species of Mediterranean fish. It is also very interesting to note that it is the original regatta between a classic 12mJI and a modern racing-cruising yacht that gave its main characteristic to the Nioulargue, and then to the Voiles de Saint-Tropez: to make the boats of the last generation and those that wrote the history of yachting sail on the same water.

The year of the yawls

It is said to have been one of the first acts of President John F Kennedy at the beginning of his term of office, to make Manitou the Presidential Yacht in place of a powerful 92 foot motor boat. Kennedy loved this 62-foot Sparkman&Stephens yawl launched in 1936 and donated to the Coast Guards in 1955. Equipped with all the modern means of communication, Manitou was quickly nicknamed “The floating White house” by JFK himself. Five years after the Dallas assassination, Manitou was sold to the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship in Piney Point, Maryland for $35,000. Olin Stephens had designed Manitou based on Dorado and Stormy Weather. A trio of enthusiasts bought her and brought her back to Europe to sail in the Mediterranean. The Swedish Claes Goran Nilsson, the New Zealander Phil Jordan and the American Pat Tierney have a cult passion for their boat. The three men and their cosmopolitan crew are committed to “learning” the boat. Eighth at the end of this week, they promise that next year, Manitou will be the boat to beat in Saint Tropez.

Other “newbies” that were very popular this year were Firefly, a Dutch 115-footer designed by Hoek Design and built in 2011 at the Jachtbouw shipyard, and the revival of Skylark, a 53-foot yawl launched in 1937 by the Pendleton shipyard in Maine, based on a Sparkman and Stephens design. Skylark is considered as an evolution of Stormy Weather or Sonny. We were also pleasantly surprised by the excellent behavior in light airs of another yawl; Runa IV, helmed by Bruno Troublé; built in 1918 at the Nielsen shipyard in Denmark, (10m73), this small auric cannot deny its Viking origins. This wooden racer with a long keel was saved from destruction in 2009 by Yves Carcelle who brought it back from San Francisco to have it completely restored at the Guip shipyard in Brest.

On Thursdays, we challenge ourselves!

13 Défis, the regatta of the centenarians have, in addition to the Club 55 Cup, animated the water level of Les Voiles last Thursday, in accordance with the tradition. The race direction and Georges Kohrel, taking into account the huge anticyclone which bathes the whole country, had drawn a small course of 6,5 miles in the heart of the gulf, where a small flow of east-northeast had since the beginning of the week taken the habit of taking residence at midday. The various challengers were invited from midday onwards to set off as close as possible to Portalet, towards the La Rabiou mark, then the Sèche à l’huile at the entrance to the gulf, before slipping downwind towards a finish anchored off the Jean Réveille mole.

Mariquita and Altaïr faced each other in a titanic battle on the Nioulargue Club 55 course as part of the Club 55 Cup. Particularity 2011 – and thirtieth anniversary – Ikra, with on board a part of the original crew of the 12M and Pride, was associated to the duel. After a nice start on the right side of the race course, the scenario of the first days of the Voiles was repeated on the way of the giants who, as soon as they left the gulf, ran out of wind. The two challengers came together to shake hands. A tie in the chivalrous spirit of the Voiles was declared.

Avel wins the Rolex Trophy

The auric cutter Avel (wind in Breton), characterized by its bow with guibre and its tiller is the new holder of the Rolex Trophy. Commissioned in 1896 by René Calame to Charles Nicholson, Avel was from the start designed for racing. In 1927, the beautiful cutter fell into oblivion, and spent many years in a mudflat in England. It was Maurizio Gucci who saved her in 1990, entrusting her restoration to Harry Spencer and Clark Poston in Cowes. In 1994, Avel joined the Mediterranean Classic circuit, where she still shines. Avel is the very first auric cutter to win this prestigious trophy.

Les Echos Trophy/Limited Edition

Yacht elected Prix Les Echos/Limited Edition 2011 at the Voiles de Saint-Tropez : VERONIQUE !

Paris Première Trophy :

The Trophée Paris Première is open to modern yachts with an overall length of 16 meters or more. The ranking is established from the race ranking. Highland Fling, Irvine Laidlaw, Proto Wally

Centenary Regatta, Gstaad Yacht Club Trophy ;

Thursday is a day of challenges, and this year saw the emergence of a new idea from the Gstaad Yacht Club. Peter Erzberger, Commodore of the GYC, in a commendable desire to get closer to the world of the sea and regattas, chose Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez and its organizing club, the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, to offer centenarian sailboats their own regatta, within the framework of the day dedicated to this type of challenge, the Thursday day. The Gstaad Yacht Club offers a trophy to the winning yacht of a handicap race, according to the rules of the International Mediterranean Committee. The slowest yacht starts first, the fastest last. The winner was the first to cross the finish line under the Portalet. The Gstaad Yacht Club, founded in 1998 in the Swiss mountains, thus signs its rapprochement with Saint Tropez. The club has 400 members of 23 nationalities.

The huge fleet of beautiful yachts registered at Les Voiles includes no less than 18 “centenarians”. Victory, with a pedigree dating back to 1883, is the oldest, while Pesa and Mariquita, born in 1911, are the youngest members of this informally prestigious club.

result:

1-       Bonafide (Sibbick 1899)

2-       Tuiga (Fife 1909)

3-       Pesa (Oertz 1911)

4-       Mariska (Fife 1908)

5-       Nan of Fife (Fife 1896)

6-       Victory (Hitchens 1883)

7-       Kelpie (Mylne 1903)

8-       Avel (Nicholson 1896)

9-       Partridge (Beavor Webb 1885)

10-    Marigold (Nicholson 1892)

11-    Veronique (Luke 1907)

12-    Windhover (Hambleants 1904)

13-    Wayward (Shepherd 1908)

14-    Owl  (Shepher 1909)

15-    Sif (Hansen 1894)

The Indian summer…

The curtain falls on an exceptional sunny and windy edition

Avel wins the Rolex Trophy – The “Nioulargue” spirit still inspires the Voiles – Cascading trophies…

The Tropézien dream is coming to an end. The Citadel of the City of Bailli de Suffren resounded today with the last joyful and festive glow of a timeless week on the occasion of the traditional presentation of the Prizes and Trophies. And everyone, sailor, shipowner, skipper or owner, agreed on the exceptional character of this great international yachting event. The 14th edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez surpasses all superlatives, combining successful regattas on the water and conviviality on land. This new week dedicated to triumphant and, it seems, eternal yachting, passed as if in a dream, so much so that no one gets tired day after day of seeing the most beautiful yachts glide over the waves, born of the desire to sail well for nearly 140 years. Magic was everywhere under the warm Var sun, and everyone could place the cursor of their wonderment, from the Modernity of the great Wallys and other protos, to the elegance of the sails and hundred-year-old hulls of the traditional yachts. Beyond the rankings and other trophies, we will especially remember the beautiful communion of spirit that brought together the 4,000 or so sailors, skippers or owners who came from all over the world to celebrate sailing and to thank in their own way Ikra, Pride, Patrice de Colmont and Saint-Tropez for having had this simple idea of celebrating the art of living well at sea in this magical gulf on a day in September 1981. A full week of regattas 8 validated races for the Wally, 5 races for the Moderns and 4 for the Tradition, that is to say a daily regatta, the Voiles de Saint-Tropez were full of action, images and enchantment. The pure racers, from Sébastien Col or Damien Iehl to Jochen Schuman had their fill of strategy and tactics. The friendly rivalries born in the best spirit of yachting among the four big gold boats of the 15 mJI Class produced the expected spectacle of beautiful sails heeled side by side. Mariquita, Cambria, Elena, Thendara dazzled by their majesty, while no less than 12 groups of sailboats of different size, era and type of rigging invaded the Classics’ circle anchored in front of Saint-Tropez. Last year’s newcomers, Manitou, Runa IV, Hispania… are already becoming regulars. Once you’ve had a taste of Les Voiles, you can’t get enough. This is true for the sailors. It’s true for the public, which is always more numerous in the afternoons when the yachts return to the Portalet finish line under full sail, and which is quick to give a warm welcome to the crews returning to the quay. The 2012 edition is coming to an end; 2013 is already on everyone’s mind, especially those of President Beaufils’ teams, faithful guardians of a unique formula, of a state of mind that adapts to its time without ever betraying itself.

The “Rolex Trophy”, the ultimate challenge of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez, is absolutely unique. During all the events open to them, the largest units of classic yachts, those measuring more than 16 meters, compete for this coveted ranking. This year’s winner is the auric cutter Avel (wind in Breton), characterized by its guibre bow and tiller, achieving a double that only Rowdy, one of the last representatives of the New York Yacht Club’s Class 40, had achieved (in 2008 and 2009). Commissioned in 1896 to Charles Nicholson, Avel was designed from the start for racing. In 1927, the beautiful cutter fell into oblivion, and spent many years in a mudflat in England. It was Maurizio Gucci who saved her in 1990, entrusting her restoration to Harry Spencer and Clark Poston in Cowes. Avel is the very first auric cutter to win this prestigious trophy. For the record, this trophy, created in 2007, was already proudly brandished by Agneta, a very beautiful monohull built in 1951, along with a mythical “Submariner” watch. This 25.10 meter yacht is unmissable on the water with its mahogany hull and majestic purple sail. Then it was the Herreshoff design, Rowdy, which held the title for two consecutive editions, before ceding the title to Ikra. Built under the name Kurrewa V, this 12M JI of British origin is part of the yachting legend. Built on the same plans as Sovereign, the British challenger of the 1964 America’s Cup, it was named Lévrier de Mer in 1968 and served as the hare boat for France, the 12 M JI of the French challenge of Baron Bich for the 1970 Cup. In 1977, it was bought by the Renault driver Jean Rédélé – commonly called “Monsieur Alpine” – who entrusted its restoration to Raymond Labbé’s yard in Saint-Malo, before taking it to the Mediterranean where it experienced an extraordinary destiny. It is indeed this boat which, answering the challenge launched by the American Swan Pride, gave birth to the original Nioulargue regatta, which has now become the Voiles de Saint-Tropez for 14 editions.

On Thursdays, we challenge ourselves!

16 Défis, the regatta of the centenarians, in addition to the Club 55 Cup, animated the sailing area last Thursday, in accordance with tradition. The race management and Georges Korhel had designed a small course of 6.5 miles in the heart of the gulf, where a light east-south-easterly flow had taken up residence at midday since the beginning of the week. The various challengers were thus invited from midday onwards to set off as close as possible to Portalet, towards the La Rabiou mark, then the Seiche à l’huile at the entrance to the gulf, before sliding downwind towards a finish anchored at the Jean Réveille mole. History will remember the formidable battle between the giant Maxi yachts Med Spirit, Firefly, My Song, Solleone and Sojana. Equally exciting was the nostalgic poetry of the 8-meter boats, Aile VI, Helen, France and Rhéa. Very expected the challenge of the 15 m JI which did not fail to their reputation, heeled to the maximum and flush with the rocks in an edge to edge taking off with elegance and magic. Club 55 Cup: The 19M JI Mariquita tried to defend its title won two years ago against Cambria. A duel out of the ordinary was proposed to her since it was the schooner Altaïr which was posed as Challenger. Indeed, the meeting scheduled last year could not be completed due to lack of wind, so the captains decided to repeat it this year in the purest chivalrous spirit. And it is Altaïr who won in Pampelonne.

Blue Bird Cup: Tara Getty had challenged the Olin Stephens Argyll plan last year, and during the Challenge Day, who had won. Revenge this year, since Skylark won by 3 minutes. In true yachting tradition, the two crews met for lunch aboard the yacht Talitha, where Tara and Jessica Getty were presented with the Blue Bird Cup by actor Griff Rhys Jones.

On land, the communicative good mood of the crews… The Voiles de Saint-Tropez is also an event to be experienced on land. In addition to the evolution of the boats under sail, which can be easily followed around the gulf or the Citadel, the party continued every day in the heart of the corsair city in the morning and evening with the presence of the boats in the port of Saint-Tropez entirely transfigured by the forest of wooden or carbon masts which flourished there during the whole week. Les Voiles also offered to the Tropéziens and to the public the access every day from 9 am to 7:30 pm to the “Village des Voiles”. The open structure of more than 1500 m² hosted many photo booths, stores, embroidery, etc. around the bar, the meeting place for all sailors. On the festive side, many animations took place in the village and in the streets, with in particular the performances of various musical groups and the traditional competition of bowls on the place des Lices. The clowns of the Monegasque Circus Festival provided the animation of the parade of crews, with the famous Bagad de Lan Bihoué. A very creative parade this year in which participated a good fifteen crews…

Extraordinary Yachts : Visible just in front of the entrance to the port of Saint-Tropez, the large schooner Adix did not race in the sails but mixed her auric sails with the great Classics in the race. Adix is a three-masted schooner, launched in 1984 under the name of Jessica: it was then a three-masted schooner with two topsails (one fixed, one flying), registered in England, and the largest schooner built since the years This luxury sailboat, was built by the shipyard Astilleros De Mallorca according to the indications of the architects Arthur Holgate and Dijkstra & Partners To the delight of the amateurs, Adix was able to sail side by side with Atlantic. The water of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, bathed in sunshine and swept by a nice breeze, graciously lent itself to this singular journey through time. We remember that Atlantic was rebuilt under the direction of Ed Kastelein, who had already supervised the refit of Thendara, Aile Blanche, Borkumriff, Zaca a te Moana, Eleonora, … The Pen Duick were also part of the party, in the wake of Eric Tabarly’s beautiful cutter, a Fife design from 1898, the 4 Pen Duick in activity each day moored in front of the harbour master’s office, allowed the numerous spectators to get close to the legend of 40 years of ocean racing… 17 Tofinou, from 9.50 m to 12 meters sailed under their own flame on the classic yachts course. They crossed paths with 4 “Code 0”, the pretty retro-looking day-boat created by Yves Parlier. Another legend, Manitou, was again present at the Voiles after its first appearance last year; built in 1937 to Olin Stephens designs, Manitou (18m90) is a very elegant Marconi yawl which has the particularity of having been used by John F. Kennedy during his presidency. Exceptionally, the yacht even had the title of “floating White House”. Equipped with the latest technology of the time, it allowed the President of the United States to remain in contact with the land during his navigations along the West Coast. After continuing her career as a sail training ship, the boat underwent a major refit in 2010.

The Coupe de la Ville de Saint-Tropez; This year, it was awarded to the first Modern boat to win the points, all categories included; the Farr 30 Give me Five of the Yacht Club de Monaco won.

Traditional Yacht of the Year Award – Les Echos – Limited Edition: Eight have already been selected! Eight exceptional yachts have been selected by a jury of competent personalities to compete for the Traditional Yacht of the Year Award organized by Les Echos-Série Limitée. But there is still time to join them to participate in this 2012 prize, the winner of which will be unveiled during the next Paris Nautic. Enthusiasts and captains have until midnight on October 12 to compete for this prestigious title. Information on www.pyta.fr The eight pre-selected boats: – Chrisando – Owl – Sonda – Palynodie II – Oiseau de feu – Hilaria – Javelin – Nan of Fife

Paris Première Trophy: awarded to the first modern sailboat over 16 meters: Music, Baltic 50 Tropheminin: awarded to the first female crew, the J97 from the tropics No Limit Yacht Club de France Trophy : favorite : Lelentina, skipper Patrick Gibert Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Regatta; A day for all challenges, Thursday saw the continuation of a new idea from last year… from the Gstaad Yacht Club. Peter Erzberger, Commodore of the GYC, in a commendable desire to get closer to the world of the sea and regattas, chose the Voiles de Saint-Tropez and its organizing club, the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, to offer centenarian yachts their own regatta, within the framework of the day dedicated to this type of challenge, the Thursday day. The Gstaad Yacht Club offers a trophy to the winning yacht of a handicap race, according to the rules of the International Mediterranean Committee. The slowest yacht starts first, the fastest last. The winner was the first to cross the finish line under the Portalet. The Gstaad Yacht Club, founded in 1998 in the Swiss mountains, thus signs its rapprochement with Saint Tropez. The club has 400 members of 23 nationalities. The huge fleet of beautiful yachts registered for the Voiles includes no less than 20 “centenarians”. Victory, with a pedigree dating back to 1883, is the oldest, while Mariquita, born in 1911, is the youngest member of this informally prestigious club.

Anniversaries… Tofinou are 25 years old! Launched by the Latitude 46 shipyard, the Tofinous have conquered the fans of beautiful day-boats with traditional lines and assertive sports performance. 9.5, 12 or 16 meters, the style has been successful for 25 years already. The Sillinger semi-rigid boats with their martial appearance are celebrating their 50th anniversary! 50 years already that Tibor Sillinger played the card of robustness, power and longevity for his semi-rigid without concessions to quality…

They said:

André Beaufils, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez: “Every year I hear about an exceptional edition; I am told: “This is the best year ever! We have been blessed by the Gods, with wind, albeit moderate, and sunshine every day. If I had to express one regret, it would be that we had more incidents, minor ones as long as there is no physical damage, but between boats. The incident between Elena and a 25-meter spectator boat plunges me into consternation. The atmosphere ashore was great. The competitors played the game on land during the proposed animations. Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez is growing in a controlled way; as long as I have this ounce of power, I will work to preserve a certain idea of what I knew more than 25 years ago, to respect what Patrice de Colmont created. We owe him everything. I am content to coordinate some actions and to lead teams, to look for funding, but I am committed to ensuring that it does not become a commercial week. I repeat, the Voiles de Saint-Tropez is not for sale and our objective is not to make a profit for profit. I am delighted that the media is still very interested in our event. I am determined not to set my sights on growth at any cost. We have reached the critical size, in terms of the village and the reception of the boats. There is still room for improvement in the details, but no doubling of size and numbers”.

George Korhel, Race Director of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez: “We couldn’t have asked for more! Sun, air, and races validated every day, with all the boats classified on time. The Wallys ran 8 races… we had just the right amount of wind, enough to run races every day, and not too much to get everyone in on time and ranked. The boats left the harbor in little wind, benefited from the necessary pressure to sail well, and the wind fell each evening to allow the 300 boats to return to port without any hitch… Our partnership with Météo Consult helped us a lot; the 9 o’clock and 1 o’clock bulletins made our task much easier in choosing the courses, for the Moderns as well as for the Classics The teams on each round are well trained. I’m almost bored (laughs). All of our teams have been working together for several years, they appreciate and respect each other. We work in harmony. On the runners’ side, we get a lot of feedback. I can drink a beer in the village without being attacked (laughs). The Classic groups are running without any problem. For the Moderns, we made a group for cruisers not cut out for racing, and then we divided the boats according to size and ratings. We have done everything possible to ensure safety, but we can’t prevent some irresponsible people from running huge risks for the competitors. But we will remember this very nice edition. 5 more knots of wind, and it would have been indecent! (more laughter!) “

Jean-Pierre Champion, President of the French Sailing Federation: “The Voiles de Saint-Tropez is perhaps, and in my humble opinion, the most beautiful sailing event in the world. I have seen many, and what happens here in Saint-Tropez is unequalled. The idea of mixing the Classics and the Moderns is great and works beautifully. The contrast between the futuristic Wally’s and the beautiful 100 year old yachts is striking and very interesting to admire. There is an atmosphere in the Saint-Tropez setting, a mixture of desire, passion and respect that I really only find at the Olympic Games…”. They were sailing this week in Saint-Tropez…. Luc Alphand, Seb Audigane, Yves Carcelle, Catherine Chabaud, Jean Loup Chrétien, Robert Charlebois, Sébastien Col, Thomas Coville, Sébastien Destremau, Jean Pierre Dick, Leonardo Ferragamo, Tara Getty, Olivier Lozachmeur, Nicolas Lunven, Philippe Monnet, Lindsay Owen Jones, Marc Pajot, Yves Pajot, Lionel Péan, Jacques Rougerie, Jochen Schuman, Jacqueline et Marie Tabarly…

Rankings : Wally – 9 registered – The big Wally’s have validated 8 races.

Group 1

1- Open Season

2- Magic carpet

3- J One

4- Hamilton

Group 2

1- Genie

2- Sensei

3- Dark Shadow

4- Ryokan 2

5- Tiketitoo

IRC A – 30 registered –

1- Jethou – Peter Ogden

2- Stark Raving Mad – James Madden

1- My Song – Pier Luigi Loro Piana

IRC B – 26 registered –

1-Powerplay – Peter Cunningham

2- Spirit of Malouen VI – Stéphane Neve

3- Varuna – Jens – Kellinghusen

IRC C – 33 registered –

1-Genapi – Adalberto Miani

2- Eleuthera – Hervé Borgoltz

3- Cachou – Guy Cornillon

IRC D – 32 registered –

1- Music – Huber Ruedi

2- Music53 James Blakemore

3- Freya – Philippe Fabre

IRC E – 38 registered –

1- Give me 5 – Adrien Follin

2- Tchin Tchin – Jean Claude Bertrand

2- Just a joke – Marcello Maresca

Superyacht – Velsheda

Tofinou 9,5 (10 registered) 4 races selected

1- Jessie – Peter Dubens

2- Speed Bird – James Hudleston

3- Pippa – Edward S Fort

Group Tofinou 12

Milou – Simon Tate

Mercator – Daniel Farideh

Nomica – Alain Nocella

Code 0

1- Teewa 5 – Tanguy Legouvello

Groupe 15 mJI

1- The Lady Anne – Paul Goss

2- Tuiga – Bernard D’Alessandri

3- Mariska – Christian Niels

4- Hispania – Andy Longarela

Grand Epoque A –

1- Mariquita – Jim Thom

2- Moonbeam IV – Mickael Creach

3- Moonbeam III – Erwan Noblet

Epoque Aurique A

1-Avel – Christopher Austin

2- Bonafide – Giuseppe Giordano

3- Nan of Fife – Philippe Menhinick

Epoque Aurique B

1- Marigold – Richard Glen Allan

2- Runa IV – Yves Carcelle

3- Tigris – Paul Brand

Classique Marconi A – 13 registred

1- Arcadia – Patricia Hooves

2- Maria Giovanna – Jean Pierre Sauvan

3- Outlaw – Mike Horsley

Classique Marconi B

– Sovereign – Jacques fauroux

– Ikra – Yves marie Moreau

– White Dolphin – Yann Delplace

Epoque Marconi A

1- Rowdy – G. Walker (Herreshoff 1916)

2- Halloween – Inigo Strez (Fife 1926)

3- Emilia – Gastaldi/Sicotte (Costaguta 1930)

Epoque Marconi B

1- Leonore – Mauro Piani

2- Jour de Fête – Pascal Oddo

3- Lady Van – Don Martin

Epoque Marconi C

1- Skylark- Tara Getty

2- Cholita – Marilinda Nettis

3-Mercury – Jordi Cabau

Epoque Marconi D

1- Arrow – Phil Plumtree

2- Jalona- Luciano Frattini

3- Vagabundo II – Robbie Fabbe

SO MUCH FOR THE SAILS

Curtain down and awards ceremony for the anniversary edition

André Beaufils: “Satisfied sailors are our reward.

Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez celebrated its 15th anniversary in style and style. As a gift from the gods of wind and sea, the event provided exceptional conditions for some 4,000 sailors from all over the world, aboard 300 Modern and Classic yachts, to enjoy a full week of regattas, pleasures and conviviality. The curtain falls on Sunday after a final moment of sharing among competitors, the traditional presentation of the numerous prizes to the 20 competing classes. There were some pleasant surprises in the prize list, with the names of newcomers such as Olympian, which triumphed in the Auric yacht class, and Dorade in the Marconis class, as well as the confirmations of established names in their respective circuits, such as Magic Carpet Cubed in the Wally class, and Robertissima III (ex Ran) in the large IRC class.

André Beaufils, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez

“ A new edition comes to an end, and every year we run out of superlatives to try and convey the general feeling of satisfaction: We’ve just had a great edition. Every year, we try to improve on the little things that can be improved, and we keep finding little things to change. Competitors were able to race every day, and are satisfied. Our partners are delighted. Their guests are full of praise. All our teams, on land and on the water, have worked remarkably well, in a great atmosphere. I’m a satisfied President. At the end of each edition, we do a debriefing, and decide what needs to be improved. This was the case this year with the renewal of two of our race committees. For the future, we’re thinking about small changes to the village, if only to adapt to the harbour master’s office works that will be underway next year. We’re always being approached by owners of large classic boats, and we’re looking for solutions to satisfy as many of them as possible. We’re certainly going to rebalance the number of traditional yachts in relation to the Moderns. We’re also thinking about our categories, to respond to certain wishes. One of my greatest satisfactions is to see all our volunteers working so passionately, and in such good spirits. Those in place have made Les Voiles their own, and are keen to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Everything goes smoothly . “

Les Voiles 2014 at a glance

Classic” yachts were sailing at Les Voiles this week, duly divided into two distinct registers: the “Epoques”, and the “Classiques”, yachts born from the 60s onwards…

Grand Tradition Group

As its name suggests, this group brings together the largest classic yachts of the moment, and it’s quite natural that the immense schooner Elena of London (Herreshoff 2009) should impose the power of her 1,300 m2 of sail, ahead of Mariquita, William Fife’s great auric cutter (1911) and the young centenarian Moonbeam IV (1914).

Auric Age Group A

This year’s category brought together 14 sumptuous gold-rigged cutters, schooners or sloops, ranging from 9 to 19 meters in length, half of them over 100 years old. Faced with regulars Nan of Fife (Fife 1896) and Bonafide (Sibbick 1899), it was the newcomer Olympian, an American P Class built in 1913, which triumphed, leaving Chinook (Herreshoff 1916) to battle for second place with another astonishing newcomer, Folly (Camper and Nicholson 1907), helmed in Saint-Tropez by German Frers.

Auric Age Group B

This prestigious group, which is highly consistent in performance and considered the ultimate expression of the classic spirit, saw the triumph of the oldest yacht in the entire Voiles fleet. Launched in 1885, the auric cutter Partridge was a credit to its brilliant creator John Beavor Webb, beating off the formidable “small” but tonic aurics Jap (Fife 1897) and Lulu (Rabot-Caillebotte 1897).

Groupe Marconi A

Triangular sails and Marconi-type rigs once again put on a magnificent show, both in terms of pure aesthetics and the sporting intensity of the regattas. The American 12 m JI Seven Seas of Porto (Crane 1935) proved to be a cut above the competition, dominating every regatta head and shoulders. The fast sloop Rowdy, (Herreshoff1916) had not seen such competition for a long time. It saved the day by taking second place ahead of another sailing tenor, the famous Olin Stephens Manitou (1916) marconi yawl.

Groupe Marconi B

The Q Class signed Paine (1930) Jour de Fête and entrusted to Pascal Oddo’s expertise triumphed in each of the three races validated by this group. Johann Anker’s other Q Class, Leonore, could do nothing but hold off the Marconi sloop Sirius (Stephens 1930) for second place.

Groupe Epoque Marconi C

Another remarkably well-balanced group produced some sumptuous battles. It was the newcomer and nonetheless legendary (Sparksman and Stephens 1930) Dorade, steered by her American owners Matt and Pam Brooks, who triumphed after superb mano a mano with the no less legendary Skylark of 1937 (Olin Stephens) and Cholita (Potter 1937).

Groupe Epoque Marconi D

Smaller in size, the protagonists of this group race in full coherence between yachts born between the 20s and 50s. The 1924 May Arrow wins out over the 1946 Cornu Jalina and Sonda, a sublime 8-meter built in 1951 by Gruer.

Groupe Classique Marconi A

The big Italian marconi sloop Il Moro di Venezia fought hard all week to resist the onslaught of the Bérenger brothers’ formidable 12 m JI Sovereign (Boyd 1963) and Ikra Boyd 1964). In the end, it was Philippe Monnet who placed his 1956 Sparksman&Stephens Lys design on the podium at the end of a hard-fought race.

Groupe Classique Marconi B

André Mauric’s Marconi sloop Fantasque won ahead of Maria Giovanna (Stephens 1969) and Outlaw (Illingworth 1963).

Class J: Ranger without sharing

Four J Class yachts delighted the eyes of both amateur and expert aficionados off the coast of Pampelonne. These giants completed 4 races, and Ranger, the beautiful replica signed by Jackson in 2003, dominated head and shoulders over her rivals Velsheda (2nd) and Lionheart.

15 m JI; The Lady Anne‘s revenge

While the annual 15 m JI Trophy was already owned by Mariska (Fife 1908) even before the first gun fired at Les Voiles, the British crew of The Lady Anne (Fife 1912) made it a point of honor to round off this fine year with a victory in Saint-Tropez. Mariska, despite Pierre Antoine Morvan at the helm, finished second, ahead of Hispania (Fife 1909) and Tuiga.

12 m JI “Vintage

Four 12 m JI Vintage boats competed in their own regatta in Saint-Tropez. Wings (Nicholson 1937) won two of the 3 valid races, ahead ofVanity V (Fife 1936) and Vim (Stephens 1939).

Tofinous and Code 0

They represent the classic spirit translated into a modern version. Tofinous and Code 0 raced on the classic sailboat course, mixing their carbon sails with large cotton canvas. Tofinou 12 Camomille won, ahead of the other Tofinou 12 Milou and Aloha 2, François Bouy’s Code 1.

Modern

This year, five IRC groups were accepted on the Rond des Modernes in Saint-Tropez.

IRC A

An anthology battle between the impressive Protos Maxi 72 Robertissima III (Judel Vrolijk 2009), which won, and Jethou (JV 2012), beaten to the runner-up spot by My Song, the Nauta 84 Reichel Pugh from 1999.

IRC B

Philippe Frantz’s X Yacht INXS RD remarkably overcame a calamitous first day, to rack up four victorious races and win in the densest and most homogeneous group of modern yachts. He was three lengths ahead of a Voiles regular, James Blackmore aboard Music, the large Swan designed by Frers, and the other Music, the Baltic 590 Suisse.

IRC C

Another newcomer to Les Voiles, TP 52 Nanoq and its “all-star” crew led by James Spithill, won thanks to a superb start to the week, ahead of Tony Langley’s TP 52 Gladiator and Sébastien Petit Huguenin’s Spirit of Malouen VI.

IRC D

All the major international manufacturers are represented in this highly competitive group. Adrien Follin and Give me Five won by a narrow margin over Frédéric Bouillon and his Wallis. Michael Mueller on Pappes took third place.

IRC E

Nice victory for the A35 Chenapan with 3 wins out of 5 validated races, ahead of the other A35 Tchin owned by Jean Claude Bertrand and the Lago 950 Savoyard Java Bleue, owned by the likeable Jacky Maitre.

WALLY

A record 12 Wallys sailed on their dedicated course at Pampelonne this week. Magic Carpet Cubed was the winner, although it didn’t achieve a grand slam, as victory in the third race eluded it, to the benefit of Magic Blue, which secured second place overall, ahead of the 94-footer Galma.

THE TROPHIES

Rolex Trophy (1st Auric B-rigged Epoque yacht): Partridge

Edmond de Rothschild Trophy (1st Modern yacht over 16m): Robertissima III

BMW Trophy (Wally class): Magic Carpet Cubed

Coupe de la Ville de Saint-Tropez (1st Modern yacht all categories) : Robertissima III

Yacht Club de France (YCF) Trophy: Alcyon

Women’s trophy (1st female crew): No Limit

Partridge wins the 2014 Rolex Trophy

Having sailed a faultless course since the start of the competition, the Victorian auric cutter Partridge wins the 2014 Rolex Trophy. A great victory for this yacht built in 1885, which managed to cope with capricious weather and very changeable conditions. With victory, Partridge not only takes home the Trophy, but also a Rolex Submariner watch.

Alexander Laird, skipper of Partridge , set the tone with a win in both real and corrected time in the first race. Lulu and Jap, then in second and third place, remained in ambush. In the second race, sailed in similar conditions to the first, Partridge raised his game and won by more than 24 minutes on corrected time. Jap, then in second place, was unfortunately unable to do anything, but was now level on points with Lulu. The final day promised to be crucial for the two chasing pack. Only a slip-up by Partridge could have upset the balance.

With the start of the final race today, Saturday, the stakes were high for Partridge. Motivation was also at its peak aboard Jap et Lulu, who were hoping to push the Victorian cutter to the limit and grab the few missing points. In slightly steadier conditions, Partridge was unable to make up the 3 points, leaving Jap with the victory in this round. A victory which will have no impact on the final overall ranking, as with a 2-point lead, Partridge takes the win.

” It’s a great honour to have won the Rolex Trophy. The crew was incredible, and throughout the week we were very focused on maneuvers and tactics, as the weather conditions were not easy. I’m very happy this evening, it’s a consecration for us but above all for the boat. “confided Alexander Laird, skipper of Partridge.

As is often the case in the history of yachts built at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, the adventures of these boats include many years of sailing in the English Channel and along the English coast, before ending up abandoned on a mudflat. Partridge’s story is no exception, and it was in 1980 that the boat emerged from her anonymity and the mud of the Blackwater River. After a restoration that was completed in 1998, Partridge began a new career in the South of France, imposing her elegant silhouette on numerous events. With this fine victory, Partridge can add another trophy to its history, which is just beginning.

Les Voiles 2014 in figures:

300 sailboats

120 Classics

180 Modern

4,000 sailors

180 volunteers

230 accredited journalists, a third of them from abroad

15 TV crews

Wally : 12

Largest Wally: Angel’s Share: 35 m

J Class : 4

Largest J Class: Lionheart: 43.7 m

15 m JI : 4

Largest 15 m JI: Hispania: 23.42 m

12 m JI: 9 including 4 vintage

They said:

Alexia Barrier, navigator

“I’ve been coming to Les Voiles for six or seven years now. It’s an event that made me dream as a child, and thanks to which I got into ocean racing. I thought that if I could cross the Atlantic single-handed, I’d have the right to get on a Wally (Alexia competed in the Mini Transat in 2005, editor’s note). I started out on Ikra, then Sojana. Les Voiles are absolutely extraordinary. You come across top-level competitors and fabulous boats. No regatta can match Saint-Tropez. I sailed Cotton Blossom with Dennis Conner, and I discovered the Classique spirit, and I’ve been sailing here ever since, as well as in Cannes. When I helmed Tuiga, I discovered other sensations of power and marine efficiency. “

Sebastien Josse, skipper MOD 70 Edmond de Rothschild trimaran

“It’s great to get back into the yachting spirit in the sunshine. It gives me a break from the mounting pressure of the Route du Rhum. It’s great fun. I’m having a lot of fun on my trimaran, but why not get a nice wooden boat later on? But I’m still fascinated by the evolution of our multihulls, which we’re going to get off the ground with foils in the near future. The Mediterranean is not very suitable for multihulls, with this very short swell. I’m heading back to Brittany to relaunch Edmond de Rothschild on Friday, before taking the boat to Saint Malo.

A word from Jacques Taglang

1866, the Régates Tropéziennes party!

The fledgling Société des Régates de Saint-Tropez – celebrating its fourth anniversary in 1866 – is involved in a major event: ” The inauguration of the Bronze Statue of Bailly de Suffren” planned by the town of Tropez on Wednesday April 6, 1866. It was entrusted with the organization of the “Grandes Régates à la Voile et à l’Aviron. “

On the program: ” major sailing and rowing regattas, in which canoeists from neighboring towns will take part, and which will take place on the magnificent Gulf of Saint-Tropez, reminiscent of Naples or Brazil …”.

Only rowing boats will be honored. Sailboats will remain in port.

But all is not lost for the crews. They will take part in various festivities: “Torchlight procession with music”, “Grand parade in front of the statue of Suffren”, “Balls, Mât de Cocagne, various games on the Esplanade des Lices; Port and harbor illuminated by Electric Light”, and to celebrate the closing of the festivities, a “Grand Feu d’Artifice in front of the Port”.

A program that’s no match for the festivities organized for Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2014!

Gilles Martin Raget, the compilation…

Gilles Martin-Raget belongs to the exclusive breed of great sea photographers, men capable of magnifying every human creation with a maritime vocation, from the simplest canoe to the most sophisticated America’s Cup prototypes. In a book entitled “Vu en mer” (published by Editions du Chêne), he has compiled a collection of some of his finest sea shots, spanning more than thirty years of frenetic activity on all the world’s waters, and naturally at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez.

Seen at sea – Gilles Martin Raget ; 30 ans de photographies – Éditions du Chêne (out October 8)

Editor: Denis van den Brink

Unforgettable!

Moonbeam IV, Velsheda, Ikra, Sonny… the stars shone at Les Voiles

André Beaufils: “Better than last year, worse than next year…”.

Peyron, Blakemore, Frers, Dick, Chirac and all the others… The fifteenth edition of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez was characterised this week by its many climatic contrasts, which gave the nautical jousts a very particular relief and flavour, which the 4,000 sailors will remember for a long time. The light, medium breeze on the first day of racing was followed by a slow build-up in wind strength, offering two sumptuous days of racing in the sunshine on Tuesday and Wednesday. Although Thursday and Friday saw the wrath of the wind forbidding the races, they nevertheless allowed a few daredevils, Altaïr and Moonbeam III in particular, to pay tribute to the spirit of the Nioulargue by braving the heavy swell and gusts of over 30 knots. And as it was clearly written that these Voiles 2013 would not remain anonymous, it was on a sumptuous final day of racing, with plenty of wind, under a generous sun and on a vigorously animated sea, that the curtain came down on a play rich in emotions of all kinds (presence of Bill Jayson), exciting on the sporting front, and sumptuous in terms of the images which once again delighted photographers from all over the world. The end of the sailing season for the vast majority of sailors, whether Modern or Classic, the Voiles de Saint-Tropez was indeed the firework display they had been waiting for, the hoped-for party that sealed the friendships of thousands of sailors, who are already looking ahead to a year later, eager to reconnect as soon as possible with this unique spirit of friendship, conviviality and sharing in a yachting that is decidedly eternal.

In their own words : André Beaufils, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez: “Every year, we look for a new adjective, a new superlative to replace the previous year’s. The atmosphere, the weather, despite a windy passage, the regattas, the show, the spirit of the Nioulargue… everything came together for long, good moments of nautical pleasure. Of course, not everything is perfect and all our teams are already thinking about how to improve their respective areas of expertise. The task is not an easy one, because with 300 boats entered, and a waiting list that’s not getting any smaller, it’s hard to please everyone. But the goodwill is there and every year the miracle happens again, leaving the sailors with just one wish: to return to Saint-Tropez as soon as possible…”.

Bruno Troublé, Jour de Fête

“Another fantastic edition of Les Voiles. Jour de Fête did well (3rd) despite being a light-weather boat with flat seas. The regattas were very exciting and it’s always a delight to see so many beautiful boats, both modern and classic. I’ll be back next year with a hundred-year-old yacht, Olympian, a P Boat that won the Mackinac Cup in Chicago in 1914. This will be the first time this auric has left the great American lakes. That’s the beauty of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez: each year we discover new treasures of naval architecture…”

Bill Jayson, son of Dick Jayson, Pride

“My family and I received an extraordinary welcome. My father’s memory is very much alive here, amongst all his Tropezian friends. I was very touched by the welcome, and I’m still very proud to see how the Nioulargue heritage continues to shine through Les Voiles, thanks to André Beaufils and his teams… “

Jan Dekker, ORACLE TEAM USA et Dark Ice

“I came straight to Saint Tropez from San Francisco. This victory for ORACLE TEAM USA is obviously the highlight of my career. I’ve been coming to Les Voiles since 1999, and I sail with a group of friends gathered around a British owner, Mark Godard Watt. His boat is Dark Ice, a 45-footer designed by German Frers. I love the Voiles. It’s a chance for me to see a lot of friends who, like me, are sailing all over the world on different projects. I’m going home to Cape Town in South Africa tomorrow. I’ll be sailing the Maxi Rambler again, looking forward to another America’s Cup campaign.”

260 international journalists

During this magical week, the 15th Voiles de Saint-Tropez accredited exactly 260 journalists from all over France, as well as from Italy, Germany, the United States, England, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Turkey…

They were at Les Voiles:

Florence Arthaud, Sébastien Audigane (Navigateur Tour du monde (Orange), Alexia Barrier,((Navigatrice), Charles de Bourbon Siciles, Grace de Capitanie (comédienne), Yves Carcelle, (Ex Vuitton), Jean-Pierre Champion (Pdt FFV), Jacques Chirac, Sébastien Col (America’s Cup), Jan Dekker (Sth-Africa, America’s Cup, The Race, Volvo), Jean-Pierre Dick, (Vendée Globe, Transat Jacques Vabre), Leonardo Ferragamo (Ferragamo & Nautor Swan), Thierry Fouchier (America’s Cup), German Frers (Arg, Architecte), Bill Jayson, (Usa, fils de Dick Jayson), Bruno Jourdren (Transat AG2R), Simon Le Bon (chanteur Duran Duran), William Leymergie (Présentateur Télématin), Pier Luigi Loro Piana (Loro Piana), Sir Lindsay Owen Jones (Uk, Président L’Oréal), Philippe Monnet (Navigateur) Pierre-Antoine Morvan (Match Race, TFV), Philippe Mourniac (Tornado, All4one, America’s Cup), Marc Pajot (America’s Cup), Kito de Pavant (Navigateur), Lionel Péan (Tour du Monde Esprit d’Equipe), Eric Peron (Figariste), Loïck Peyron (America’s Cup), Luc Poupon ( navigateur + Voiles de St Barth), Ken Read (Skipper Puma, Rambler), Marie Tabarly (navigatrice), Marc Thiercelin (navigateur), Armel Tripon (navigateur), Bruno Troublé (Navigateur), Jean-Pierre Tuveri (Maire de Saint-Tropez), Marcel Van Triest (Holl, Navigateur et météo (Groupama)

Sailing Trophies

Rolex Trophy :

1 Ikra Yves Marie Moreau

2 Chinook Graham Walker

3 Lelantina Patrick Gibert

BMW Trophy :

1- Open season

2- Hamilton

3- Magic carpet 3

Trophée Silinger Grand Tradition : Moonbeam IV Mickael Creach

Trophée le Byblos : Chnook Graham Walker

Trophée GL Event Seven seas of Porto Marcus Kemp

Trophée de la Ville de Saint-tropez : Natalia (Swan 42) Natalia Brailoin, Roumanie

Trophée Edmond de Rothschild : Music (Baltic 50) James Blakemore (Afrique du Sud)

Trophée Kappa : Firefly (Proto Hoek) van Gelderen Pays Bas.

Trophée SFS : Desna (Desna 49) Suen Wackerhagen (Allemagne)

Trophée les marines de Cogolin : Turquoise (Dufour 40) Erik Aroux

Trophée SNSM : Give me Five(Farr 30) Adrien Follin

Le point sur les différents classements :

Modernes

IRC A

1 WALLYNO (WALLY 60) DE FROIDMONT Benoit

2 AROBAS (SWAN 601) LOGEL Gerard

3 FIREFLY (ONE OFF) VAN GELDEREN Mark

IRC B

1 MUSIC (SWAN 53) BLAKEMORE James

2 MOANA (MARTEN 49) VOBBE Gerrit

3 DESNA (KNIREM 49) WACKERHAGEN Sven

IRC C

1 NATALIA (CLUB SWAN 42) BRAILOIU Natalia

2 EARLYBIRD (SWAN 45) BRANDIS Hendrik

3 ELENA NOVA (SWAN 45) PLUMP Christian

IRC D

1 LA REPONSE (FIRST 40) MC IRVINE Andrew

2 PEN KALET X (40.7) LE TROQUER Georges

3 TURQUOISES (DUFOUR 40) AROUX Erik

IRC E

1 CARRINDUS (A 31) LEGLOAHEC Cyrille

2 EASY (MUMM 30) ENON Benjamin

3 GIVE ME FIVE (FARR 30) FOLLIN Adrien

Wally

1 Open Season

2 J One

3 Magic Carpet

Class J

1 Velsheda

2- Hanuman

3 Lionheart

Classics

CODE ZERO

1- BOTTES SECRETES TAUPIN Vincent

2-BLACK SOUL DOUVILLE DE FRANSSU Michel

3 – BLACK LEGEND GEIGER Reinold

CLASSIC MARCONI A after 2 races

1 MARIA GIOVANNA II  (SLOOP BERMUD) SAUVAN Jean-Pierre

2 OUTLAW  (COTRE MARCON) HORSLEY Mike

3 NAIF  (SLOOP BERMUD) GARDINI Ivan

CLASSIQUE MARCONI B après 2 courses

1 IKRA (12MJI) MORAULT Yves Marie

2 SOVEREIGN (12JI) FAUROUX Jacques

3 IL MORO DI VENEZIA (SLOOP) FERRUZZI Massimilliano

AURIC ERA A after 3 races

1 CHINOOK (NEW YORK 40) WALKER Graham

2 KELPIE (COTRE AURIQU) OLIVE Pelham

3 ORIOLE (SLOOP AURIQU) LOSTIS Jean-Pierre

AURIC EPOQUE B after 3 races

1 TIGRIS (COTRE AURIQU) BARNES Andrew

2 LELANTINA (GOELETTE AUR)GIBERT Patrick

3 PARTRIDGE (COTRE AURIQU) LAIRD Alexander

MARCONI ERA A after 2 races

1 SEVEN SEAS OF PORTO (12MJI) KEMP Marcus

2 MANITOU (MARCONI YAWL) TILLERAY Alex

3 OISEAU DE FEU (COTRE BERMUD) L’HUILLIER Jean-Philippe

EPOQUE MARCONI B après 2 courses

1 LEONORE (Q CLASS) PELASCHIAR Mauro

2 SIRIUS (MARCONI) ZAOLI Adrea

3 JOUR DE FETE (MARCONI) ODDO Pascal

EARLY MARCONI C after 2 races

1 SONNY (CUTTER) FRERS German

2 HORIZONTE (KETCH BERMUD) BALL Juan

3 SKYLARK OF 1937 (YAWL BERMUDIien) MORSE Tony

EPOQUE MARCONI D after 3 races

1 VAGABUNDO (KETCH) FABRE Robert

2 JALINA (BERMUDUAN CU) FAZIO Emanuele

3 SONDA (8 M CRUISER ) LEPRINCE Eric

GRAND TRADITION after 3 races

1 MOONBEAM IV (COTRE AURIQU) CREACH Mikael

2 MOONBEAM III (COTRE AURIQU) NOBLET Erwan

3 MARIQUITA (GAFF CUTTER) NEWMANN Georges

TOFINOU 12 après 3 courses

1 MILOU SCHOBINGER Mario

2 CAMOMILLE RS NATHAN Jean Louis

3 SEVEN BOULAY Jacques

TOFINOU 9.5 après 3 courses

1 SPEED BIRD HUDLESTON James

2 JESSIE

3 PIPPA Obe Edward

Tonic sails!

Prize-giving ceremony in the Village

André Beaufils: “Friends first!”

Georges Korhel: “We’ve been very successful.

Despite the sun’s lacklustre presence at the 2015 Voiles de Saint-Tropez, the curtain came down on an edition that featured four of the six possible days of racing. The 4,000 sailors had the time of their lives to race one last time before the winter break, among a sublimely heterogeneous fleet of 330 classic and modern yachts. The majestic Wally yachts took part in 5 windy races, while the five IRC groups took part in three. The classic yachts in the running since last Tuesday sailed two races, while the 15 m JI yachts sailed 5 races in a tug-of-war, to crown their 2015 champion, the handsome Tuiga from the Yacht Club de Monaco, by just one point. The final whistle has sounded on a 2015 edition that may have been veiled by the weather, but was once again illuminated by the splendor of the boats, and the unbreakable good humor of the festive crews.

They said:

André Beaufils, President of the SNST :

“We made the best of it. We learn something new every year from the weather, and we’ll be taking more and more account of it in the future. Initial feedback from competitors has been positive, as they understand our difficulties in the face of Mother Nature. The committees have been able to adapt to everyday problems. We’re already thinking about the location of next year’s village, which will be modified as a result of the harbour master’s office extension works. The village will be different, but of equal quality. On land, we were able to react to the weather, and the evenings were held in a state of mind worthy of Saint-Tropez. Next year’s theme is “Owners on board, friends first”. The idea is to make some owners want to come back again. I want to maintain the idea of the owner and the gang of friends who come to sail here for pleasure. In addition, the notion of challenge is important in yachting. I want to use it as inspiration to bring this notion up to date. Challenge is the essence of regatta. Owners, skippers and sailors all appreciate it for the extra adrenalin it generates, with its corollary of celebrations ashore”.

Georges Korhel, Principal race Director :

“We’ve had a complicated week, with two days cancelled due to gale force winds. We’ve adapted to the situation and are now able to validate the correct number of races for all categories. Our new courses are much simpler and easier to read, and we haven’t had a single complaint about them. No one has questioned the cancellations. On Friday, we launched the regattas in torrential downpours, and the day went wonderfully well, much to the delight of the sailors. Our teams are running smoothly and we’ve got the hang of things. We need to work on the stability of our committee boats and buoys. We’ve got a lot of seabed here, 600 meters in places, and it’s complicated to keep our buoys in place. The rankings are coming out fast now and can be found online very quickly.”

Between art and illusion

Painter and watercolorist Jean Louis Mas is a multi-talented artist from the Tropez. He has perfected an exercise that harmoniously blends illusion, music and painting. He creates works of art, preferably portraits in public, in just a few minutes on large canvases, using… glue and glitter. The whole thing is staged and soundtracked, for a highly appreciated and spectacular show. It was he who officiated today during the Voiles de Saint-Tropez prize-giving ceremony in the village, creating a stunning representation of the official Voiles 2015 poster in just a few minutes.

Awards ceremony :

The prize-giving ceremony took place at 11 a.m. under a bright sunny sky, and welcomed the actors and actresses of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez show.

André Beaufils, President of the Société Nautiques de Saint-Tropez, and Georges Korhel, Race Director, presented the various trophies in competition:

ROLEX TROPHY Classic Marconi B : Maria Giovanna II

EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD TROPHY IRC C: Vesper

BMW WALLY TROPHY : Magic Blue

Grands Tradition Group – SILLINGER TROPHY: Moonbeam of Fife

Auric Epoch Group A – BYBLOS TROPHY: Chinook

Marconi era A – GL EVENT TROPHY: Rowdy

Marconi era D – VILLAGE SPIRIT TROPHY: Windhover

IRC A – KAPPA TROPHY: Ranger

IRC B: SFS TROPHY: Music

IRC D: COGOLIN MARINE TROPHY: Team Chalets

IRC E : SNSM TROPHY : Absolutely

YACHT CLUB DE FRANCE TROPHY: Moonbeam III

TROPHEMINA: Abe – PASCALE LIGIER

PARADE OF THE CREW: The prize goes to the crews of Bernina, Rafale and Xantus.

Two races for the Classics:

Classic yachts sail in Saint-Tropez in 11 groups that are as balanced as possible, taking into account the size and type of rigging, aurique or Marconis.

For the first time, the four 15 m JI boats, Mariska, Tuiga, The Lady Anne and Hispania, competed in the final round of their championship at Les Voiles. Tuiga came out on top, just one point ahead of Mariska, who has held the title for the last 2 years.

WALLY – BMW TROPHY

Magic Blue the most regular

Although it benefited from Magic Carpet Cubed ‘s retirement in the last race, Magic Blue in no way usurped its victory; the Wallys contested 5 races, including two coastal courses. Magic Blue won three times, leaving runner-up Y3K several lengths behind. Open Season, dominant in real time, displayed its rating well and climbed to third place on the podium.

Grands Tradition Group – SILLINGER TROPHY

The great Auric sailing ships, all one hundred years old, saw victory for Moonbeam of Fife, which held off the immense schooner Elena. Moonbeam IV, a great triumph at Cannes last month, finished third.

Auric Age Group A – BYBLOS TROPHY

These magnificent cutters or sloops, between 15 and 20 meters long, are often equal in speed. The competition is all the fiercer, with Chinook, the 1916 Herreshoff design, winning by a whisker over Eva, the 1906 Fife design, and the American P Class Olympian.

Aurique B Group

The venerable little auric sloop Tern, also designed by Fife in 1897, reigned supreme over this elegant little group, winning one race and finishing second in Saturday’s breeze. The Caillebotte design, also launched in 1897, Lulu, a regular on the Tropézien podiums, lived up to its reputation, taking second place ahead of the large schooner Morwenna (Linton Hope 1914). The doyen of the event, Marigold, launched in 1892, was forced to retire due to a broken spinnaker pole and top mast.

Classic Marconi A – Ikra to extend the legend

Just off his 60-foot Imoca from Cape Town, Sébastien Destremeau led the legendary 12 mJ Ikra, the 1964 Boyd design that started the Nioulargue, to victory in a group packed with speedy racers. Il Moro di Venezia (Frers 1976), for example, despite a fine victory on Saturday, bowed out and it was the yawl Hilaria that completed the podium in a group of 15 participants.

Classic Marconi B – ROLEX TROPHY

It was a pleasant surprise to see Maria Giovanna II win this year’s Rolex Trophy from France’s Jean Pierre Sauvan. The Olin Stephens sloop came out on top of a very complete and coherent fleet of 14 boats representative of the racing yachts of the 1970s. The recently restored Sangermani plan, a newcomer to Namib sailing, took second place, ahead of another example of splendid restoration, Stephens’ “Breton” Stiren.

Marconi era A – GL EVENT TROPHY

An eminently spectacular group, the Epoque Marconi A seems to comprise nothing but potential winners – Manitou, Zinita, Eilidh etc… But it was the speedy Rowdy Herreshoff 1916) who dominated the proceedings from head to toe, with a win and a second place. He edged out Oiseau de Feu (Nicholson 1937) and Sérénade, Humphrey Bogart’s favorite Potter design, in second place, and a newcomer to Les Voiles after its restoration.

Marconi era B

A sumptuous Epoque Marconi B class, with a dozen elegant and lively protagonists. Johann Anker Leonore ‘s Q Class also flirted with a clear round, 1st and 2nd. Mignon, from the Classique Marseillais cluster, was a fine second after his two podium finishes during the week. Harlekin (30 m2 Nilson 1948) wins by a whisker from Aile VI.

Marconi era C

This group includes some magnificent and rare yawls and classic ketches. The winner, Skylark of 937, is a yawl designed by Olin Stephens. She was head and shoulders above White wings, a Bermudian cutter by Alden, and another Potter Cholita design.

Marconi era D – TROPHY VILLAGE SPIRIT

Windhover, launched in 1904, is one of the centenarians present at Le Voiles, designed by Luke Brother in 1904. She has reigned unchallenged with two victories, and leaves far in her wake Dainty, the smallest yacht in the Classic fleet at 8.12 m (Westmagott 1912). Isis, (Baldenweck 1935) takes third place.

MODERN MARCONI

This group is made up of some 23 classic dayboats, Tofinou and Code zero. Patrice Ribaud’s Tofinou 9.5 Pitch was the clear winner, ahead of the other Tofinou 9.5 Azure and the Code 1 Black Legend.

MODERNES; sport in the IRC

The most futuristic yachts, developed for performance both offshore and between three buoys, sail in the IRC, particularly in the IRC A and IRC C groups, totally dedicated to top-level sport. All five groups completed three races, in fairly steady wind conditions.

IRC A – KAPPA TROPHY: Ranger triumphs

Sparksman and Stephens Ranger ‘s J Class won the Voiles. The immense 42-meter sloop finished the week with a bang, taking second and third place on windy courses and often deep seas. The big Swan 601 Arobas is a regular on the Mediterranean podium. He took second place ahead of MY Song, who won a heat in Monday’s medium conditions.

IRC B: SFS TROPHY

Baltic 50s are renowned for their racing qualities. But Music really impressed in Saint-Tropez, winning two of the three races he sailed. He was well ahead of Russia’s Mobile 53 Anna, who held off Flo d’Orient, the Adria 49.

IRC C: EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD TROPHY

Once again, this is one of the groups with the highest concentration of top-level racers, aboard racers-cruisers prepared for regattas. Victory in this group is all the more sought-after. The formidable TP 52 Vesper sailed by the American Jim Schwartz won two races to claim the Edmond de Rothschild trophy. Prince Frederik of Denmark placed his Nanoq, another TP 52, in second place ahead of the Lithuanian XP 44 Amber Miles.

IRC D: COGOLIN MARINE TROPHY

The 40-foot yachts enjoyed themselves all week, sailing in a compact group of some 40 boats. Philippe Saint André’s A 40 Team Chalets was all the more deserving of its two heat wins, ahead of Italy’s Gian Marco Magrini on Vito 2, and Germany’s Michael Mueller on the 42 IBC Pappes.

IRC E: SNSM TROPHY

With two wins in 3 rounds, the M 36 Absolutely is a fine winner at the head of a strong group of 36 entries. The German Farr 30 Nikita is a fine runner-up, with one win to his name, ahead of Italian Marcelo Maresca on the A 35 Just a joke.

Dream conditions …

That’s it! It’s over! Nearly 4,000 sailors, a little groggy from so much light, so many exciting regattas, so much happiness shared on land and on the water, were struggling to realise today that the exceptional edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2016 was coming to an end in the mildness of an autumn Sunday. The prize-giving ceremony, traditionally held at the Citadelle of Saint-Tropez, provided the opportunity for a final moment of sharing, full of promises of an enchanting tomorrow, right here, in a year’s time. A year to recall the thousand and one moments of bravery during this dazzling week, the anthology tacks in contact with legendary yachts, in the glittering setting of the gulf. They will return, more convinced than ever of the unique character of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez, capable of bringing together so many sailors from so many different horizons in the same spirit and mood. As André Beaufils, happy President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, the event’s organiser, points out, it is they, the sailors, skippers and owners who make the event happen, and who, edition after edition, prolong the dream of the visionaries who created the Nioulargue 35 years ago.

They said:

André Beaufils, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez

“It’s an edition that will go down in the annals, in terms of the weather of course, which was absolutely fantastic, but also in terms of the constraints that were imposed on us this year with the work on the harbour master’s office and its impact on the location of the Voiles village, not forgetting the imperatives linked to safety. We can no longer organise an event like this in a carefree manner. I’m delighted with this week, as are all the competitors. That’s the main thing. Our partners have said they are happy. The Municipality of Saint-Tropez has reported some wonderful encounters, notably with Tahiti, thanks to Les Voiles. The show on the water was magnificent. The media were able to work in optimal conditions. This extremely positive feedback is the reward for all our volunteers. The village was very popular, with its trompe l’oeil windows. We’re going to keep the concept but make it wider. Our partner Rolex will be returning with its hospitality area. We’ll have the usual entrance, but with some changes.

How can we do better? I’m not asking myself that question. I don’t have any records to beat. We’ve achieved a level of quality that correlates with the event. We can change things according to external constraints. Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez is a bit like a Spanish inn; you eat what you bring! There’s nothing at stake in our regattas. The spirit must endure. We can allow ourselves a few excesses, a few moments of madness. It’s up to the competitors to create that madness.”

Georges Kohrel, Chairman of the Race Committee

“This year, it’s hard to be more satisfied! What a superb week, with superb conditions and superb racing! We haven’t had conditions like these for a long time. The teams on the water know each other perfectly; we’re making small adjustments, if necessary, so that there’s no break in the chain of skills. I have no organisational concerns about the three race committees, Modern, Tradition and Wally. It’s the skill of all our volunteers on the water that makes it possible to manage three race rounds and 300 boats simultaneously. The good weather and the beautiful boats have attracted a lot of people to the water. We have to explain to the public who come out on the water how to respect the regattas. For next year, we’re going to change the timetable to avoid the Modern rapids arriving under the Portalet just as the last Tradition boats are starting…”.

They were in Saint-Tropez

The world of the sea, regattas and ocean racing traditionally meets up under sail. At the helm of the most beautiful boats, in tactics, manoeuvres, abseiling as well as on the quays, the biggest names in sailing are present in the famous port of Var and in particular, in this year of the Vendée Globe, two competitors who will be at the start on 6 November: Sébastien Josse and Sébastien Destremeau, as well as a former winner, who will be in charge of safety for the next edition: Alain Gautier. Other Tourdumondists include Sébastien Audigane, the South African Jan Dekker, Philippe Poupon and his wife, the actress Géraldine Danon, Philippe Monnet, Bruno and Loïck Peyron (currently also in the Artemis challenge for the next America’s Cup) Lionel Péan and Eric Peron. A host of Figaro, Ministerial and other ocean class racers such as Yannick Bestaven, Sébastien Rogues, Erwan Leroux, Nicolas Lunven, Armel Tripon, Des Olympiques… such as Sofian Bouvet, (French 470 Rio team), Noé Delpech, (French 49er Rio team), Guillaume Florent, Olympic bronze Finn medallist in Beijing or the German Jöchen Schümann, Olympic Finn and Soling champion, America’s Cup specialists Marc Pajot, Bruno Troublé, Sébastien Col, American Tom Whidden and New Zealander Brad Butterworth, not forgetting crowned heads with a passion for regattas such as HRH Juan Carlos, King of Spain, HRH Charles of Bourbon of the Two Sicilies and Pierre Casiraghi, reigning helmsman of the 15mJI Tuiga.

LES TROPHÉES DES VOILES

Trophée Rolex : Moonbeam IV (Grand Tradition)

Trophée Groupe Edmond de Rothschild : TP 52 Team Vision (IRC C)

Trophée BMW : Open Season (Wally)

Trophée Kappa : Leopard (IRC A)

Trophée Pommery du plus beau spi : Elena of London

Trophée YCF : Spartan

Trophée Byblos : Spartan (Epoque Aurique A)

Trophée Jetfly : Rowdy (Epoque Marconi A)

Trophée Euronews : Maria Giovanna II (Classe Invités)

Trophée Mercantour Events : Yanira (Classique Marconi A)

Trophée Esprit Village : Cholita (Epoque Marconi C)

Tropheminin : Alibi

Trophée les Marines de Cogolin : Team Chalets (IRC D)

Trophée SNSM : Absolutely (IRC E)

The results:

The Voiles de Saint-Tropez welcomes three major categories of yachts on 3 separate race “rings”: Modern boats, Traditional yachts and Wallys.

5 groups of modern yachts are racing in Saint-Tropez, divided into 5 categories governed by the IRC. They have all completed 4 races this week.

Groupe IRC A

Ramblers 88 (George David) led the way for a long time, alternating with the other Mini Maxi, Michael Slade’s Leopard. Until Friday, the two “fighter jets” shared the victories. In the end, it was Leopard that came out on top. Lionel Péan placed his VOR 70 ‘S’ on the podium, the result of a fine display of consistency in real time. He was edged out by the immense ClassJ Velsheda for second place.

Groupe IRC B

Baltic 50 Music (James Blackmore) came out on top thanks to two fine heat wins. He beat his namesake, Alba Batzill’s Music from Switzerland, and Sergio Sagramoso’s Lazy Dog.

Groupe IRC C (Trophée Edmond de Rothschild)

This highly competitive group brings together some formidable 50 and 52 foot racers. The TP 52 Freccia Rossa owned by the Russian Vadim Yakimenko and Team Vision (Jean Jacques Chaubard) reign supreme, with Gérard Logel’s Botin Arobas in ambush. In the end, it was Team Vision who came out on top, after a hard-fought battle, ahead of Vadim Yakimenko’s Russian team.

Groupe IRC D

The A 40 Team Chalets (Philippe Saint André) literally crushed the competition with two heat wins. The J 133 Black Jack (Eric Gicquel) clung on to second place and kept Frédéric Bouillon’s Wallis at bay.

Groupe IRC E

A very tight group with no fewer than 36 entries. Philippe Frantz’s M 36 Absolutely swept all before it. The A 35 Tchin (Jean Claude Bertrand) and HEAT, Max Augustin’s Farr 30 completed the podium in that order.

WALLY (Trophée BMW) :

A record 16 Wallys took part in this year’s Voiles. They completed 6 races off the coast of Pampelonne.

Michael Atkinson and his Open Season won after many twists and turns on the final day, stealing the title from Sir Lindsay Owen Jones’ Magic Carpet Cubed. The 80-foot J One helmed by Piers Richardson was on the podium and took the 80-foot ranking, of which 6 boats raced in this group.

TRADITION 12 Groupes rassemblent l’ensemble des voiliers de tradition.

Groupe Classique Marconi Aurique : 7 inscrits

1- Yanira (Aas 1953)

2-Samarkand «5Sparksman&Stephens 1958)

3- Eugenia V (Rhodes 1968

Groupe Classique Marconi B

1- Outlaw (Illingworth 1963)

2- Argos (Holman 1964)

3- fantasque (Mauric 1970)

Groupe racer – rapides 12 m JI

1- Il Moro di Venezia (Frers 1976)

2- Ikra (Boyd 1964)

3- France (Mauric 1970)

Groupe Epoque Aurique

1- Spartan (Herreshoff 1912)

2- Olympian (Gardner 1913)

3- Chinook (Herreshoff 1916)

Groupe Epoque Aurique B

1- Kelpie of Falmouth (Sweisguth 1928)

2- Marigold (Nicholson 1897)

3- Lulu (Rabot Caillebotte 1897)

Groupe Epoque Marconi A

1- Rowdy (Herreshoff 1916)

2- Enterprise (Olin Stevens 1940)

3- Seven seas of Porto (Clinton Crane 1935)

Groupe Epoque Marconi B

1-Leonore (Anker 1925)

2- Jour de Fête (Paine 1930)

3- Carron II (Fife 1935)

Groupe Epoque Marconi C

1- Cholita (Potter 1937)

2- Blitzen

3- Fjord III (Frers 1947)

Groupe Grand Tradition (Trophée Rolex)

1- Moonbeam IV (Fife 1914)

2- Moonbeam III (Fife 1903)

3- Halloween (Fife 1926)

Classe Invités

1- Maria Giovanna II (Olin Stephens 1969)

2- Alibaba II

3- Dainty (Westmacott 1022)

Tofinou – 9 inscrits

1- Camomille – Jean Louis Nathan)

2- Black Legend (Christophe Delachaux)

3- Milou (Mario Schobinger)

Tofinou 9,5

1- Mynx – Guy Reynders

2- Pippa – Obe edward S. Fort

3_ Pitch – Patrice Riboud

15 m JI

1- Mariska (Fife 1908)

2- The lady Anne (Fife 1912)

3-Tuiga (Fife 1909)

4- Hispania (Fife 1909)

The traditional presentation of the Prizes and Trophies at the Citadelle of Saint-Tropez brought this extraordinary festival of international yachting, the Voiles de Saint-Tropez, to a close under a radiant sun. Nearly 4,000 skippers, captains, sailors and owners are now returning to their daily lives in the four corners of the sailing world, a little dazed by so much festivity and maritime splendour displayed throughout the week in the setting of the Var gulf. The 2017 edition once again delighted them on the water and on land, and now we’re going to have to be patient as we wait a whole year to rediscover the friendship and conviviality so typical of the Tropez event in 2018. And let’s not forget the seafarers’ complicity, which was particularly evident this year between Saint-Tropez and Saint-Barth: all sailors, all united. What remains are the memories, and the thousands of dazzling images of extraordinary, timeless regattas, showcasing the world’s most beautiful yachts.

André Beaufils, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez

“Naturally, we’ll be remembering the fine weather conditions that ensured the success of this year’s event. 2017 was a good year. Every year I ask myself how I can innovate to amaze on land. I have a few ideas for the 20th edition next year. The parade of crews seems to be running out of steam. We need to think about reviving this festive aspect of the event. The feedback from the sailors, both crew and owners, is excellent. It’s great to hear. The only reservations concern safety on the water with regard to spectator boats. I’m also delighted to see the level of media interest locally, regionally, nationally and internationally, with over 200 French and foreign journalists and 20 film crews present at the event. Var Matin graced us with front-page stories and extensive coverage every day. Our partners seem to be delighted.”

Georges Korhel, Principal Race Officer: “Very fine conditions all week apart from Monday, which were a little rough at times in some people’s opinion, but the wind was there! We didn’t have any serious collisions. On the other hand, there were around ten falls overboard. Fortunately, there were no consequences! I’m very satisfied with the Committees, the teams on the water and the safety, which was extremely stretched on the water by the presence of countless spectator boats that weren’t always very disciplined or respectful of the yachts racing. We reinforce our teams every year, and try to use educational methods to warn yachtsmen of the risks of getting too close to the yachts in the race. There’s a lot of education to be done. The safety of the competitors is paramount. Otherwise, everyone worked well together. There were very few complaints to the jury, which proves that everything is working well!”

They were at Les Voiles: Loïck Peyron, Franck Cammas (Babsy), Patrizio Bertelli (Linnet) Sébastien Audigane (Mariska), Sébastien Destremeau (Ikra), Christian Ponthieu (Mariska), Alain Fédensieu (Nagaiana), Antoine Carpentier (Black pepper 2), Pablo Santurde (The Lady Anne), Jochen Schuman (Open Season), Ben Ainslie (Blitzen), Marc Pajot (Tango), Marcel van Triest (Magic Carpet3), Alexia barrier (Nada), Brad Butterworth (Rambler), Jan Dekker (Rambler), Dimitri Deruelle (Team Vision), Sime Fantella (Nahima), Flavio Favini (Magic Blue), German Frers (Fjord III), Torben Grael (Linnet), Erwan Leroux (Genie of the lamp), Philippe Monnet (Lys), Thierry Péponnet (Tango), Luc Poupon, Sébastien Col (Renata), Marie Tabarly (Mariska), Bruno Troublé (Chips), Nicolas Troussel (Daguet), Vasco Vascotto (Cannonball), Tom Whidden (Magic Carpet), Pierre Casiraghi (Tuiga)…

Standings: Wally The Wallys, on their dedicated wet round off Pampelonne, put in 6 great races, alternating between ‘banana’ courses and pretty coastal stretches. 14 of these superb futuristic machines were in the running this week. The predicted battle between the 4 Wallycentos lived up to all its promises, with Magic Carpet3 in a position to win for a long time against the formidable Open Season. However, it was the ‘little’ Wally 77 Lyra that put everyone on the same wavelength, with two fine heat wins in particular 1- Lyra – Wally 77: 12 pts 2- Open Season – Wally 107: 14 pts 3- Magic Carpet3 – Wallycento: 15 pts

Modern The 5 IRC groups have all completed 4 races this week, in a very varied wind range, which has produced some fine winners. IRC A Cammas at ease in the VOR 70 Franck Cammas has forgotten nothing about handling the VOR 70. He won in the company of Lionel Péan aboard the sistership of his Groupama IV, and beat off the Maxi 72 Cannonball and the giants Rambler and My Song, making the most of the week’s windy conditions. 1- Babsy – Franck Cammas 17 pts 2- Cannonball – Dario Ferrari : 24 pts 3- Rambler – Georges David : 25 pts IRC B 1-Music – James Blakemore 12 pts 2 – Daguet – Frederic Puzin 14 pts 3- Flo d’Orient -Bernard Coquelet : 16 pts IRC C 1- Renata – Orel Kalomeni : 8 pts 2- Alizée – Laurent Camprubi : 10 pts 3- Arobas – Gerard Logel : 14 pts IRC D 1- Takaoama3 – Pierre Chartier : 18 pts 2- Vito 2 – Gian Marco Magrini : 20 pts 3- Al Dente- Hubert Lombardo – 23 pts IRC E 1- Alice – Simon Henning – 11 pts 2- Heat – Max Augustin – 13 pts 3- Expresso 2 – Guy Claeys – 16 pts

Classics: Every day, the Classic yachts were able to validate some spectacular races in the Gulf. Competing in the Rolex Trophy, the four 15 m JI signes Fife ont, quant à eux, disputé 7 courses. Grand Tradition 1- Moonbeam III — Erwan Noblet : 8 pts 2- Halloween – Inigo Strez : 15 pts 3- Elena of London -Steve McLaren : 17 pts Groupe époque Aurique A 1- Spartan – Charles Ryan : 9 pts 2- Olympian – Marc Audineau : 9 pts 3- Kelpie – Olive Pelham : 11 pts Epoque Aurique B 1- Linnet – Patrizio Bertelli : 4 pts 2- Tilly XV – Joeri Moessnang : 8 pts 3- Oriole – Laurence Rames de Moers : 20 pts Epoque Marconi A 1- Rowdy – Riendan Mc Carthy : 10 pts 2- Blitzen – Peter Morton : 11 pts 3- Enterprise – Hans Christian Schrijvers : 17 pts Epoque Marconi B – les 8 m 1- Cholita – Bruno Catalan : 8 pts 2- Carron II – Jean Luc leveque : 9 pts 3- Jour de Fête – Pascal Oddo : 18 pts Epoque Marconi C 1-Cippino II – Daniel Sieleki : 7 pts 2- Fjord III – German Frers : 11 pts 3- Comet – Marc Marciano : 16 pts Epoque Marconi D 1- Sonda – Eric Leprince : 5 pts 2- Nagaiana – Alain Fédensieu : 14 pts 2- Java – Schengili : 15 pts Classique Marconi A 1- Lys – Philippe Monnet : 8 pts 2- Eugenia V : 13 pts 3- Yanira – Andre de Leon : 13 pts   Classique Marconi B 1- St Christopher – Daria Cabai : 9 pts 2- Aigue Blu – Fabrice Garau : 20 pts 3- Palynodie II – Henri Ferbus : 16 pts Classique Marconi R 1- France – Thierry Verneuil : 9 pts 2- Ikra – Sebastien Destremeau : 10 pts 3- Sovereign – Nicolas Berenger : 10 pts Groupe Invités 1- Maria Giovanna II – Jean Pierre Sauvan : 7 pts 2- Alibaba II – Jorge Blanco : 9 pts 3- Windhover – Olivier Poulain : 12 pts Marconi Moderne 1- Camomille – Jean Louis Nathan : 12 pts 2- Jolt – Peter Harrison : 17 pts 3- Aetos – Nicolas Sihouris : 13 pts 15 M JI 15 mJI après 7 courses. Mariska is declared the winner on the basis of the number of heat wins, in this case four. 1- Mariska – Benjamin Redreau : 14 pts 2- The lady Anne – Le may Richard : 14 pts 3- Tuiga – Pierre Casiraghi : 20 pts 4- Hispania – Jose rabane : 23 pts

Yacht Club de France Autumn Cup 12 m JI : 1- Ikra – Sébastien Destremeau Groupe Aurique 1- Tilly XV – Joerg Moessnang Groupe Classique : 1- Maria Giovana II – Jean Pierre Sauvan Groupe marconi : 1- Argyll – Griff Rhys Jones Groupe Marconi B 1- Cippino II – Martin Billoch Groupe Tofinou 1- Pitch – Patrice Ribaud

Les Trophées : Trophée Rolex : Mariska – Christian Niels – 15 m JI  Trophée Edmond de Rothschild : Renata – Orel Kalomeni – IRC C Trophée BMW : Wally 77 Lyra – Jaimie Anderson – Wally Tropheminin : Stele – Pascale Ligier Trophée de la Ville de Saint-Tropez : Renata –Orel Kalomeni – Modernes toutes catégories Défilé : Asana Concours de boules : Java Bleue Trophée du Yacht Club de France : Tilly XV – Joerg Moessnang Trophée Loro Piana : Babsy – Franck Cammas – IRC A Trophée Kappa : Music – James Blackmore – IRC B  Trophée Enata : Tokaoma3 – Pierre Chartier – IRC D Trophée Marines de Cogolin : Alice – Simon Henning IRC E Trophée Le Byblos : Spartan – Charles Ryan Epoque Aurique A Trophée Pommery : Linnet – Patricio Bertelli Epoque Aurique B Trophée Jetfly : Rowdy – Brendan Mc Cathy Epoque Marconi A Trophée SNSM : Cholita – Bruno Catalan Epoque Marconi B Trophée esprit Village : Cippino II – Daniel Sieleki Epoque Marconi C Trophée Air France : Sonda – Eric Leprince Epoque Marconi D Trophée Mercantour : Lys – Philippe Monnet Classique Marconi A

Partners of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez ROLEX BMW GROUPE EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD WALLY KAPPA HOTEL BYBLOS MERCANTOUR EVENTS LES MARINES DE COGOLIN L’ESPRIT VILLAGE DE SAINT-TROPEZ POMMERY JETFLY DANONE SUZUKI MARINE LORO PIANA ENATA MARE NOSTRUM AIR FRANCE CHEVALIER TORPEZ (LES VIGNOBLES DE SAINT TROPEZ) SUN 7 GRAPHIC Organisation : Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, Président : André Beaufils Principal Race Officer : Georges Korhel Moyens sur l’eau : Philippe Martinez Gestion financière : Delphine Reusse Inscriptions : Frédérique Fantino Communication : Chloé de Brouwer Rédaction : Denis van den Brink Site internet : www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr Facebook : les Voiles de Saint-Tropez officiel Twitter : @VoilesSTOrg Relations Presse : Maguelonne Turcat Photos : Gilles Martin-Raget, www.martin-raget.com

A memorable 20th edition!

At the invitation of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, almost 4,000 sailors took part in a full week of extraordinary, timeless regattas, filled with images, emotions and memories. Enough to last a whole year, until next summer comes to the Gulf of Saint-Tropez once again. True to this inimitable spirit of sporting friendship, built around an unchanging passion for beautiful sails and beautiful hulls, the 20th edition of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez once again offered a magical blend of styles, eras and classes of yacht, in all weathers and in all languages, painting a rare and unique spectacle every day in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez that we can’t wait to see again next year. The traditional prize-giving ceremony brought together crew and rivals for the last time, in a festive and joyous communion, which already augurs well for the great encounters to come, with the 20th anniversary of the event, which will be celebrated, as it should be, from Saturday 28 September to Sunday 6 October: don’t forget these dates!

The Julilée Fife for the Rolex Trophy The highlight of this 20th edition of Les Voiles was the 130th anniversary of the Dragon, the legendary signature of the Fife family saga, which gave rise to an exceptional Jubilee rewarded by the prestigious Rolex Trophy. For the first time in the Mediterranean, 20 sumptuous yachts designed by the Scottish genius of the golden age of yachting were brought together this year in the port of Saint-Tropez. And for this exceptional occasion, schooners, cutters, auriques and Bermudians all benefited from a special departure, giving rise to an unprecedented spectacle. It was the Viola aurique cutter that came out on top, adding her name to the Rolex Trophy list in her 110th anniversary year, the yacht having been launched in 1908.

Successful “Petites Voiles” Another new feature of the 20th edition of Les Voiles was the first “Petites Voiles”, held on Wednesday in the middle of the Port of Saint-Tropez. On the initiative of Tony Oller in partnership with the management team, 23 young girls and boys aged 6 to 12 from the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez’s brand-new Pôle voile légère (light sailing center) had their moment of glory, racing Optimists in front of a crowd of Voiles aficionados, much to the pride of their families.

They said: Tony Oller: President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez “In a word: happy! I see nothing but radiant faces, and receive nothing but compliments and thanks. The racers leave delighted, with their races, the welcome, the festivities, on land and at sea. We’ve validated a large number of races every day, and we’re crowning credible winners. The party in Saint-Tropez was complete, especially on Thursday during the crew parade, when the quays were packed with people, with a carnival air. The Petites Voiles brought
happiness and pride, both to the children of the Ecole de Voiles and to their parents. A very fine edition indeed!

Georges Kohrel, Principal Race Officer “I’ve had nothing but excellent feedback from owners and racers. It was certainly a very fine edition, between two blasts of Mistral. I’d like to thank all the teams, both on shore and on the water, who organized the races, refereeing and results with enormous skill. Sailing 300 boats is no easy task. I was also delighted to see that fair play and the pleasure of sailing often took precedence over pure competition. The result is an even more joyful and festive atmosphere on the water, in keeping with the spirit of Les Voiles. The fixed line principle is now well understood by competitors. It makes it easier to get all our series into the race quickly. We’re going to work on perfecting our registration procedures, by being a hair more demanding.”

Rankings :

Wally The Wallys, on their dedicated round course in front of Pampelonne, put in 6 great races, alternating between “banana” courses and long stretches of coastline. The announced clash between the 3 Wallycento boats lived up to all its promises, with Magic Carpet3 in a position to win for a long time. However, it was the “little” Wally 77 Lyra that put everyone in agreement, as it had done last year, by taking three fine heat victories.

1- Lyra – Wally 77 : 9 pts 2- Magic Carpet3 – Wallycento : 12 pts 3- J One – 14 pts

Modern The 5 IRC groups have all completed 4 races this week, in a highly varied wind range that has produced some fine winners.

IRC A : 24 inscrits 1- Cannonball – Dario Ferrari – 6 pts 2- Jethou – Sir Peter Ogden – 13 pts 3- Wallino – Benoit De Froidmont – 18 pts
IRC B – 24 inscrits 1- Flo d’Orient -Bernard Coquelet – 7 pts 2- Phoenix – Majec Marczewski – 12 pts 3-Daguet2 – Frederic Puzin- 15 pts
IRC C – 31 inscrits 1- Gladiator – Tony Langley – 18 pts 2- Team Chalets – Philippe saint André – 18 pts 3- Dralon – Pit Finis – 18 pts
IRC D – 41 inscrits 1- Creme anglaise – John Rainger – 15 pts 2- Merlin – Serguei Chevtsov – 21 pts 3- Foxy lady – Giuseppe Gambaro – 24 pts
IRC E – 41 INSCRITS 1- Topas – Harald Brushing – 14 pts 2- Expresso – Guy Claes – 16 pts 3- Alice – Simon Henning – 21 pts

Classics: Every day, the Classic yachts were able to validate spectacular races in the Gulf. Competing in the Rolex Trophy, the 20 Fife designs put on a great show, while the newcomer St Christopher (Sparksman&Stephens 1968) immediately made her mark on the Gulf.

Classique marconi A 1- St Christopher – Daria Cabai – 3 pts 2- Yanira – Pepe Negrete Caballero – 6 pts 3- Dune – Erick Coll – 9 pts
Classique marconi B 1- Sagittarius – Frederic Lafitte – 3 pts 2- Stiren – Oren Nataf – 5 pts 3- Palynodie II – Henri Ferbus – 8 pts
Classique marconi R 1- Il Moro di Venezia – Massimiliano Sferruzzi – 3 pts 2- Ikra – Hugues Destremeau – 6 pts 3- France – Pierre Fausset – 9 pts
Epoque Aurique A 1- Kelpie – Pelham Olive – 3 pts 2- Olympian – Guillaume fetas – 7 pts 3- Marga – Matteo Tacconi – 8 pts
Epoque Aurique B 1- Tilly XV – Joeri Moessanang – 3 pts 2- Folly – François Gouillard – 5 pts 3- Phoebus – Michel Durand – 8 pts
Epoque marconi A 1- Rowdy – Thirty Goodbye – 4 pts 2- Serenade – Hugues Boullenger – 4 pts 3- Manitou – Guy Robinson – 10 pts
Epoque marconi B 1-Santana – Wendy Schmidt – 3 pts 2- Blitzen – Charles Dunstone – 5 pts 3- Jour de Fete – Pascal Oddo – 9 pts
Epoque Marconi C 1- Cippino II – Daniel Sielecki – 3 pts 2- Fjord III – German fiers – 7 pts 3- Stormy Weather of Cowes – Tarquin Place – 10 pts
Epoque marconi D 1- Aloha – Francis van de Velde – 4 pts 2- Sonda – Eric Leprince – 4 pts 3- Java – Josef Schengili – 9 pts

Fife : 1- Viola – Fabien Després – 7 pts 2- Carron II – Angelo Mazzarella – 9 pts 3- Kismet – Richard Matthews – 10 pts
Grand Tradition 1- Elena of London – Steven Mc Laren – 3 pts 2- Puritan- Simon PANDOLFI – 6 PTS 3- Orianda – Sebastiano Maculi d’Ascoli – 13 pts
Groupe « Invités » 1- Windhover – Olivier Poulain – 5 pts 2- Josephine – Marc Froeschke – 6 pts 3- Dainty – Peter Nicholson – 7 pts
Big Spirit 1- Savanah – Hugh Morrison – 3 pts 2- Sultana – Robert radway – 6 pts 3- Eugenia VII – Nicolas de la Brosse – 8 pts

Les Trophées :
Trophée Rolex – Jubilé Fife  : Viola (1908) – Fabien Després
Trophée BMW : Wally 77 Lyra – Terry Hui
Trophée Edmond de Rothschild (IRC C): Gladiator – Tony Langley
Trophée du Yacht Club de France : Tilly XV – Joerg Moessnang
Tropheminin : Moogli – Caroline Petit
Trophée de la Ville de Saint-Tropez : Cannonball – Dario Ferrarri
Défilé des équipages : Imagine – thème des Vikings
Concours de boules : Lady Jo
Trophée Loro Piana : Topaz – Peter Holmberg
Trophée Kappa : Flo D’ Orient – Bernard Coquelet
Trophée Marines de Cogolin : Alice – Simon Henning
Trophée Le Byblos : Kelpie – Olive Pelham
Trophée Pommery : Tilly XV – Joeri Moessnang
Trophée SNSM : Rowdy – Timothy Goodboy
Trophée esprit Village : Santana- Wendy Schmidt
Trophée Air France : Elena of London – Steven Mc Laren
Trophée Mercantour : St Christopher – Daria Cabai
Trophée Torpez : Sagittarius – Frédéric Lafitte
Trophée Suzuki : Creme Anglaise – John Rainger

Coupe d’automne du Yacht Club de France : Ellad – Stéphane Richer

They were at Les Voiles : Sébastien Audigane, Ed Baird, Patrizio Bertelli, Brad Butterworth, Pierre Casiraghi, Sébastien Col, Jean-Pierre Dick, German Frers, Alain Gautier, Sydney Gavigner, Philippe Monnet, Marc Pajot, Yves Pajot, Lionel Péan, Loïck Peyron, Bruno Troublé, Nicolas Troussel, Marcel Van Triest, Tom Whidden Mais aussi Pierre Cosso (acteur, La Boum) Maud Fontenoy (Fondation Maud Fontenoy) Myriam Lamarre (Championne de boxe – Stelle) Pete Townsend (Guitariste et fondateur des Who -Eva),

The partners of Voiles de Saint-Tropez ROLEX BMW GROUPE EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD WALLY KAPPA HOTEL BYBLOS MERCANTOUR EVENTS LES MARINES DE COGOLIN L’ESPRIT VILLAGE DE SAINT-TROPEZ POMMERY SUZUKI MARINE LORO PIANA MARE NOSTRUM  AIR France DANONE CHEVALIER TORPEZ (LES VIGNOBLES DE SAINT TROPEZ) SUN 7 GRAPHIC

The splendors of our 20th anniversary!

Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez spared neither means nor enthusiasm to celebrate its 20th anniversary during this long and radiant week! The weather was as sunny as it could get, and the god Aeolus himself showed up in all his forms to allow sumptuous regattas to be held as close as possible to the enchanting shores of the Var coast. As of today, 4,000 sailors and their 300 or so Modern or Classic boats head back to their home ports, dazzled by such splendor, their hearts a little tight at the thought of having to wait a whole year before renewing, as usual, at the end of September 2020, with the magic of yachting that is decidedly timeless. But before that, all day long, they celebrated the winners of this great sporting week, at the traditional prize-giving ceremony held at the Citadelle of Saint-Tropez.

Sumurun in one breath

Beloved by the general public and specialists alike, the classic and traditional sailboats in Saint Tropez are divided into 11 groups according to size, rig type and boat rating, with the aim of offering each competitor maximum fairness in the race. In the Grand Traditions group, Sumurun, the Bermudian ketch (Fife 1914), won by a single point over the 15-meter JI Mariska (Fife 1908) in all wind conditions. Moonbeam of Fife (Fife 1903) completed the podium. As for the breathtaking schooners, it was Elena of London – with an overall length of over 50 meters – which took the title, winning all the heats ahead of Naema, Orianda and Puritan.

Il Moro di Venezia in the 12m J class

Three magnificent 12 M JIs, covering a decade of the America’s Cup from the 70s, raced happily in Saint-Tropez. The Italians onIl Moro di Venezia won on corrected time, paying tribute to their runner-up Ikra, still as fast as ever in all conditions, in the hands of Nicolas Bérenger, ahead of Pierre Bausset’s legendary France .

Yanira without equal

The Bermudan cutter Yanira, built by Danish architect Bjarne Aas and skilfully piloted by Spaniard Pepe Negrete, left nothing but crumbs for its rivals in the Classique Marconi A group. Three rounds were completed, and as many victories over formidable clients who this morning had to be content with the two steps of the podium, the second going to Daria Cabal on the Bermudan cutter Saint Christopher (Sparksman&Stephens 1968) and the Lys of Philippe Monnet and Yves

Pajot.

Bermudian title at Stiren Group B

This week, Sidney Gavignet, the last winner of the Route du Rhum category, set sail aboard the Bermudian yawl Stiren (Sparksman&Stephens 1963). Well done to him, as he left Saint-Tropez as a winner, with two fine heat victories. The Bermudan sloop O’Jala II put up a good fight, winning last Wednesday. Palynodie II, the 1962 Olin Stephens sloop, took another podium finish at Les Voiles.

Kismet dominates Viola

Just as spectacular, the Aurique B Group, which brings together a number of hundred-year-old metrics, saw a merciless clash between three of the season’s most dominant yachts. Viola (Fife 1908), winner in Antibes and Cannes, had to settle for second place, as in Monaco. It was Kismet (Fife 1898) who came out on top, despite Viola ‘s fine finish in the last heat. Oriole (Herreshoff 1905), also accustomed to the top step of the podium, had to be content with third place this year.

Seven seas of Porto dominates the great Bermudans

The Epoque Marconi A group includes ketches, yawls, schooners and Bermudian cutters of nearly 20 meters. The 12 M JI Bermudian Seven Seas of Porto (Crane 1935) dominates this very elegant group, ahead of the Italian sloop Emilia Prima (Costaguta 1930) and the historic American yawl Manitou (Stephens 1937).

Cippino II strikes again

In the Epoque Marconi class, a very dense fleet of no fewer than 18 boats in the category chosen this year to support the Rolex Trophy, it was the 1949 Frers Cippino II design that repeated its success of Monaco Classic Week, and returned to Argentina crowned with the Tropezian trophies. Only once did Blitzen (Sparksman&Stephens 1937) manage to challenge his domination. Stephens’ 1934 Bermudian yawl Stormy Weather of Cowes was a valiant third.

Olympian… olympique!

The Epoque Aurique A category is always a pleasure to admire, and is made up of beautiful 15 to 18-meter-long Auric units. This year’s winner is the Gardner-signed P Class (1913) Olympian, a regular on the Tropézien podiums. Jostled at the start of the week by Ester, the Houari sloop rescued from the Baltic (Hellgren 1901), Olympian then proved uncompromising throughout the rest of the week, to logically dominate Marga (10 m Lilljegren 1910) and Chips (P 13 Starling Burgess 1913).

Aloha victorious at “petits Epoque marconi

James Mc Elroy won aboard Aloha, a 1923 Bermudian R Class (Edson B. Schock), in this group featuring Bermudian metrics and yawls. Second place went to the 8 M Sonda (Mac Gruer 1951), ahead of Java (Raymond Hunt 1938).

Josephine ‘s most regular…

Among the many groups, classes, gauges and rigs that sail at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez is the “guest” group. Comprising 6 boats, this category brings together sailboats that are regulars at Les Voiles, but are out of their class. The Bermudan IOD Josephine (Bjarne Aas 1959) was the most consistent performer during the week, collecting only wins and second places. Maria Giovanna II (Olin Stephens 1969) was second, ahead of Windhover (Luke 1904).

Les Modernes bring down the curtain on their Mediterranean regatta season

They make up the largest contingent of boats at Les Voiles, the Modern yachts, from futuristic Wallys and Maxis to fine racer-cruisers, are grouped into six IRC groups. All week long, they have been engaged in hard-fought battles, as victory in the Gulf and at Les Voiles is so rewarding. In the Wally class, Lyra confirms its position as leader and takes the

BMW Trophy, ahead of Galateia followed by Magic Carpet3 and Y3K, both tied on points.

The IRC A boats were themselves divided into 4 sub-groups: Super-yachts, Maxis and Mini Maxis. The duel of the giants was won by Velsheda in the Loro Piana Trophy for the best racer over 27 meters. The Swan 82 Kallima, the Italian Mylius 80 Twin SoulB and the Mini Maxi Vesper won IRCA 2 and IRCA 3 respectively, in the highly elitist 72-foot group.

Solte, Genser Hasip’s Swan 53, made a thunderous debut at Les Voiles by winning the IRC B class, a group of spirited 50-foot racers. It beat off the likes of Mylius 50 Daguet 2 and Music, third of the week.

Another regular at Les Voiles, this time in IRC C, is Prince Frederik of Denmark’s TP 52, Nanoq, which triumphed over a 35-strong group. It was followed on the podium by the Cookson 52 Rowdy 2, and the TP 52 Spirit of Malouen.

38 yachts crossed swords all week off Pampelonne in IRC D. Victory went to the fearsome Farr 40 Bella Donna, ahead of the French proto Albatros, and the Italian Galinari Vanessa.

The young multihull prodigy Adrien Follin also made a thunderous arrival at Les Voiles, leading the JPK Give me Five to victory in the IRC E class. The Farr 30 Topas took second place, followed by another German Farr 30, Heat.

Finally, the “small” racers in the IRC F group, made up of Marconi Modern Tofinou and Code 0, were this year dominated by three Tofinou: Camomille 3, followed by Pitch, and the German Tofinou Aetos.

The Trophies :

Trophée de la Ville de Saint-Tropez: Nanoq – Prince Frederik of Denmark

Rolex Trophy: Cippino II – Daniel Sielecki

Loro Piana Trophy: Velsheda – Rambler – Leopard 3

Yacht Club de France Trophy: Khayyam – Marc Lorgnon

BMW Trophy: Wally 77 Lyra – Terry Hui

Ima Mediterranean Inshore Challenge: Wallyno – Benoit de Froidmont

Maxi Friendly Challenge: Leopard 3 – Samuel Wright.

ISA Schooner Cup Series: Elena of London – Steven McLaren

North Sails Trophy: Solte – Genser Hasip

Trophée Torpez: Nanoq-Prince Frederik of Denmark

Suzuki Trophy: Bella Donna – Jean Marie Genneri

Trophée Marines de Cogolin: Give me Five – Adrien Follin

Air France Trophy: Sumurun – Hugues Boulanger

SNSM Trophy: Kismet – Richard Matthews

Trophée Bessarat de Bellefon: Seven Seas of Porto – Marcus Kemp

Esprit Village Trophy: Yanira – Pepe Negrete

Mercantour Trophy : Stiren – Oren Nataf

Parade of crews: Frogfoot

Boules competition: Pondoro

Yacht Club de France Autumn Cup: Pitch – Patrice Riboux

Ikra adds its name to the Club 55 Cup honours list

Already a winner during the revival of this Trophy, so strongly evocative of the creation of the Nioulargue, in 2003 and 2004, the 12 M JI Ikra will once again engrave its name on the 2019 prize list. On the tumultuous course between Portalet, the Nioulargue and Pampelonne, she won out over her challenger of the day, the Swan 53 Solte, in the light breeze and bracing chop that bathed the exit of the gulf. In keeping with tradition, the crews enjoyed lunch at the home of Patrice de Colmont, the initiator in 1981 of a challenge that has now become a Saint-Tropez legend.

Olympian wins the Trophée des Centenaires by a whisker!

At the instigation of the Gstaad Yacht Club, 25 centenarians of all sizes and rigs competed in the 9th edition of the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy. Following the “Pursuit race” principle accepted by the competitors, each yacht set off shortly after 1 p.m. from the Portalet, in a moderate south-easterly wind, for a 17-nautical-mile course to the Nioulargue and back. Lulu, an 11.43 m overall length auric cutter designed by Texier in 1897, was the first to set off, followed 11 minutes later by Viola (Fife 1908). It was the majestic Moonbeam IV (Fife 1914) that closed the line of centenarians 37 minutes later. At the end of 2 hours of pure pleasure, it was Olympian, the P Class launched in 1913 to a William Gardner design, which added its name to the Trophy. She was just one breath ahead of Viola, untouchable this year on the Mediterranean circuit, and Chips, the other P Class designed by Burgess.

Record turnout for boules competition A direct legacy of the Nioulargue’s heyday, the Place des Lices boules competition attracted a record number of teams on Wednesday evening. Somewhat overwhelmed, the organizers stopped registration at around one hundred triplettes! So 300 merrymakers competed in the shade of the plane trees on the famous Place des Lices. At over midnight, and at the end of the merry jousting, it was the Besserat de Bellefon International team, supported by numerous fans, who won the boules competition: a fine performance for players who had set off from Reims that very morning at 6 a.m.! The Tropezian crew of the X43 Pondoro, defeated in the final, was awarded the Prix Champagne Besserat de Bellefon.

They were at Les Voiles:

Sébastien Audigane (Mariska), Luca Bassani (Magic Blue), Yvon Bourgnon, Brad Butterworth (Rambler), Jan Dekker (Rambler), Dimitri Deruelle (Team Vision), Michel Desjoyeaux (Jour de Fête), Jean-Pierre Dick (The Kid), Pietro d’Ali, Adrien Follin (Give me Five), German Frers (Fjord III), Torben Grael (Linnet), Sidney Gavignet (Stiren), Nicolas Hénard, Aubin Huber (Hermitage), Marc Lepesqueux, Philippe Monnet (Lys), Bruno Troublé (Chips), Loïck Peyron, Bruno Peyron (Eileen), Tom Whidden (Magic Carpet), Pierre Casiraghi (Tuiga), Sydney Gavignet (Stiren), Marc Pajot (French Kiss), Yves Pajot (Lys), Hamish Pepper (Lyra), Christopher Pratt (Lady First), Yann Quéffélec, Jochen Schulman (Magic Carpet), Nicolas Troussel (Daguet), Marcel van Triest (Magic Carpet), Armel Tripon (Black Legend), Tom Whidden (Magic Carpet)… and also… Catherine Chabaud, Eugene Riguidel, Yvon Fauconnier…

They said:

Tony Oller, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez

“A superb week, with a wide variety of weather conditions. The sailors were unanimous in their opinion that this was a fine vintage. The new village is very popular. It has been designed with eco-responsibility in mind. The wood used will be reused for 3 years. Our partners, Rolex and BMW, are delighted with this approach. After a year of transition, I really took things in hand with a great team, because you can’t do anything on your own. It’s a lot of stress, but as soon as the village is open, the event no longer belongs to us, it belongs to the sailors. The 2020 event will last 15 days, with one week specifically dedicated to big boats. We’re working on this with the International Maxi Association. Our partners like it.

Georges Korhel, Principal race officer :

“Everyone seems delighted! No particular problems. The sailors understood that Les Voiles is a sailing festival, not a world championship. No general recall, no contact, no injuries… Everyone respected the instructions, and we worked well with the CROSS, the volunteers, the sailors… I only regret that despite starting lines of more than a mile, the sailboats above the line systematically come back on the line, and create risks of contact. We had good weather, despite two days of Mistral. We sailed between 8 and 18 knots. Very pleasant! I’m delighted with my teams, but also with the spectators, who respected our safety zones. For next year, we’re going to do the Voiles de Saint-Tropez by limiting the size of the boats to 23 m, for the Modernes, and we’ll do a second week, with the Grand Modernes and the Grand Tradition. So we’ll have courses adapted to these types of boats, with finishes and starts in front of the Portalet! We’re giving ourselves the winter to think about it with our partners.

Martin Billoch – Cippino II winner of the Rolex Trophy

“This is certainly the best edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez I’ve ever had the good fortune to take part in. The conditions were very varied. Despite our predispositions in light airs, we still managed to do well in breezy conditions. Fjord III, our sister-ship helmed by architect German Frers junior, was a formidable competitor. Jour de fête was also a tough opponent. With 18 boats in this class, it was a race within a race, and we never gave up. We’re very honored to win this Rolex Trophy, and above all very grateful that the brand has honored our class in this way. We’ll now be taking Cippino II back to Argentina after a 4-year campaign in Europe. But there’s no doubt that we’ll be back here, because this edition has been magical.

Results :

Wally

1- Lyra

2- Galateia

3-Y3K

IRC A 1

1-Velsheda -Barnaby Henshaw-Depledge

2- Rambler – George David

3- Leopard 3 – Samuel Wright

IRCA 2

1- Kallima – Youri Loof

2- Umiko – Jacob Foale

3- Valkyrie -Hubert Wargny

IRC A 3

1- Twin Soul B – Luciano Nandini

2- Flow – Clayton Deutsch

3- Wallyno – Benoit De Froidmont

IRC A 4

1- Vesper – Jim Swartz

2- Ryokan 2 Olivier Lozachmeur

3- Jethou – Sir Peter Ogden

IRC B

1- Solte – Vencer Hasip

2- Daguet2 – Frédéric Puzin

3- Music – Albert Bataille

IRC C

1-Nanoq – Prince Ferderick

2- Rowdy 2 – Howard Dyer

3- Spirit of Malouen – Stéphane Névé.

IRC D

1- Bella Donna – Jean Marie Gennari

2- Albator – Philippe Frantz

3- Vanessa- Patrizio Bertelli

IRC E

1- Give me Five 555 – Adrien Follin

2- Topas – Harald Brunning

3- Heat – Ole Augustin

IRC F

1- Camomille -Jean louis Nathan

2- Pitch – Patrice Ribaud

3- Aetos – Nikolaos Sinouris

TRADITION

Classic Marconi A

1- Yanira – Pepe Negrete

2- St Christopher – Daria Cabai

3- Lys – Philippe Monnet

Classic Marconi B

1- Stiren – Oren Nataf

2- Fantasque – Jacques Guillaume

3- Meterblick for fun – Otto Pohlmann

Classic Marconi R

1- Il Moro di Venezia – Massimiliano Sferruzzi

2- Ikra – Nicolas Berenger

3- France – Pierre Bausset

Auric Age A

1- Olympian – Philippe Oddo

2- Marga – Alessandra Angelini

3- Chips – Sébastien Bazin

Auric Age B

1- Kismet – Richard Matthews

2- Viola – Fabien Desprées

3- Oriole – Juan Carlos Eguiagaray

Marconi era A

1- Seven seas – Marcus Kemp

2- Emilia Prima – Luigi Guarnacca

3- Manitou – Hamish Easton

Marconi era B

1- Cippino II – Daniel Sielecki

2- Fjord III – German Frers

3- Comet – William Woodward Fisher

Marconi era C

1- Sonda – Eric Leprince

2-Aloha – James Mc Elroy

3- Java- Alexis Le pasteur

Grand Tradition

1- Sumurun – Hugues Boulanger

2_ Mariska – Benjamin Redreau

3- Moonbeam of Fife – Erwan Noblet

GUESTS

1- Josephine – Marc Froeschke

2- Maria Giovanna II – Jean Pierre Sauvan

3- Windhover – Olivier Poulain

Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez partners

ROLEX

BMW

LORO PIANA

WALLY

NORTH SAILS

BESSERAT DE BELLEFON

HOTEL BYBLOS

AIR FRANCE

MERCANTOUR EVENTS

SUZUKI MARINE

PORT OF SAINT-TROPEZ

LES MARINES DE COGOLIN

DERBEZ JARDINS

CHEVALIER TORPEZ (LES VIGNOBLES DE SAINT TROPEZ)

THE VILLAGE SPIRIT OF SAINT-TROPEZ

SUPERVISION

BRIG

SUN 7 GRAPHIC

TOURIST OFFICE

FRENCH SAILING FEDERATION

The successful bet of Voiles 2020 The awards ceremony on Friday evening of the second week of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2020 will have made it possible to measure the degree of satisfaction of the owners, skippers and sailors at the end of a beautiful week of regattas. It is also the moment chosen by Pierre Roinson, new President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, organizer of the event, and the new General Manager, Tony Oller, to highlight the success of a challenge far from being won just a fortnight ago, faced with the colossal constraints linked to the health crisis. The involvement of all, sailors or volunteers, partners and institutions, on land and at sea, made it possible to hold the event, and the saga of Les Voiles, begun in 1999, can continue without interruption while everyone is already looking forward to the 2021 edition. Regatta: at last!

Over 150 boats and 2,000 sailors enlivened the waters of the Gulf of Saint Tropez for 15 days. These figures are certainly far from those usually recorded with nearly 300 boats, but despite the exceptional circumstances make these Sails 2020 a reality. For many, it was the first, and the last regatta of the season and the pleasure of sailing was palpable. For its 22nd edition, Les Voiles was experimenting with a new format. 130 boats, divided into 6 Moderne groups and 9 Tradition groups competed in the first week, before giving way to 20 Maxi Yachts and two superb schooners. Many races were validated each week, despite the gusts of wind that shook the South East of France, and each of the two parts of the new-formula event was able to dedicate magnificent winners. With this wet starting line just under the Portalet for all the series, this unique edition in hand has greatly satisfied the racers, happy to race and show their superb mounts as close as possible to the Tropéziens môles. We also noticed many boats coming for a first participation, including 6 Classic yachts and about thirty Modern sailing boats, in a difficult context, confirming the strong attractiveness of the Tropezian event.

Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez: no break in the history of sailing! We succeeded! Organizing our 22nd edition of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez in compliance with the health requirements was a big challenge. After 15 days of events at Les Voiles, the general feeling shared by the teams is happiness. These sails have been so difficult to implement, with so many factors of uncertainty, authorizations to obtain etc… everything ends beautifully! We had very nice days, beautiful regattas and the owners, skippers and sailors leave very satisfied. Everyone was frustrated that we couldn’t sail this year. All of our volunteers, both on land and at sea, were great. We are really happy to have been able to make these sails, with the major support of the City. By remaining vigilant and careful, we avoided problems. We’re going to pursue the idea of separating the big boats from the rest of the fleet, for safety reasons and because we want to keep the departures in the gulf in front of the port and we’re going to continue to talk to the classes to refine the program. We have a very good permanent team at the club, and especially a team of amazing volunteers who help us run the club.”

Georges Korhel, Main Race Officer The show closest to the spectators! «As an organizer, everything went well, with this new regatta format that also made it possible to put all the participants at the start right in front of the port. The first week, with only 130 boats, went very well, and even with double the number of boats, we are convinced that this remains manageable. Our teams are well trained. Everyone does what they have to do. Tribute to our teams! It is necessary to offer more choice of great routes to the great modern ships that need miles, distance to express themselves. Fewer runs between 3 buoys. We will adapt, while keeping the principle of a two-week event. We have here very spectacular Modern ships, and the gulf lends itself to make spectacle. We can propose a perfectly adapted playground to allow the public to see these amazing units evolve as closely as possible. We can imagine routes close to the Saint-Tropez jetties. Entertainment to promote our sport.”

They were at Voiles… Patrizio Bertelli, Billy Besson, Mitch Booth, Marc Bouet, Francois Brenac, Aymeric Chapelier, Bertrand de Broc, Benoît De Froidmont, Fabien Després, Jean-Pierre Dick, Peter Dubens, Eric Dumont, Robin Follin, Sidney Gavignet, Tara Getty, Torben Grael, Bruno Jourdren, Marc Lepesqueux, Xavier Macaire, Anthony Marchand, Corinne Migraine, Jean-Paul Mouren, Jean-Pierre Nicol, Lionel Péan, Loïck Peyron, Christopher Pratt, Nick Rogers, Marc Thiercelin, Bruno Troublé, Maurits Van Oranje, Gerald Véniard

Programme 2020 (reminder) Week 1: Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September: welcome of sailing boats up to about 20 metres (except for certain classes) Monday 28 September: regattas for modern sailing boats Tuesday 29, Wednesday 30 September, Friday 2, Saturday 3 October: regattas for modern sailing boats and traditional sailing boats Thursday 1 October: Challenge Day Saturday 3 October: award ceremony (week 1) Week 2: Les Voiles Super Series Sunday 4 and Monday 5 October: welcome of the big units (Wally, IRCA, Maxi yachts, Grand Traditions, large schooners) Tuesday 6, Wednesday 7, Thursday 8, Friday 9: regattas of large units

Friday, October 9: award ceremony (week 2) The measures planned by the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez (excluding competing devices) : Staff and volunteers – Screening of all workers before and during the Sailing Village event – Reduction of the village to 400 m2 (instead of the usual 1,500 m2), 400 people maximum – Exhibition spaces limited to partners. Access to the official North Sail store will be from the outside only. Masks, Intake Temperature Measurements and Water Alcohol Gel Required – Working with the Cerballiance Laboratory to screen for those interested in doing so. Activities: The traditional bowls competition, crew parade, crew festival and sardinade will not be able to take place this year. Media – Paperless registration formalities, no press room, press contact via email, text or telephone only. For boarding: negative test of less than 72 hours, mandatory wearing of the mask, appointment of boarding at the feet of the boats. The partners of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2020ROLEX BMW NORTH SAILS CHAMPAGNE BESSERAT DE BELLEFON EAUX 808 SUZUKI MARINE MERCANTOUR EVENTS MARSHALL TORPEZ (VIGNOBLES DE SAINT-TROPEZ) BERNARD OPTIC LORO PIANA INTERNATIONAL MAXI ASSOCIATION DERBEZ JARDINS PORT DE SAINT-TROPEZ LES MARINES DE COGOLIN FEDERATION FRANCAISE DE VOILE YACHT CLUB DE FRANCE

Les Voiles celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Nioulargue

A breathtaking first week The largest Maxis Yachts gathering in the world They were at Les Voiles, more than 3,200 sailors from around the world…

If the 2020 edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez had successfully installed a new format over two weeks, it was indeed the 23rd opus of the great gathering Tropézien that made it possible to measure, rid of a large part of the sanitary constraints, on land as well as on sea, the merits of a two-race regatta, that of Classic yachts and sailboats under 60 feet in the first week, immediately followed by a full week devoted exclusively to Maxis Yachts. A first week out of time, blessed by Eole with ideal sailing conditions, was the prelude to the largest gathering of Maxis Yachts in the world. What to delight the organizers, the President, Pierre Roinson, and the entire team of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, happy to celebrate so grandiose the 40th anniversary of the original race, the Nioulargue, with all the starts and finishes in front of the port of Saint-Tropez.

A breathtaking first week! As pointed out by Georges Korhel, Main Race Officer of Les Voiles, the first week of festivities and regattas – from September 25 to October 2 – won all the votes; all the wind registers allowed the race committees, both Modern and Classic, to send every day beautiful events always so contested. The 23rd Sails of the name have crowned formidable winners, starting with the very famous industry boss Patrizio Bertelli, the winner of the Rolex Trophy, aboard the Herreshoff Scud plan and his high-flying crew, who overcame the sumptuous P Class. Among all the winners in the 10 categories of traditional sailing yachts in the race, the Sails crown exceptional boats, to the signature of the greatest naval architects. Pretext (Nacira 47), for the North Sails Trophy (IRCB), and Nanoq, skippered by the Prince of Denmark for the BMW Trophy (IRCC), won in groups that were particularly competitive. It was Olympian, the 1913 P Class and its deep green hull that won the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy, after a stunning final, like a race match between Bruno Troublé, who knocked him out, and Peter Isler, America’s Cup figure, in command of Spartan.

The world’s largest Maxis Yachts event, from 3 to 9 October. With 45 units from 60 to 107 feet, also gathered at the invitation of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, the second week of the Voiles rocked in gigantism and accumulated all the superlatives. Wally, J Class, pure racers invaded the gulf for spectacular regattas at will, in wind regimes favouring all expressions. Sport, at the highest level, but also demonstrations at the highest level of exceptional sailing boats, with futuristic profiles designed for pure performance. Comanche, Rambler 88, Leopard3, just like the Mini Maxis 72, delighted the public when, all sails deployed, they landed under the Portalet in search of the prestigious trophies of Voiles. Magic Carpet Cubed, the Wally Cento of Sir Lindsay Owen Jones battled to the last edge to win in IRC1 to confirm his recent title of World Champion, while the pretty Wally 77 Lyra found in Saint Tropez rewards to his many merits. We will long remember the formidable mano a mambo between the two J Class, Topaz and Velsheda whose rivalry has finally turned to the advantage of the first.

They said: Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez: “We were extremely complimented on the first week of Les Voiles. This is very important because it means that we have reconnected with history, the Moderns sailing at the same time as the Classics. It went wonderfully, with great weather. While scrupulously respecting the sanitary measures, we have reconnected with the atmosphere of the Voiles and it is a great pleasure. I met the owners of Maxis, who are absolutely delighted to come and sail here. Our second week was the largest Maxis gathering in the world with 45 units present. The Maxis were thus able to benefit from departure and arrival in front of the port of Saint-Tropez. This second week was very professional, with very high-level crews. The public also appreciated to be able to discover these rare boats that are the Maxis very close. I want to thank all of our staff and volunteers who have just joined Sail GP, Voiles and will be working on the Swan next week.”

Georges Korhel, Principal Race Officer « It was a great success. The first week was blessed with Gods, with varied wind conditions that allowed running every day. The second week was more complex, but we ran in very different conditions and we crowned beautiful winners. The Maxis are delighted, they are in the port, they are sailing in front of Saint-Tropez… that’s what they wanted. The first week, out of 240 boats, we were able to put 200 in the port. The competitors are happy and that’s what matters. Les Voiles was a great event for the Maxis. 45 boats this year, all of high quality, Rambler, Leopard, Topaz… rare boats that we are happy to share with the general public.»

They were at Voiles: More than 800 sailors from around the world enlivened the second week of Les Voiles, 2,400 the first. Some Maxis indeed require a lot of arms and weight to recall. Every day, Comanche embarked 28 men and women crew, Magic Carpet Cubed or Velsheda nearly 30, and 37 for Topaz. On the pontoons Jean-Baptiste Bernaz, Ernesto Bertarelli, Patrizio Bertelli, Arnaud Boissières, Michel Boujenah, Brad Butterworth, Dee Caffari, Pierre Casiraghi, Julien Cressant, Prince Frederik of Denmark, Simon Daubney, Francesco De Angelis, Bertrand de Broc, Patrice de Colmont, Kevin Escoffier, Shannon Falcone, Robin Follin, Thierry Fouchier, German Frers, Sidney Gavignet, Clément Giraud, Torben Grael, Peter Isler, Xavier Macaire, Corinne Migraine, Philippe Monnet, Marc Pajot, Lionel Péan, Loïck Peyron, Christopher Pratt, Jochen Schuemann, Giles Scott, Tom Slingsby, Bruno Troublé, Le Prince Maurits Van Oranje, Marcel Van Triest, Gerald Veniard, Tom Whidden.

The figures: 132 Modern sailing boats, 82 Classics, in the first week, followed by 45 Maxis, for a total of 3,200 sailors, 20 nationalities.

See you on Saturday, September 24, 2022 for a new edition

Partners of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez ROLEX BMW WALLY NORTH SAILS CHAMPAGNE BESSERAT DE BELLEFON SUZUKI MARINE MARSHALL MERCANTOUR EVENTS TORPEZ (VIGNOBLES DE SAINT-TROPEZ) BERNARD OPTIC DERBEZ JARDINS

institutional partners LA VILLE DE SAINT-TROPEZ ESPRIT VILLAGE PORT DE SAINT-TROPEZ LES MARINES DE COGOLIN FEDERATION FRANCAISE DE VOILE YACHT CLUB DE FRANCE INTERNATIONAL MAXI ASSOCIATION

Sails in XXL format!

The new formula of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez, now over two weeks, has for the third time demonstrated its consistency, rewarding runners and owners, as a well-informed or new audience, a unique show on the water, and a festive and friendly atmosphere on shore. 214 boats, Modern and Classic, animated by more 2,100 sailors in the first week, gave way to 800 sailors and 46 Maxi yachts the week. Everyone was able to compete in the best fairness, in compliance with the rules of security, within groups harmoniously respecting the characteristics of size and gauge of each sailboat. The Sails have also renewed, after two years highly restrictive with their trademark, this inimitable spirit of fairplay and conviviality linked to the passion of yachting. The sea, the sun, sumptuous regattas celebrated 160 years of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, organizer of the event, led by President Pierre Roinson and his teams. A reference edition!

This 24th edition of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez is undeniably to be marked with a white stone. Each of the two weeks has seen the most beautiful yachts in the world, both classic and modern, compete, sometimes in the wind, sometimes in the air. 46 of these, known as Maxis because of their size greater than 60 feet, constituted one of the largest gatherings of this type in the Mediterranean. The last race of their inshore circuit, Saint-Tropez saw the crowning of Capricorno, the best Maxi of the season orchestrated by the International Maxi Association. The IMA also took advantage of the dynamics of Les Voiles to open its entries to the multihulls, and to the foilers, who are now invited to the Tropéziennes start lines.

The village, beating heart of the Voiles One of the great satisfactions of President Roinson and his teams is, beyond the show and the sporting aspect, the beautiful conviviality encountered throughout the 15 days in the heart of the Village of Sails, essential nerve center of the expression of the good mood of the sailors coming from all over the world. An eco-friendly village that has also made the unanimity until late every evening.

Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez This fortnight has totally met our expectations. We are all delighted. All, that is to say the teams of the Nautique, the partners, the sailors, all those who have invested, and who leave conquered. We were spoiled by the summer weather. In total, we welcomed 260 Modern, Classic and Maxis boats and nearly 3,000 sailors. It is a success. We also really found the spirit of the Nioulargue, the party, the conviviality, a superb atmosphere in the evening around the bar. Our second week finds its marks, with many spectators, on the dike and the quay Jean Réveille. Not everything is perfect and we know where we need to improve. But our efforts to preserve the environment have very concrete and measurable results, particularly with the implementation of geopositioned electric buoys, without impact on the funds, and thanks to the dematerialisation of our documents, race notices, endorsements, registration forms and results, all now available only digitally. I think next year will be even better. The teams of Magic Carpet3 and Tango who took part in the first Club 55 Cup dedicated to the Maxis were delighted to play this unique moment of Les Voiles and then to meet up with Patrice de Colmont for a rare moment of sharing. It is important to rediscover this spirit in the second week, which is by nature more professional than the first. Georges Korhel’s teams are doing a remarkable job. They have been able to launch and validate races and that is to their credit. I believe that Sails are wonderfully revived after two years of Covid…”

They were at Voiles:

Alexia Barrier – Titouan Bernicot – Patrizio Bertelli – Mitch Booth – François Brénac – Brad
Butterworth – Pierre Casiraghi – Patrice de Colmont – Harold Cudmore – Isabelle Demongeot – Peter
Dubens – Tara Getty – Clément Giraud – Thierry Fouchet – Torben Grael – Karol Jablonski – Murray
Jones – Simon Le Bon – Xavier Macaire – Elodie-Jane Mettraux – Corinne Migraine – Stéphane
Mifsud – Philippe Monnet – Peter Ogden – Marc Pajot – Loïck Peyron – Christopher Pratt – Pierre
Quiroga – Ken Read – Alan Roura – SAR Frederick du Danemark – Jochen Schumann – Marie
Tabarly – Marcel van Triest…

Partners of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez ROLEX BMW NORTH SAILS WALLY SUZUKI MARINE MARSHALL MERCANTOUR BYBLOS BESSERAT DE BELLEFON TORPEZ (VIGNOBLES DE SAINT-TROPEZ) BERNARD OPTIC PEPINIERES PIERRE BASSET ESPRIT VILLAGE A SAINT-TROPEZ VILLE DE SAINT-TROPEZ PORT DE SAINT-TROPEZ LES MARINES DE COGOLIN FEDERATION FRANCAISE DE VOILE YACHT CLUB DE FRANCE INTERNATIONAL MAXI ASSOCIATION

Organisation :
Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez
Président : Pierre Roinson
Principal Race Officer : Georges Korhel
Responsable Régates : Frédérique Fantino
Responsable technique : Philippe Martinez
Communication et Attachée de Direction : Chloé de Brouwer
Rédaction : Denis Van den Brink

Site internet : www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr
Media site : www.snst-media.com/
Facebook : les Voiles de Saint-Tropez Officiel www.facebook.com/VoilesDeSaintTropezOfficiel
Twitter : @VoilesSTOrg
Instagram : les_voiles_de_saint_tropez https://www.instagram.com/les_voiles_de_saint_tropez/

25 years next year, Les Voiles forever!

When the planets of the sailing galaxy align! Generous sunshine, wind, the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, the world’s finest Maxis, Moderns and Classics, sailors from all horizons, a convivial atmosphere that fosters camaraderie – these were the ingredients that once again created the magic of a crazy week in Saint-Tropez. This year’s ^25th edition featured a new 10-day format, from Friday, September 29 to Sunday, October 8, with a start for the Maxis, followed by daily starts for both the Modernes and Classiques under the Portalet. Every day, teams led by Georges Korhel, Principal Race Officer, and Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, were hard at work, from the bottom of the Gulf to Les Issambres or Cavalaire, setting courses adapted to the conditions and types of yachts. Happiness and pleasure are the main winners of the races at sea and the meetings on land, in this new village set up for the first time on the Jean Réveille mole. A simple, sincere cocktail that delighted nearly 3,000 sailors aboard some 250 Classic, Modern and Maxi yachts. For many, Les Voiles brings the regatta season to a close, but for Pierre Roinson and his teams, thoughts are already turning to 2024 and the 25th anniversary of Les Voiles.

Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez
“I was particularly struck by the enthusiasm and the number of people present on the quays and dykes throughout the week. Of course, the weather had a lot to do with it, as we’ve been spoiled with a long summer. But all those involved – sailors, owners and partners – agree that we’re back in the spirit of the Nioulargue, which we celebrated with dignity with the return of Pride who hadn’t been to Saint-Tropez in 22 years. The music, the parties, the infectious good humor in the evenings between the boats, the desire to enjoy and share the pleasure of sailing here, in the Gulf, on the most beautiful boats in the world was infectious. The sporting side of things was a complete success. All classes sailed every day! We’re already talking to the other classes, because our aim is to keep improving, and 2024 will have its share of changes… ”

Georges Korhel, Principal Race Officer
“It’s true that you have to go back a long way to remember the last time we validated one race per day, Challenge Day included. The teams on land and at sea rose to the occasion. Our courses worked well and allowed the racers to have a lot of fun. The geostationary buoys were a great help in this respect. The constitution of the different groups, particularly in the Classics, is a lengthy process which we are continuing to work on, to enable each group to race in the greatest sporting equity. No easy task when the fleet represents over 150 years of naval architecture. In any case, the show is on, and Les Voiles are shining brighter than ever in the firmament of yachting…”.

Jens Kellinghusen, owner of the 1939 Varuna, winner of the Rolex Trophy
” It’s a great pleasure to win here, as Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez is a key event in our season. I’ve owned Varuna for 6 years, and I sail her with friends, all amateurs. It’s incredible to have won all the races, because the competition was so tough. The Rolex Trophy group was very evenly matched, and it was magical to sail against 11 magnificent Yawls. The water is superb, and the Tropéziennes evenings are great fun. This Rolex Trophy means a lot to us. “

They were at Les Voiles:
Alexia Barrier, Sébastien Bazin, Patrizio Bertelli, José Bové, Pierre Casiraghi, Prince Frederik of Denmark, Bertrand de Broc, Patrice de Colmont, Jean-Pierre Dick, Peter Dubens, Maud Fontenoy, German Frers, Tara Getty, Clément Giraud, Peter Isler, Simon Le Bon, Philippe Monnet, Sir Peter Ogden, Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, Marc Pajot, Lionel Péan, Bruno Peyron, Loïck Peyron, Jochen Schueman, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, Bruno Troublé, Marcel van Triest, Tom Whidden.

Results Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2023

The Maxis finished their week of racing on Friday (5 valid races) and enjoyed a fine prize-giving ceremony that same evening, while the Modern and Traditional yachts waited until Sunday morning to celebrate their winners, following a final race yesterday, Saturday.
The famous little beach of La Ponche welcomed sailors, skippers and owners for the presentation of the week’s trophies.

Maxis
Coupe de la Ville de Saint-Tropez: Wallyno

Maxi A: Trophée Byblos
1- Cannonball, Peter Harrison, 8 pts
2- North Star, Peter Dubens, 11 pts
3- Galateia, Chris Flowers, 13 pts

Maxi B: Trophée Galeries Bartoux
1- Lyra, Terry Hui, 5 pts
2- Rose, Sven Wackerhagen, 10 pts
3- Aragon, Thomas Biton, 11 pts

MaxiC: Barons de Rothschild Trophy
1 – Wallyno, Benoit de Froidmont, 4 pts
2- Lady First III, Jean-Pierre Dréau, 9 pts
3- Sud, Lorenzo Muratore, 12 pts

MaxiD: Highfield Trophy:
1- Stella Maris, Matteo Fossati, 5 pts
2- Sao Bernardo, Jérome Bataillard, 10 pts
3- Saida, Juerg Scheindern 11 pts

Modernes
Trophée de la Ville de Saint Tropez : Long Nose XI – Yves Ginoux

Trophée North Sails : IRC B
1- Daguet 2, Peter Byford, 11 pts
2- Lazy Dog, Sergio Sagramoso, 12 pts
3- Mistral Gagnant, Marco Emmanuele Ferrero, 12 pts

BMW Trophy: IRC C
1- Nanoq, Prince Frederik of Denmark, 7 pts
2-Daguet3, Frédéric Puzin, 8 pts
3- Arobas2, Gérard Logel, 11 pts

Suzuki Trophy: IRC D
1- Long Nose XI, Yves Ginoux, 5 pts
2- Cocody, Richard Fromentin, 6 pts
3- Wallis, Frédéric Bouillon, 13 pts

Trophée des Marines de Cogolin: IRC E
1- Expresso 3, Guy Claes, 9 pts
2- King of Blue by Sensation, Pascal Fan, 10 pts
3- Letto Di Petto, Jorgen Preuss, 17 pts

Yacht Club de France Trophy: Eugenia V

Tradition
Rolex Trophy: Bermuda Yawls
1- Varuna 1939, Jens Kellinghusen, 3 pts
2- Comet, William Woodward Fisher, 7 pts
3- Stormy Weather, Christopher Spray, 8 pts

Trophée Chateau Saint Maur: Big Boats
1- Tuiga, Daniel Pereira, 3 pts
2- The Lady Anne, Richard Le may, 5 pts
3- Mariska, Dan Poljsak, 8 pts

Mercantour Trophy: Auric Age
1- Spartan, Aladin Montel, 3 pts
2- Oriole, Juan Carlos Eguiagaray, 10 pts
3- Marga, Matteo Taconi, 10 pts

SNSM Trophy: Marconi period
1- Blitzen, Charles Dunstone, 5 pts
2- Carron II, Angelo Mazzarella, 9 pts
3- Falcon, Paulo Mirpuri, 10 pts

Ekle Trophy: Marconi
1- Il Moro due Venezia, Massimiliano Ferruzzi, 4 pts
2- Encounter, Bart Widower, 4 pts
3- Sagittarius, Frédéric Laffitte, 9 pts

Trophée Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez : 12 m JI
12 m JI AB :
1- Kiwi Magic, Johan Blach, 4 pts
2- French Kiss, Christophe Babule, 4,70 pts
3- South Australia, Yann Delplace 7 pts

12 m JI CD:
1- Nyala, Patrizio Bertelli, 3 pts
2- Ikra, Hugues Destremau, 5 pts
3- Seven seas of Porto, Marcus Kemp, 9 pts

Trophée Pépinières du Golfe: Guests
1- Maria Giovanna II, Jean-Pierre Sauvan, 5 pts
2- Jap, Harold Cudmore, 6 pts
3- Resolute salmon, Walker Pizzoli, 6 pts

Club 55 Cup Maxi
My Song (def Magic Carpet 3)
Historic Club 55
Ikra (def Pride)
Club 55 classic
France (def Hermitage)

Parade of crews: Moogli – 100% female crew

Photo competition:
1st Prize: Romain Môles – wins a Nikon Reflex camera
2nd Prize: Caroline Melchior
3rd Prize: Sidonie Gachet
4th Prize: Dominique Poutrain

Partners of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez
ROLEX
BMW
NORTH SAILS
WALLY
SUZUKI MARINE
HIGHFIELD
MERCANTOUR
BYBLOS
GALERIE BARTOUX
ESPRIT VILLAGE A SAINT-TROPEZ
PEPINIERE DU GOLFE

Official Suppliers of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez
CHAMPAGNE BARONS DE ROTHSCHILD
CHATEAU SAINT-MAUR
DOMAINE BERTAUD BELIEU
VILLE DE SAINT-TROPEZ
PORT DE SAINT-TROPEZ
LES MARINES DE COGOLIN
FEDERATION FRANCAISE DE VOILE
YACHT CLUB DE FRANCE
INTERNATIONAL MAXI ASSOCIATION

Organization:

Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez
President: Pierre Roinson
Principal Race Officer: Georges Korhel
Responsable Régates : Frédérique Fantino
On-water resources: Gilles Doyen
Communications and Executive Assistant: Chloé de Brouwer
Editorial: Denis van den Brink
Websites: www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr; www.societe-nautique-saint-tropez.fr
Facebook: les Voiles de Saint-Tropez Officiel
X formerly Twitter : @VoilesSTOrg
Instagram: les_voiles_de_saint_tropez