A broken genoa hook, a 20-tack duel and a costly marking error light up Tuesday at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez as 77 Tradition yachts join the fleet
Three races into their regatta at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, the J Class yachts have produced three different winners, and Tuesday showed why. The easterly breeze blew 15 to 20 knots and churned up the Bay of Pampelonne. Spectators and photographers watched 180 tonnes of J Class yacht, spread across three hulls, slice through the chop with their long bows riding out the pitching. Just after the starting gun, Svea’s genoa hook gave way, a reminder of the enormous loads hidden behind all that grace.
Gilles Martin-Raget / Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez
With Monday’s winner out of the race, the contest became a match race between Rainbow and Hanuman. On the 3-mile upwind leg the two crews traded twenty tacks or more in a run of attacks and counter-attacks. Hanuman held the upper hand to the windward mark and for the whole downwind leg, where controlling the 600 square metre symmetrical spinnakers was a tough ask. Then came a marking error at the leeward gate and a chaotic spinnaker drop, and Rainbow slipped through for her first race win. Hanuman took her revenge in race two. After three races in two days with three different winners, the Js are showing no signs of age.
Across the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and the Bay of Pampelonne it was a day of celebration. In sunshine and a lovely breeze, 251 crews went afloat determined to get the best out of themselves and their boats. The arrival of 77 Tradition yachts and the start of the Rolex Trophy opened a new chapter in the regatta’s story. Keen to make the most of the conditions, the three race committees ran the maximum number of races, and the day had only a handful of glitches.
Tradition Yachts
Seventy-seven pieces of history came together for this 28th edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. The oldest entry is Sky, an 1890 Epoque Gaffer, and the youngest is Resolute Salmon of 1976, racing in the IOR class. Between them they make up an exceptional fleet, which followed the Modern yachts out to the start of its first race. In the staggered starts, the 12 Metres and IOR yachts went off together because of their similar performance potential and were first onto the racecourse, followed by the Epoque Marconi yachts. The four P Classes contesting the Rolex Trophy had a start of their own, just ahead of the Big Boats. The starting procedure for the Big Boats was extended “to give yachts like Elena of London and Atlantic of course, the necessary time to power up,” explained Principal Race Officer Georges Korhel.
The seven categories fought hard as the wind kept building through the afternoon. The Bermudan yawls Varuna and Baruna are only a letter apart in name, and there was precious little between them at the windward mark either. Among the 12 Metres, South Australia and French Kiss produced a fine match race. Marc Pajot, aboard French Kiss, tried to hold the inside lane all the way to the La Moute mark before finally conceding.
Modern Yachts
The world’s largest luxury sailing yacht, the new Orient Express Corinthian, lay at anchor in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. So did Seacloud Spirit, a replica of a three-master. The gulf looked like a nautical stadium with some of its stands in the middle of the field of play. The line favoured the left and the better breeze lay beside the historic marine cemetery, so the task was to find the right corridor of wind and stay out of the wind shadows. Nanoq made a strong start and took charge, fighting off the other three TP52s, but the tenacious Knutte narrowly took the win on the line. Thomas Andersen’s German team had already finished on the podium on Monday and now leads the provisional overall standings for the Trophée BMW. The American Botin 44 Interlodge, fourth on Monday, was second on corrected time.
In IRC 1, two Ker 46s reached the podium, with Lisa R taking the win. Jérémie Lagarrigue’s Nacira 47 Prétexte 2, Monday’s winner, was not far off the pace in sixth. IRC 2 is a varied class of 25 boats, and there the Melges 32 Fremito d’Arja won ahead of the J/133 Jwow. In IRC 3, three Farr 30s took the whole podium, with the Swedish boat Letto di Pletto on top.
Maxis
On Monday the Maxi 2, 3 and 4 classes sailed a coastal sprint to Cavalaire. Again the race to watch in the Bay of Pampelonne was Maxi 1, where 13 boats are competing for the Trophée Edmond de Rothschild. Since the Worlds in Porto Cervo and Monday’s opening race here, the Maxi GP NorthStar III has shown that she makes very light work of light airs.
Tuesday’s 15 to 20 knots should not have suited the Judel-Vrolijk design. Even so, she held her own against the highly refined Maxis and sailed lower and faster downwind. After one lap of the course Peter Dubens’ new 76-footer took control of the fleet and never let go. Her win came on elapsed time, ahead of rivals with much higher ratings. The prototype looks more like a big TP52 than a traditional Maxi, and she is outclassing the competition.
On Monday her strategist, Wouter Verbraak, had explained the secret as “a whole set of parameters. She boasts a keel that maximises righting moment and power and generates intense hydro-mechanical lift, without the need for extra drag-heavy appendages, an aerodynamic package with a rotating mast and a vanishing deck.”
The longer and far heavier Maxis still found some consolation. The Wallycento V beat the other Maxi GPs on the day, and Capricorno, another Judel-Vrolijk design, finished third. Three races were sailed in all on Tuesday.
Three Questions to Paul Cayard
Paul Cayard is a familiar face at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. He is a multiple America’s Cup finalist and won the 1997 Whitbread, and this week he is calling tactics on the ClubSwan 80 My Song, which placed sixth in Maxi 1 on Tuesday. Speaking in excellent French, he explained the difficulties of racing in the class.
What is your first recollection of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez?
“I came here for the first time in 1993, when I helmed Tuiga. Known as the Nioulargue back then, it’s still a special regatta with all these very beautiful classic yachts mixing it up with the race boats. It’s a wonderful late-season gathering for some very fine sailors. The climate is perfect and St Tropez is still as charming as ever. The day before yesterday, we watched the J Classes in training. I had the opportunity to step aboard Endeavour once. They are extraordinary boats with sails from bow to stern and as beautiful as ever.”
You’re racing on My Song in Maxi 1. Where does the boat sit in relation to the rest of the fleet?
“There are big 100-footers like Magic Carpet e, Galateia and V, which race together year-round but we’re only 25 metres long. They are a bit quicker than us and you have to sail a bit differently than you do in a race on an equal footing and try not to get boxed in. What is making things trickier this year is the presence of three Maxi GPs, which are thoroughbred racing machines more geared towards inshore racing than us so it won’t be easy to win!”
You’re calling tactics, so you’re shouldering the responsibility?
“Kind of, yes (laughs). I’m not helming as the IMA’s rules require an owner-helmsman set-up. As such, I’m calling tactics. The onus will be on making the right choices and playing smart if we’re to secure ourselves a top spot. Sometimes you end up having to go where you shouldn’t just to avoid colliding with the fastest boats. It’s pretty special but we’re having a lot of fun aboard. It’s always nice to come here for some great racing.”
The Week Ahead
Wednesday, 30 September: Races for the Moderns and Classics, including the Rolex Trophy. Day off for the Maxis and the Club 55 Maxi Yacht Cup.
Thursday, 1 October: Club 55 Cup, Gstaad Yacht Club Centenarians’ Trophy with staggered starts, Challenge Day for the Moderns and Classics, Wallynano37 Challenge and races for the Maxis.
Friday, 2 October: Races for the Maxis, Moderns and Classics, including the Rolex Trophy.
Saturday, 3 October: Races for the Maxis, Moderns and Classics, including the Rolex Trophy. Prize-giving for the Maxis, including the Trophée Edmond de Rothschild, and presentation of the Rolex Trophy.
Sunday, 4 October: Prize-giving for the Moderns and Classics, including the Trophée BMW and special trophies.
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez runs from 26 September to 4 October 2026, with Rolex as Major Partner.
