Please forgive me if I wax a bit more poetic than usual. I just can’t share my love for this chic and soulful celebration of sailing at the end of the Mediterranean summer season any other way. Simply put, no other sailing event I know of combines classic glamour, elegant history, impossible beauty, cool wealth AND hot competition quite like Les Volies de Saint-Tropez. And you don’t even need to be into sailing to appreciate the glorious spectacle of it all.
Set in what is arguably one of the most famous and exclusive waterfront destinations in the world. The Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez is also one of the largest and most prestigious regattas in the Mediterranean that attracts many of the world’s largest and most recognizable classic yachts (such as the 212-foot-long schooner Atlantic), along with turbo-charged maxis (such as the 100-foot-long Wally Yacht V that took home the Edmond de Rothschild Trophy for the best Maxi 1) and modern yachts (like David Team’s TP 52 Vesper that claimed the BMW trophy for the best IRC 0 yacht).
And don’t even get me started fanboying about the lovingly updated Swan 44 Pride. Not only can the birth of the of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez (and the Nioulargue regatta before that) be traced directly to a friendly race challenge between Pride and the 12 meter IKRA in 1981. Pride also cleaned up at this year’s event claiming the Town of Saint-Tropez Cup for the first overall modern yacht, the Marines de Cogolin trophy for the best IRC 3 yacht, and they even won Domaine Bertaud Belieu prize in the crew parade.
Other notable yachts in this year’s event include the 10-boat-strong Wally Yachts fleet. The 100-foot-long Galateia is the Maxi World Champion that was crowned in Porto Cervo this summer. Pascale Decaux’s Tilakkhana II is a 100-footer that had a majority female crew including: Dee Caffari, Marie Riou and Sophie de Turckheim. Other Wallys at Les Voiles included: a Wally 77, 80, 94, the first Wallywind 110, and a brand-new Wallyrocket 51s. And, oh yeah, the new Wallyrocket 7X, Django claimed the Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez Trophy for the best Maxi GP.
But when it comes to appreciating the pure elegance and emotional power of sailing yachts, nothing can really compare with Les Voiles 81-boat-strong Traditional fleet. The Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez Trophy for the best yacht in the big boat category and the ROLEX Trophy for the best big boat went to the 135-foot-long Cambria that was designed by William Fife & Son and launched in the UK in 1928.
Spartan, a rare and well-loved N.G. Herreshoff-designed New York 50 claimed the Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez Trophy for the best yacht in the Grand Tradition category. And the William Fife III-designed Kismet, that was first launched in 1898, claimed the Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez Trophy for the best yacht in the Epoque Aurique category.
In know it’s a cliché but I really do believe every one of the 81 classic yachts deserves a special mention. Mmmmmm, I have an idea. Watch this space.
Actually, Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez that’s responsible for hosting the regatta every year sums up the alure of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez way better than I could.
“Everyone aboard these boats loves the sea and yachting and they behave in such a lovely way. Three thousand crewmen and women came together at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez and they celebrated in style.
“We’re very pleased to have played host to our prestigious new partner, Edmond de Rothschild,” he adds. “They really got involved and were ever-present. The crew soirée they organized on Friday with the boules competition and the participation of so many sailors proved to be a big hit. They are very familiar with Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez as some of the Gitana craft have secured victory in the Nioulargue in the past. They have also partnered the event before and immediately grasped the kind of spirit we’re keen to preserve here. Charles Caudrelier’s presence here this weekend was especially important because his calm, accessible demeanor really opens up this milieu.”
And since I know firsthand that Charles Caudrelier has very, very, very big plans for Gitana 18 (a 104-foot-long, 75-foot-wide around the world-record hunting, hydrofoiling trimaran with a 124-foot-tall mast) that will be launching later this year, I can only imagine what Edmond de Rothschild and the Gitana team might be planning for the 2026. But I’m pretty sure it’s going to be very, very big. And very, very fast. In fact, I know it’s going to fly.
Restez à l'écoute!